E2-1800 vs Pentium B980

E2-1800 vs Pentium B980 Performance Spectrum

E2-1800

2 / 2

1,110

+0.8%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Pentium B980

2 / 2

1,101

0.0%

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.

E2-1800 vs Pentium B980 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with GeForce RTX 5090 to isolate CPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

E2-1800 vs Pentium B980: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

E2-1800

2012

Why buy it

✅+0.8% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 18W instead of 35W, a 17W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Pentium B980

2012

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (1,101 vs 1,110).
❌Launch MSRP is still $125 MSRP, while E2-1800 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌94.4% higher power demand at 35W vs 18W.

Quick Answers

So, is E2-1800 better than Pentium B980?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Pentium B980 is ahead with a 1.8% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, E2-1800 pulls ahead with 0.8% better PassMark.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, E2-1800 is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.8% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 2 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

E2-1800 is still the much better call for a fresh build. E2-1800 comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $125 MSRP, and it still gives you 0.8% better PassMark. Pentium B980 only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that usually means used-market pricing on an obsolete 2012 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (8.8 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on PGA988.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

E2-1800 makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 2 threads instead of 2/2. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

E2-1800 vs Pentium B980 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

E2-1800

The E2-1800 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2014-01-01. It is based on the Zacate (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 1.7 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 40 nm process technology. Socket: FT1. Thermal design power (TDP): 18 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,110 points. Launch price was $50.

Pentium B980

The Pentium B980 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 2.4 GHz. L3 cache: 2 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: 1,101 points. Launch price was $125.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the E2-1800 and Pentium B980 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 1.7 GHz on the E2-1800 versus 2.4 GHz on the Pentium B980 — a 34.1% clock advantage for the Pentium B980. The E2-1800 uses the Zacate (2011−2013) architecture (40 nm), while the Pentium B980 uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the E2-1800 scores 1,110 against the Pentium B980's 1,101 — a 0.8% lead for the E2-1800. L3 cache: 0 kB on the E2-1800 vs 2 MB (total) on the Pentium B980.

Feature	E2-1800	Pentium B980
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	1.7 GHz	2.4 GHz+41%
Base Clock	—	2.4 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	2 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)+100%	256K (per core)
Process	40 nm	32 nm-20%
Architecture	Zacate (2011−2013)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
PassMark	1,110	1,101