Core i3-2340UE vs Athlon II X3 420e

The Core i3-2340UE packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Athlon II X3 420e offers 3 cores / 3 threads — the Athlon II X3 420e has 1 more core. Boost clocks reach 1.3 GHz on the Core i3-2340UE versus 2.6 GHz on the Athlon II X3 420e — a 66.7% clock advantage for the Athlon II X3 420e. The Core i3-2340UE uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Athlon II X3 420e uses Rana (2009−2011) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Core i3-2340UE scores 1,545 against the Athlon II X3 420e's 1,557 — a 0.8% lead for the Athlon II X3 420e. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 230 vs 314, a 30.9% lead for the Athlon II X3 420e that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 3 MB (total) on the Core i3-2340UE vs 0 kB on the Athlon II X3 420e.

The Core i3-2340UE uses the BGA1023 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Athlon II X3 420e uses AM3 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR3-1333 memory speed. Both support up to 16 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 16 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: HM65,QM67 (Core i3-2340UE) and 760G,785G,880G (Athlon II X3 420e).

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, EPT (Core i3-2340UE) vs AMD-V (Athlon II X3 420e). The Core i3-2340UE includes integrated graphics (HD Graphics 3000), while the Athlon II X3 420e requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-2340UE targets Embedded, Athlon II X3 420e targets Legacy Desktop. Direct competitor: Core i3-2340UE rivals Embedded G-Series; Athlon II X3 420e rivals Athlon II X3 415e.

The Core i3-2340UE launched at $200 MSRP, while the Athlon II X3 420e debuted at $107. At current prices ($200 vs $15), the Athlon II X3 420e is $185 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i3-2340UE delivers 7.7 pts/$ vs 103.8 pts/$ for the Athlon II X3 420e — making the Athlon II X3 420e the 172.3% better value option.