Core i3-7130U vs Athlon PRO 300U
Core i3-7130U
Athlon PRO 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 Core i3-7130U is positioned at rank 641 and the Athlon PRO 300U is on rank 1006, so the Core i3-7130U offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Core i3-7130U
Performance Per Dollar Athlon PRO 300U
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Core i3-7130U | Athlon PRO 300U |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | Equivalent pricing | Equivalent pricing |
| Longevity | ✨ Modern (Kaby Lake-U (2017) / 14 nm) | ✨ Modern (Raven Ridge 2 (2019) / 14 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Core i3-7130U | Athlon PRO 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 Core i3-7130U and Athlon PRO 300U
Core i3-7130U
The Core i3-7130U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 12 June 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Kaby Lake-U (2017) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 2.7 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1356. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 4,055 points. Launch price was $281.
Athlon PRO 300U
The Athlon PRO 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: 4,080 points. Launch price was $149.
Processing Power
Both the Core i3-7130U and Athlon PRO 300U share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.7 GHz on the Core i3-7130U versus 3.3 GHz on the Athlon PRO 300U — a 20% clock advantage for the Athlon PRO 300U (base: 2.7 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Core i3-7130U uses the Kaby Lake-U (2017) architecture (14 nm), while the Athlon PRO 300U uses Raven Ridge 2 (2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i3-7130U scores 4,055 against the Athlon PRO 300U's 4,080 — a 0.6% lead for the Athlon PRO 300U. L3 cache: 3 MB on the Core i3-7130U vs 4 MB (total) on the Athlon PRO 300U.
| Feature | Core i3-7130U | Athlon PRO 300U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 4 | 2 / 4 |
| Boost Clock | 2.7 GHz | 3.3 GHz+22% |
| Base Clock | 2.7 GHz+13% | 2.4 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 3 MB | 4 MB (total)+33% |
| L2 Cache | 512 kB | 512K (per core) |
| Process | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Architecture | Kaby Lake-U (2017) | Raven Ridge 2 (2019) |
| PassMark | 4,055 | 4,080 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 900 | — |
Memory & Platform
The Core i3-7130U uses the BGA1356 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Athlon PRO 300U uses FP5 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2133 memory speed. Both support up to 32 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 12 (Core i3-7130U) vs 8 (Athlon PRO 300U) — the Core i3-7130U offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.
| Feature | Core i3-7130U | Athlon PRO 300U |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | BGA1356 | FP5 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR4-2133 | DDR4-2400 |
| Max RAM Capacity | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| RAM Channels | 2 | 2 |
| ECC Support | ❌ | ✅ |
| PCIe Lanes | 12+50% | 8 |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i3-7130U) / not specified (Athlon PRO 300U). Both include integrated graphics — HD Graphics 620 (Core i3-7130U) and AMD Radeon Vega 3 (Athlon PRO 300U) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-7130U targets Mainstream Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i3-7130U rivals Ryzen 3 3250U.
| Feature | Core i3-7130U | Athlon PRO 300U |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | Yes | Yes |
| IGPU Model | HD Graphics 620 | AMD Radeon Vega 3 |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | VT-x, VT-d, EPT | — |
| Target Use | Mainstream Laptop | — |
Top Performing CPUs
The most powerful cpus ranked by PassMark CPU Mark benchmark scores.
You May Also Compare
Similar CPU comparisons based on Core i3-7130U and Athlon PRO 300U
