Core i3-350M vs Athlon II X2 250

Core i3-350M

2 Cores4 Thrd35 WWMax: 0.27 GHz2010

Athlon II X2 250

2 Cores2 Thrd65 WWMax: 3 GHz2009

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i3-350M

2 / 4

1,088

+0.7%

1,080

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

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 i3-350M is positioned at rank 17 and the Athlon II X2 250 is on rank 955, so the Core i3-350M 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 i3-350M

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

135%

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

133%

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

122%

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

121%

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

120%

#11

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

116%

#12

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

111%

#13

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

111%

#14

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

108%

#17

Core i3-350M

MSRP: $130|Avg: $10

100%

#18

Atom x5-E8000

MSRP: $18|Avg: N/A

99%

#19

Core 2 Duo T5900

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $5

98%

#22

Core i3-3130M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

88%

#23

Core 2 Duo T5550

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $5

84%

#24

Core 2 Duo T7100

MSRP: $197|Avg: $15

84%

#27

Pentium 2030M

MSRP: $134|Avg: N/A

80%

#28

Core 2 Duo T5750

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $8

80%

#29

Core 2 Duo T7200

MSRP: $286|Avg: $6

79%

#30

Core i5-3230M

MSRP: $225|Avg: $13

79%

#31

Atom D525

MSRP: $63|Avg: N/A

78%

#32

Atom x7835RE

MSRP: $127|Avg: N/A

78%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Athlon II X2 250

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

25118%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

23734%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

17233%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

5192%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

4112%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

3597%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

2060%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

2034%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

1852%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

1851%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

1831%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

1781%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

1756%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

1749%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

1733%

#955

Athlon II X2 250

MSRP: $87|Avg: $15

100%

#956

Core i3-2120T

MSRP: $127|Avg: $38

100%

#957

Phenom II X3 720

MSRP: $130|Avg: $64

99%

#958

Pentium E6300

MSRP: $84|Avg: $15

99%

#959

Core i5-661

MSRP: $196|Avg: $40

98%

#960

Core i3-4150

MSRP: $281|Avg: $70

98%

#961

Core i5-750

MSRP: $210|Avg: $30

98%

#962

Core i3-2100T

MSRP: $127|Avg: $127

97%

#963

Pentium E2210

MSRP: $84|Avg: $15

96%

#964

Core i3-560

MSRP: $138|Avg: $10

96%

#965

Core i3-550

MSRP: $138|Avg: $5

95%

#966

Core i7-980

MSRP: $583|Avg: $50

95%

#967

Pentium G3250

MSRP: $171|Avg: $25

95%

#968

Pentium E2200

MSRP: $84|Avg: $5

95%

#969

Core 2 Duo E7300

MSRP: $133|Avg: $133

94%

#970

Core i3-540

MSRP: $133|Avg: $5

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Athlon II X2 250 leads in gaming performance. However, the Core i3-350M is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 0.7% greater multi-core processing power.

Insight	Core i3-350M	Athlon II X2 250
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	✅ More affordable ($10)	⚠️ Higher cost ($15)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Arrandale (2010−2011) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Regor (2009−2013) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Efficiency: Even within a comparison of older hardware, the Core i3-350M stands out as the superior choice. It is effectively 33% cheaper ($10 vs $15) while identifying as the stronger performer.

Insight	Core i3-350M	Athlon II X2 250
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+51%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($10)	⚠️ 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.

Core i3-350M Benchmark Check

Athlon II X2 250 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i3-350M and Athlon II X2 250

Core i3-350M

The Core i3-350M is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 7 January 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Arrandale (2010−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.26 GHz, with boost up to 0.27 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: PGA988. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,088 points. Launch price was $130.

Athlon II X2 250

The Athlon II X2 250 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2 June 2009 (16 years ago). It is based on the Regor (2009−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 3 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: AM3. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,080 points. Launch price was $39.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i3-350M packs 2 cores / 4 threads, matching the Athlon II X2 250's 2 cores. Boost clocks reach 0.27 GHz on the Core i3-350M versus 3 GHz on the Athlon II X2 250 — a 167% clock advantage for the Athlon II X2 250 (base: 2.26 GHz vs 3 GHz). The Core i3-350M uses the Arrandale (2010−2011) architecture (32 nm), while the Athlon II X2 250 uses Regor (2009−2013) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Core i3-350M scores 1,088 against the Athlon II X2 250's 1,080 — a 0.7% lead for the Core i3-350M. L3 cache: 3 MB (total) on the Core i3-350M vs 0 kB on the Athlon II X2 250.

Feature	Core i3-350M	Athlon II X2 250
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	2 / 2
Boost Clock	0.27 GHz	3 GHz+1011%
Base Clock	2.26 GHz	3 GHz+33%
L3 Cache	3 MB (total)	0 kB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	2 MB+700%
Process	32 nm-29%	45 nm
Architecture	Arrandale (2010−2011)	Regor (2009−2013)
PassMark	1,088	1,080
Geekbench 6 Single	280	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	650	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i3-350M uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Athlon II X2 250 uses AM3 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1066 on the Core i3-350M versus 1333 on the Athlon II X2 250 — the Athlon II X2 250 supports 199.1% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Athlon II X2 250 supports up to 16 of RAM compared to 8 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i3-350M) vs 0 (Athlon II X2 250) — the Core i3-350M offers 16 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: HM55,HM57 (Core i3-350M) and AM2+,AM3 (Athlon II X2 250).

Feature	Core i3-350M	Athlon II X2 250
Socket	PGA988	AM3
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1066	1333+44333%
Max RAM Capacity	8 GB+52428700%	16
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	❌	❌
PCIe Lanes	16	0

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i3-350M) vs true (Athlon II X2 250). The Core i3-350M includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics), while the Athlon II X2 250 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-350M targets Entry Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i3-350M rivals AMD Athlon II P320; Athlon II X2 250 rivals Pentium E5700.

Feature	Core i3-350M	Athlon II X2 250
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	Intel HD Graphics	None
Unlocked	No	No
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	true
Target Use	Entry Laptop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i3-350M launched at $130 MSRP, while the Athlon II X2 250 debuted at $87. At current prices ($10 vs $15), the Core i3-350M is $5 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i3-350M delivers 108.8 pts/$ vs 72.0 pts/$ for the Athlon II X2 250 — making the Core i3-350M the 40.7% better value option.