Core 2 Extreme X9000
VS
Athlon II M340

Core 2 Extreme X9000 vs Athlon II M340

Intel

Core 2 Extreme X9000

2 Cores2 Thrd6 WWMax: 2.8 GHz2008
VS
AMD

Athlon II M340

2 Cores2 Thrd1 WWMax: 2.2 GHz2009

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 Core 2 Extreme X9000 is positioned at rank 915 and the Athlon II M340 is on rank 1001, so the Core 2 Extreme X9000 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Core 2 Extreme X9000

#903
Atom x5-Z8300
MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A
1589%
#904
Atom Z3735G
MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A
1565%
#905
Core i5-480M
MSRP: $81|Avg: $77
1437%
#906
Core i5-460M
MSRP: $80|Avg: $129
1430%
#907
Core i5-2540M
MSRP: $266|Avg: $10
1417%
#909
Core i5-450M
MSRP: $32|Avg: $31
1369%
#910
Core i3-380M
MSRP: $49|Avg: $25
1312%
#911
Core i5-430M
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33
1310%
#912
Core 2 Duo T6600
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4
1275%
#915
Core 2 Extreme X9000
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#919
Core i5-8365UE
MSRP: $297|Avg: $297
99%
#921
A6 Pro-7050B
MSRP: $100|Avg: $15
99%
#923
Athlon II N370
MSRP: $60|Avg: $10
98%
#928
A8-6410
MSRP: $100|Avg: $40
96%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Athlon II M340

#989
Atom x5-Z8300
MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A
2105%
#990
Atom Z3735G
MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A
2074%
#991
Core i5-480M
MSRP: $81|Avg: $77
1904%
#992
Core i5-460M
MSRP: $80|Avg: $129
1895%
#993
Core i5-2540M
MSRP: $266|Avg: $10
1878%
#995
Core i5-450M
MSRP: $32|Avg: $31
1813%
#996
Core i3-380M
MSRP: $49|Avg: $25
1739%
#997
Core i5-430M
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33
1736%
#998
Core 2 Duo T6600
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4
1689%
#1001
Athlon II M340
MSRP: $80|Avg: $15
100%
#1005
Pentium P6000
MSRP: $150|Avg: $90
98%
#1007
Core i7-3630QM
MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A
97%
#1008
Core i7-3610QM
MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A
97%
#1009
Core i3-1115GRE
MSRP: $338|Avg: $480
97%
#1010
Pentium A1020
MSRP: $86|Avg: $86
97%
#1011
Core i7-4702MQ
MSRP: $383|Avg: $50
97%
#1012
Pentium N4200
MSRP: $161|Avg: $30.89
96%
#1013
Pentium J2900
MSRP: $94|Avg: $20
96%
#1014
Celeron T1700
MSRP: $80|Avg: $5
95%
#1015
Celeron T3500
MSRP: $80|Avg: $10
95%
#1016
A12-9720P
MSRP: $200|Avg: $25
94%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Core 2 Extreme X9000 leads in gaming performance. However, the Athlon II M340 is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 0.6% greater multi-core processing power.
InsightCore 2 Extreme X9000Athlon II M340
Gaming
Superior gaming performance
Lower gaming performance
Workstation
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Better multi-core power
Price
More affordable ($0)
⚠️ Higher cost ($15)
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Penryn (2008−2011) / 45 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Caspian (2009) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

InsightCore 2 Extreme X9000Athlon II M340
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
More affordable ($0)
⚠️ Higher cost ($15)

Performance Check

Paired with RTX 4090

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 Core 2 Extreme X9000 and Athlon II M340

Intel

Core 2 Extreme X9000

The Core 2 Extreme X9000 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 10 January 2008 (17 years ago). It is based on the Penryn (2008−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 2.8 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB L2 Cache. L2 cache: 6 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: PGA478. Thermal design power (TDP): 44 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 1,108 points. Launch price was $851.

AMD

Athlon II M340

The Athlon II M340 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Caspian (2009) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 2.2 GHz. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1g3. Thermal design power (TDP): 1 MB. Memory support: DDR2. Passmark benchmark score: 1,115 points. Launch price was $149.

Processing Power

Both the Core 2 Extreme X9000 and Athlon II M340 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.8 GHz on the Core 2 Extreme X9000 versus 2.2 GHz on the Athlon II M340 — a 24% clock advantage for the Core 2 Extreme X9000. The Core 2 Extreme X9000 uses the Penryn (2008−2011) architecture (45 nm), while the Athlon II M340 uses Caspian (2009) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Core 2 Extreme X9000 scores 1,108 against the Athlon II M340's 1,115 — a 0.6% lead for the Athlon II M340.

FeatureCore 2 Extreme X9000Athlon II M340
Cores / Threads
2 / 2
2 / 2
Boost Clock
2.8 GHz+27%
2.2 GHz
Base Clock
2.8 GHz
L3 Cache
6 MB L2 Cache
L2 Cache
6 MB+500%
1 MB
Process
45 nm
45 nm
Architecture
Penryn (2008−2011)
Caspian (2009)
PassMark
1,108
1,115
Geekbench 6 Single
858
Geekbench 6 Multi
1,500
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core 2 Extreme X9000 uses the PGA478 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Athlon II M340 uses S1g3 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureCore 2 Extreme X9000Athlon II M340
Socket
PGA478
S1g3
PCIe Generation
PCIe 1.1
PCIe 2.0+82%
Max RAM Speed
DDR2-800
Max RAM Capacity
8 GB
RAM Channels
2
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
0
🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core 2 Extreme X9000) / AMD-V (Athlon II M340). Primary use case: Athlon II M340 targets Laptop.

FeatureCore 2 Extreme X9000Athlon II M340
Integrated GPU
No
Unlocked
No
AVX-512
No
Virtualization
AMD-V
Target Use
Laptop