Core i3-380M vs Athlon 64 FX-60

CPU

GPU

Core i3-380M

2 Cores4 Thrd35 WWMax: 0.53 GHz2010

Athlon 64 FX-60

2 Cores2 Thrd110 WWMax: 2.6 GHz2006

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i3-380M

2 / 4

1,212

+0.6%

1,205

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 i3-380M is positioned at rank 11 and the Athlon 64 FX-60 is on rank 1119, so the Core i3-380M 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 i3-380M

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

121%

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

119%

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

109%

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

109%

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

108%

#10

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

104%

#11

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

100%

#12

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

100%

#13

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

97%

#17

Core i3-350M

MSRP: $130|Avg: $10

90%

#18

Atom x5-E8000

MSRP: $18|Avg: N/A

89%

#19

Core 2 Duo T5900

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $5

88%

#22

Core i3-3130M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

79%

#23

Core 2 Duo T5550

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $5

75%

#24

Core 2 Duo T7100

MSRP: $197|Avg: $15

75%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Athlon 64 FX-60

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

266423%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

251744%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

182786%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

55066%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

43618%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

38157%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

21855%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

21569%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

19639%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

19638%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

19418%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

18894%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

18630%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

18555%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

18386%

#1118

Pentium Extreme Edition 965

MSRP: $999|Avg: $100

100%

#1119

Athlon 64 FX-60

MSRP: $1031|Avg: $1000

100%

#1120

Athlon XP 2200+

MSRP: $241|Avg: $30

99%

#1121

Athlon XP 1700+

MSRP: $190|Avg: $15

96%

#1122

Pentium Extreme Edition 955

MSRP: $999|Avg: $50

94%

#1123

Athlon XP 2700+

MSRP: $349|Avg: $20

88%

#1124

Athlon XP 2800+

MSRP: $375|Avg: $35

86%

#1125

Pentium III 1200

MSRP: $200|Avg: $10

84%

#1126

Athlon XP 3200+

MSRP: $464|Avg: $40

82%

#1127

Pentium III 1400

MSRP: $250|Avg: $20

78%

#1128

Pentium III 1400S

MSRP: $250|Avg: $250

78%

#1129

Pentium 4 2.60

MSRP: $401|Avg: $25

78%

#1130

Athlon XP 1800+

MSRP: $252|Avg: $30

76%

#1131

Athlon XP 1900+

MSRP: $269|Avg: $20

75%

#1132

Athlon 64 FX-51

MSRP: $733|Avg: $733

72%

#1133

Athlon 64 FX-55

MSRP: $827|Avg: $50

71%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Core i3-380M delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Athlon 64 FX-60 in both compute-intensive tasks (0.6% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core i3-380M	Athlon 64 FX-60
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	✅ More affordable ($25)	⚠️ Higher cost ($1,000)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Arrandale (2010−2011) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Toledo (2006) / 90 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Efficiency: Even within a comparison of older hardware, the Core i3-380M stands out as the superior choice. It is effectively 98% cheaper ($25 vs $1,000) while identifying as the stronger performer.

Insight	Core i3-380M	Athlon 64 FX-60
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+3923%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($25)	⚠️ Higher cost ($1,000)

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 i3-380M Benchmark Check

Athlon 64 FX-60 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i3-380M and Athlon 64 FX-60

Core i3-380M

The Core i3-380M is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 26 October 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Arrandale (2010−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.53 GHz, with boost up to 0.53 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: 1,212 points. Launch price was $49.

Athlon 64 FX-60

The Athlon 64 FX-60 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Toledo (2006) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 2.6 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 90 nm process technology. Socket: 939. Thermal design power (TDP): 110 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 1,205 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i3-380M packs 2 cores / 4 threads, matching the Athlon 64 FX-60's 2 cores. Boost clocks reach 0.53 GHz on the Core i3-380M versus 2.6 GHz on the Athlon 64 FX-60 — a 132.3% clock advantage for the Athlon 64 FX-60. The Core i3-380M uses the Arrandale (2010−2011) architecture (32 nm), while the Athlon 64 FX-60 uses Toledo (2006) (90 nm). In PassMark, the Core i3-380M scores 1,212 against the Athlon 64 FX-60's 1,205 — a 0.6% lead for the Core i3-380M. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 450 vs 250, a 57.1% lead for the Core i3-380M that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 1,100 vs 480 (78.5% advantage for the Core i3-380M). L3 cache: 3 MB (total) on the Core i3-380M vs 0 kB on the Athlon 64 FX-60.

Feature	Core i3-380M	Athlon 64 FX-60
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	2 / 2
Boost Clock	0.53 GHz	2.6 GHz+391%
Base Clock	2.53 GHz	—
L3 Cache	3 MB (total)	0 kB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	2 MB+700%
Process	32 nm-64%	90 nm
Architecture	Arrandale (2010−2011)	Toledo (2006)
PassMark	1,212	1,205
Geekbench 6 Single	450+80%	250
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,100+129%	480

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i3-380M uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Athlon 64 FX-60 uses 939 (PCIe 1.1) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1066 on the Core i3-380M versus DDR-400 on the Athlon 64 FX-60 — the Core i3-380M supports -203% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i3-380M supports up to 8 GB of RAM compared to 4 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i3-380M) vs 0 (Athlon 64 FX-60) — the Core i3-380M offers 16 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: HM55,HM57,QM57 (Core i3-380M) and nForce4,K8T890 (Athlon 64 FX-60).

Feature	Core i3-380M	Athlon 64 FX-60
Socket	PGA988	939
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0+82%	PCIe 1.1
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1066	DDR-400
Max RAM Capacity	8 GB+100%	4 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	❌	❌
PCIe Lanes	16	0

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Athlon 64 FX-60 has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Virtualization support: VT-x (Core i3-380M) vs None (Athlon 64 FX-60). The Core i3-380M includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics (Gen 1)), while the Athlon 64 FX-60 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-380M targets Legacy Laptop, Athlon 64 FX-60 targets Gaming/Enthusiast. Direct competitor: Core i3-380M rivals AMD Athlon II P320.

Feature	Core i3-380M	Athlon 64 FX-60
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	Intel HD Graphics (Gen 1)	—
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x	None
Target Use	Legacy Laptop	Gaming/Enthusiast

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i3-380M launched at $49 MSRP, while the Athlon 64 FX-60 debuted at $1031. At current prices ($25 vs $1000), the Core i3-380M is $975 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i3-380M delivers 48.5 pts/$ vs 1.2 pts/$ for the Athlon 64 FX-60 — making the Core i3-380M the 190.3% better value option.