Core i5-7260U vs Athlon Gold 3150U
Core i5-7260U
Athlon Gold 3150U
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 i5-7260U is positioned at rank 297 and the Athlon Gold 3150U is on rank 774, so the Core i5-7260U offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Core i5-7260U
Performance Per Dollar Athlon Gold 3150U
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Core i5-7260U | Athlon Gold 3150U |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | Equivalent pricing | Equivalent pricing |
| Longevity | ✨ Modern (Kaby Lake (2016−2019) / 14 nm) | ✨ Modern (Dali (Zen) (2020) / 14 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Core i5-7260U | Athlon Gold 3150U |
|---|---|---|
| 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 i5-7260U and Athlon Gold 3150U
Core i5-7260U
The Core i5-7260U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 January 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Kaby Lake (2016−2019) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1356. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 3,953 points. Launch price was $304.
Athlon Gold 3150U
The Athlon Gold 3150U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Dali (Zen) (2020) 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: 512 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 3,923 points. Launch price was $149.
Processing Power
Both the Core i5-7260U and Athlon Gold 3150U share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.4 GHz on the Core i5-7260U versus 3.3 GHz on the Athlon Gold 3150U — a 3% clock advantage for the Core i5-7260U (base: 2.2 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Core i5-7260U uses the Kaby Lake (2016−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Athlon Gold 3150U uses Dali (Zen) (2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-7260U scores 3,953 against the Athlon Gold 3150U's 3,923 — a 0.8% lead for the Core i5-7260U. L3 cache: 4 MB on the Core i5-7260U vs 4 MB (total) on the Athlon Gold 3150U.
| Feature | Core i5-7260U | Athlon Gold 3150U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 4 | 2 / 4 |
| Boost Clock | 3.4 GHz+3% | 3.3 GHz |
| Base Clock | 2.2 GHz | 2.4 GHz+9% |
| L3 Cache | 4 MB | 4 MB (total) |
| L2 Cache | 512 kB | 512 kB (per core) |
| Process | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Architecture | Kaby Lake (2016−2019) | Dali (Zen) (2020) |
| PassMark | 3,953 | 3,923 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 1,192 | — |
Memory & Platform
The Core i5-7260U uses the BGA1356 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Athlon Gold 3150U 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 i5-7260U) vs 8 (Athlon Gold 3150U) — the Core i5-7260U offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Kaby Lake-U (Core i5-7260U) and AMD FP5 (Athlon Gold 3150U).
| Feature | Core i5-7260U | Athlon Gold 3150U |
|---|---|---|
| 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 i5-7260U) / not specified (Athlon Gold 3150U). Both include integrated graphics — Iris Plus Graphics 640 (Core i5-7260U) and AMD Radeon Vega 3 (Athlon Gold 3150U) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-7260U targets Mainstream Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i5-7260U rivals A12-9720P.
| Feature | Core i5-7260U | Athlon Gold 3150U |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | Yes | Yes |
| IGPU Model | Iris Plus Graphics 640 | AMD Radeon Vega 3 |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | VT-x, VT-d, EPT | — |
| Target Use | Mainstream Laptop | — |
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