Pentium 3560M vs Athlon II X2 280
Pentium 3560M
Athlon II X2 280
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 Pentium 3560M is positioned at rank 153 and the Athlon II X2 280 is on rank 638, so the Pentium 3560M offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Pentium 3560M
Performance Per Dollar Athlon II X2 280
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Pentium 3560M | Athlon II X2 280 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Haswell (2013−2015) / 22 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Regor (2009−2013) / 45 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Pentium 3560M | Athlon II X2 280 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) |
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 Pentium 3560M and Athlon II X2 280
Pentium 3560M
The Pentium 3560M is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 14 April 2014 (11 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) 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. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: PGA946. Thermal design power (TDP): 37 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,345 points. Launch price was $134.
Athlon II X2 280
The Athlon II X2 280 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 February 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Regor (2009−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: AM3. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR2, DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,355 points. Launch price was $100.
Processing Power
Both the Pentium 3560M and Athlon II X2 280 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.4 GHz on the Pentium 3560M versus 3.6 GHz on the Athlon II X2 280 — a 40% clock advantage for the Athlon II X2 280 (base: 2.4 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Pentium 3560M uses the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Athlon II X2 280 uses Regor (2009−2013) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium 3560M scores 1,345 against the Athlon II X2 280's 1,355 — a 0.7% lead for the Athlon II X2 280. L3 cache: 2 MB on the Pentium 3560M vs 0 kB on the Athlon II X2 280.
| Feature | Pentium 3560M | Athlon II X2 280 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 |
| Boost Clock | 2.4 GHz | 3.6 GHz+50% |
| Base Clock | 2.4 GHz | 3.6 GHz+50% |
| L3 Cache | 2 MB | 0 kB |
| L2 Cache | 512 kB | 1 MB+100% |
| Process | 22 nm-51% | 45 nm |
| Architecture | Haswell (2013−2015) | Regor (2009−2013) |
| PassMark | 1,345 | 1,355 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | — | 290 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | — | 550 |
Memory & Platform
The Pentium 3560M uses the PGA946 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Athlon II X2 280 uses AM3 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Pentium 3560M | Athlon II X2 280 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | PGA946 | AM3 |
| 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 | — | 0 |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: not specified (Pentium 3560M) / AMD-V (Athlon II X2 280). Primary use case: Athlon II X2 280 targets Legacy Desktop. Direct competitor: Athlon II X2 280 rivals Pentium E6700.
| Feature | Pentium 3560M | Athlon II X2 280 |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | — | No |
| Unlocked | — | No |
| AVX-512 | — | No |
| Virtualization | — | AMD-V |
| Target Use | — | Legacy Desktop |
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