Atom 230 vs Pentium III 1400

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.

Atom 230 vs Pentium III 1400 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.

Atom 230 vs Pentium III 1400: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Atom 230

2008

Why buy it

✅+8.8% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 4W instead of 31W, a 27W reduction.

Trade-offs

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

Pentium III 1400

2001

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (228 vs 248).
❌Launch MSRP is still $250 MSRP, while Atom 230 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌675% higher power demand at 31W vs 4W.

Quick Answers

So, is Atom 230 better than Pentium III 1400?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Pentium III 1400 is ahead with 1300% higher max boost clock. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Atom 230 pulls ahead with 8.8% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Atom 230 is the stronger fit. You are getting 8.8% better PassMark, backed by 1 cores and 2 threads.

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

Atom 230 is still the much better call for a fresh build. Atom 230 comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $250 MSRP, and it still gives you 8.8% better PassMark. Pentium III 1400 only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that usually means used-market pricing on an obsolete 2001 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (0.9 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on PGA370.

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

Atom 230 makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2008 vs 2001) and more multi-core headroom with 1 cores / 2 threads instead of 1/1. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Atom 230 vs Pentium III 1400 Technical Specifications

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

Atom 230

The Atom 230 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2008 (17 years ago). It is based on the Silverthorne (2008−2010) architecture. It features 1 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.6 GHz, with boost up to 0.1 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: PBGA437. Thermal design power (TDP): 4 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 248 points. Launch price was $29.

Pentium III 1400

The Pentium III 1400 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Tualatin (2000−2002) architecture. It features 1 cores and 1 threads. Max frequency: 1.4 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 256 kB. Built on 130 nm process technology. Socket: PGA370. Thermal design power (TDP): 31 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 228 points. Launch price was $69.

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Processing Power

The Atom 230 packs 1 cores / 2 threads, matching the Pentium III 1400's 1 cores. Boost clocks reach 0.1 GHz on the Atom 230 versus 1.4 GHz on the Pentium III 1400 — a 173.3% clock advantage for the Pentium III 1400. The Atom 230 uses the Silverthorne (2008−2010) architecture (45 nm), while the Pentium III 1400 uses Tualatin (2000−2002) (130 nm). In PassMark, the Atom 230 scores 248 against the Pentium III 1400's 228 — a 8.4% lead for the Atom 230. Both processors carry 0 kB of L3 cache.

Feature	Atom 230	Pentium III 1400
Cores / Threads	1 / 2	1 / 1
Boost Clock	0.1 GHz	1.4 GHz+1300%
Base Clock	1.6 GHz	—
L3 Cache	0 kB	0 kB
L2 Cache	512 kB+100%	256 kB
Process	45 nm-65%	130 nm
Architecture	Silverthorne (2008−2010)	Tualatin (2000−2002)
PassMark	248+9%	228

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Memory & Platform

The Atom 230 uses the PBGA437 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium III 1400 uses PGA370 (PCIe 1.1) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.