Pentium 2030M vs A8-3500M

CPU

GPU

Pentium 2030M

2 Cores2 Thrd512 WWMax: 2.5 GHz2013

A8-3500M

4 Cores4 Thrd35 WWMax: 2.4 GHz2011

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium 2030M

2 / 2

1,396

+0.4%

1,391

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 Pentium 2030M is positioned at rank 27 and the A8-3500M is on rank 821, so the Pentium 2030M 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 Pentium 2030M

#15

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

168%

#16

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

166%

#17

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

152%

#18

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

151%

#19

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

150%

#21

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

145%

#22

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

139%

#23

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

139%

#24

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

135%

#27

Pentium 2030M

MSRP: $134|Avg: N/A

100%

#28

Core 2 Duo T5750

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $8

100%

#29

Core 2 Duo T7200

MSRP: $286|Avg: $6

98%

#30

Core i5-3230M

MSRP: $225|Avg: $13

98%

#31

Atom D525

MSRP: $63|Avg: N/A

98%

#32

Atom x7835RE

MSRP: $127|Avg: N/A

97%

#33

Core 2 Duo P8400

MSRP: $209|Avg: $10

95%

#38

Core 2 Duo T8100

MSRP: $209|Avg: $10

89%

#39

Atom 330

MSRP: $43|Avg: $30

88%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar A8-3500M

#809

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1266%

#810

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1247%

#811

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1145%

#812

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1140%

#813

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1129%

#815

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1091%

#816

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1046%

#817

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1044%

#818

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1016%

#821

A8-3500M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#824

Celeron Dual-Core T3000

MSRP: $80|Avg: $15

97%

#825

Pentium P6100

MSRP: $100|Avg: $16.39

97%

#827

Celeron M 575

MSRP: $86|Avg: $12

96%

#829

Core i7-10710U

MSRP: $415|Avg: N/A

96%

#835

FX-9830P

MSRP: $150|Avg: $45

95%

#836

Celeron M P4600

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

95%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Pentium 2030M delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the A8-3500M in both compute-intensive tasks (0.4% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Pentium 2030M	A8-3500M
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($134)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Llano (2011−2012) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Pentium 2030M	A8-3500M
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($134)	✅ More affordable ($0)

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.

Pentium 2030M Benchmark Check

A8-3500M Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium 2030M and A8-3500M

Pentium 2030M

The Pentium 2030M is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 January 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 2.5 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: PGA988. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,396 points. Launch price was $134.

A8-3500M

The A8-3500M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2014-01-01. It is based on the Llano (2011−2012) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.5 GHz, with boost up to 2.4 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: FS1. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,391 points. Launch price was $90.

⚡

Processing Power

The Pentium 2030M packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the A8-3500M offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the A8-3500M has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.5 GHz on the Pentium 2030M versus 2.4 GHz on the A8-3500M — a 4.1% clock advantage for the Pentium 2030M (base: 2.5 GHz vs 1.5 GHz). The Pentium 2030M uses the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture (22 nm), while the A8-3500M uses Llano (2011−2012) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium 2030M scores 1,396 against the A8-3500M's 1,391 — a 0.4% lead for the Pentium 2030M. L3 cache: 2 MB (total) on the Pentium 2030M vs 0 kB on the A8-3500M.

Feature	Pentium 2030M	A8-3500M
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	2.5 GHz+4%	2.4 GHz
Base Clock	2.5 GHz+67%	1.5 GHz
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	0 kB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	22 nm-31%	32 nm
Architecture	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Llano (2011−2012)
PassMark	1,396	1,391
Geekbench 6 Single	—	231

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium 2030M uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the A8-3500M uses FS1 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium 2030M	A8-3500M
Socket	PGA988	FS1
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0+50%	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3-1333
Max RAM Capacity	—	16 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Pentium 2030M) / AMD-V (A8-3500M). The A8-3500M includes integrated graphics (Radeon HD 6620G), while the Pentium 2030M requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: A8-3500M targets Budget Laptop. Direct competitor: A8-3500M rivals Core i3-2310M.