Atom C3958 vs Athlon 300U
Atom C3958
Athlon 300U
Performance Spectrum - CPU
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.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Atom C3958 is positioned at rank 902 and the Athlon 300U is on rank 624, so the Athlon 300U offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Atom C3958
Performance Per Dollar Athlon 300U
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Atom C3958 | Athlon 300U |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | Equivalent pricing | Equivalent pricing |
| Longevity | ✨ Modern (Goldmont (2016−2017) / 14 nm) | ✨ Modern (Raven Ridge 2 (2019) / 14 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Atom C3958 | Athlon 300U |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | Equivalent pricing | Equivalent pricing |
Performance Check
To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.
Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Atom C3958 and Athlon 300U
Atom C3958
The Atom C3958 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 15 August 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Goldmont (2016−2017) architecture. It features 16 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB. L2 cache: 16 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1310. Thermal design power (TDP): 31 Watt. Memory support: DDR4: 2400. Passmark benchmark score: 3,929 points. Launch price was $449.
Athlon 300U
The Athlon 300U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Raven Ridge 2 (2019) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 3,861 points. Launch price was $149.
Processing Power
The Atom C3958 packs 16 cores / 16 threads, while the Athlon 300U offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Atom C3958 has 14 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2 GHz on the Atom C3958 versus 3.3 GHz on the Athlon 300U — a 49.1% clock advantage for the Athlon 300U (base: 2 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Atom C3958 uses the Goldmont (2016−2017) architecture (14 nm), while the Athlon 300U uses Raven Ridge 2 (2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Atom C3958 scores 3,929 against the Athlon 300U's 3,861 — a 1.7% lead for the Atom C3958. L3 cache: 16 MB on the Atom C3958 vs 4 MB (total) on the Athlon 300U.
| Feature | Atom C3958 | Athlon 300U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 16 / 16+700% | 2 / 4 |
| Boost Clock | 2 GHz | 3.3 GHz+65% |
| Base Clock | 2 GHz | 2.4 GHz+20% |
| L3 Cache | 16 MB+300% | 4 MB (total) |
| L2 Cache | 16 MB+3100% | 512K (per core) |
| Process | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Architecture | Goldmont (2016−2017) | Raven Ridge 2 (2019) |
| PassMark | 3,929+2% | 3,861 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | — | 900 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | — | 1,800 |
Memory & Platform
The Atom C3958 uses the FCBGA1310 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Athlon 300U uses FP5 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2400 memory speed. The Atom C3958 supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 32 GB — 155.6% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 12 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: Intel FCBGA1310 (Atom C3958) and FP5 (Athlon 300U).
| Feature | Atom C3958 | Athlon 300U |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | FCBGA1310 | FP5 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR4-2400 | DDR4-2400 |
| Max RAM Capacity | 256 GB+700% | 32 GB |
| RAM Channels | 2 | 2 |
| ECC Support | ✅ | ❌ |
| PCIe Lanes | 12 | 12 |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: not specified (Atom C3958) / AMD-V (Athlon 300U). The Athlon 300U includes integrated graphics (Radeon RX Vega 3), while the Atom C3958 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Athlon 300U targets Budget Laptop.
| Feature | Atom C3958 | Athlon 300U |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | No | Yes |
| IGPU Model | — | Radeon RX Vega 3 |
| Unlocked | — | No |
| AVX-512 | — | No |
| Virtualization | — | AMD-V |
| Target Use | — | Budget Laptop |
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