FX-8100 vs Athlon PRO 300U
FX-8100
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 FX-8100 is positioned at rank 928 and the Athlon PRO 300U is on rank 1006, so the FX-8100 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar FX-8100
Performance Per Dollar Athlon PRO 300U
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | FX-8100 | Athlon PRO 300U |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | ⚠️ Higher cost ($50) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Zambezi (2011−2012) / 32 nm) | ✨ Modern (Raven Ridge 2 (2019) / 14 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | FX-8100 | Athlon PRO 300U |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ⚠️ Higher cost ($50) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
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 FX-8100 and Athlon PRO 300U
FX-8100
The FX-8100 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 October 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Zambezi (2011−2012) architecture. It features 8 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 8 MB. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: AM3+. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 4,095 points. Launch price was $69.
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
The FX-8100 packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Athlon PRO 300U offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the FX-8100 has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.7 GHz on the FX-8100 versus 3.3 GHz on the Athlon PRO 300U — a 11.4% clock advantage for the FX-8100 (base: 2.8 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The FX-8100 uses the Zambezi (2011−2012) architecture (32 nm), while the Athlon PRO 300U uses Raven Ridge 2 (2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the FX-8100 scores 4,095 against the Athlon PRO 300U's 4,080 — a 0.4% lead for the FX-8100. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the FX-8100 vs 4 MB (total) on the Athlon PRO 300U.
| Feature | FX-8100 | Athlon PRO 300U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 8 / 8+300% | 2 / 4 |
| Boost Clock | 3.7 GHz+12% | 3.3 GHz |
| Base Clock | 2.8 GHz+17% | 2.4 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 8 MB (total)+100% | 4 MB (total) |
| L2 Cache | 8 MB+1500% | 512K (per core) |
| Process | 32 nm | 14 nm-56% |
| Architecture | Zambezi (2011−2012) | Raven Ridge 2 (2019) |
| PassMark | 4,095 | 4,080 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 455 | — |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 1,621 | — |
Memory & Platform
The FX-8100 uses the AM3+ socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Athlon PRO 300U uses FP5 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1866 on the FX-8100 versus DDR4-2400 on the Athlon PRO 300U — the Athlon PRO 300U supports 28.6% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Athlon PRO 300U supports up to 32 GB of RAM compared to 16 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 0 (FX-8100) vs 8 (Athlon PRO 300U) — the Athlon PRO 300U offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD 990FX,AMD 970 (FX-8100) and AMD FP5 (Athlon PRO 300U).
| Feature | FX-8100 | Athlon PRO 300U |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | AM3+ | FP5 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 2.0 | PCIe 3.0+50% |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR3-1866 | DDR4-2400+33% |
| Max RAM Capacity | 16 GB | 32 GB+100% |
| RAM Channels | 2 | 2 |
| ECC Support | ❌ | ✅ |
| PCIe Lanes | 0 | 8 |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: AMD-V (FX-8100) / not specified (Athlon PRO 300U). The Athlon PRO 300U includes integrated graphics (AMD Radeon Vega 3), while the FX-8100 requires a dedicated GPU.
| Feature | FX-8100 | Athlon PRO 300U |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | No | Yes |
| IGPU Model | — | AMD Radeon Vega 3 |
| Unlocked | Yes | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | AMD-V | — |
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