Athlon XP 3100+ vs Pentium M 730

Athlon XP 3100+ vs Pentium M 730 Performance Spectrum

Athlon XP 3100+

1 / 1

425

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Pentium M 730

1 / 1

435

+2.4%

About PassMark

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Athlon XP 3100+ vs Pentium M 730 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with GeForce RTX 5090 to isolate CPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Athlon XP 3100+ vs Pentium M 730: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

Athlon XP 3100+

2003

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (425 vs 435).
❌Launch MSRP is still $150 MSRP, while Pentium M 730 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌151.9% higher power demand at 68W vs 27W.

Pentium M 730

2005

Why buy it

✅+2.4% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 27W instead of 68W, a 41W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Pentium M 730 better than Athlon XP 3100+?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Athlon XP 3100+ is ahead with 37.5% higher max boost clock. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Pentium M 730 pulls ahead with 2.4% better PassMark.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Pentium M 730 is the stronger fit. You are getting 2.4% better PassMark, backed by 1 cores and 1 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Pentium M 730 is still the much better call for a fresh build. Pentium M 730 comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $150 MSRP, and it still gives you 2.4% better PassMark. Athlon XP 3100+ only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that usually means used-market pricing on an obsolete 2003 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (2.8 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on A.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Pentium M 730 makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2005 vs 2003) and more multi-core headroom with 1 cores / 1 threads instead of 1/1. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Athlon XP 3100+ vs Pentium M 730 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

Athlon XP 3100+

The Athlon XP 3100+ is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Thorton (2001−2003) architecture. It features 1 cores and 1 threads. Max frequency: 2.2 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 256 kB. Built on 130 nm process technology. Socket: A. Thermal design power (TDP): 68 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 425 points. Launch price was $149.

Pentium M 730

The Pentium M 730 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Dothan (2004−2005) architecture. It features 1 cores and 1 threads. Base frequency is 1.6 GHz, with boost up to 1.6 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 90 nm process technology. Socket: PGA478. Thermal design power (TDP): 27 Watt. Memory support: DDR2. Passmark benchmark score: 435 points. Launch price was $69.

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Processing Power

Both the Athlon XP 3100+ and Pentium M 730 share an identical 1-core/1-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.2 GHz on the Athlon XP 3100+ versus 1.6 GHz on the Pentium M 730 — a 31.6% clock advantage for the Athlon XP 3100+. The Athlon XP 3100+ uses the Thorton (2001−2003) architecture (130 nm), while the Pentium M 730 uses Dothan (2004−2005) (90 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon XP 3100+ scores 425 against the Pentium M 730's 435 — a 2.3% lead for the Pentium M 730. Both processors carry 0 kB of L3 cache.

Feature	Athlon XP 3100+	Pentium M 730
Cores / Threads	1 / 1	1 / 1
Boost Clock	2.2 GHz+38%	1.6 GHz
Base Clock	—	1.6 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	0 kB
L2 Cache	256 kB	2 MB+700%
Process	130 nm	90 nm-31%
Architecture	Thorton (2001−2003)	Dothan (2004−2005)
PassMark	425	435+2%

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon XP 3100+ uses the A socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Pentium M 730 uses PGA478 (PCIe 1.1) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.