Pentium 977 vs A4-3300

Pentium 977

2 Cores2 Thrd17 WWMax: 1.4 GHz2012

A4-3300

2 Cores2 Thrd65 WWMax: 2.5 GHz2011

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium 977

2 / 2

1,148

+0.4%

1,143

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 977 is positioned at rank 1117 and the A4-3300 is on rank 814, so the A4-3300 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 977

#1105

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3424%

#1106

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3373%

#1107

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

3097%

#1108

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

3083%

#1109

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

3055%

#1111

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2950%

#1112

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2828%

#1113

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2824%

#1114

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2748%

#1117

Pentium 977

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

100%

#1118

Core i7-2715QE

MSRP: $378|Avg: $50

99%

#1119

VIA Nano U2250

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

99%

#1121

Core i5-560M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

98%

#1122

Pentium U5600

MSRP: $100|Avg: $50

97%

#1123

Core m5-6Y57

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

97%

#1125

Core i7-610E

MSRP: $250|Avg: $40

97%

#1126

Core i5-5350U

MSRP: $315|Avg: N/A

96%

#1127

Core i7-3520M

MSRP: $346|Avg: N/A

96%

#1128

Pentium Dual Core T4300

MSRP: $150|Avg: $99

96%

#1129

Core i3-4100E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $30

96%

#1130

Core i3-2310E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $20

96%

#1131

Core i5-2510E

MSRP: $230|Avg: $30

96%

#1132

Core m5-6Y54

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar A4-3300

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

16363%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

15461%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

11226%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

3382%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

2679%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

2344%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

1342%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

1325%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

1206%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

1206%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

1193%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

1160%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

1144%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

1140%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

1129%

#814

A4-3300

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#815

Core i3-3210

MSRP: $117|Avg: $25

100%

#816

Celeron G3900E

MSRP: $107|Avg: $35

100%

#817

Athlon II X3 435

MSRP: $87|Avg: $15

99%

#818

Core i7-6822EQ

MSRP: $294|Avg: $190

99%

#819

Athlon II X4 645

MSRP: $126|Avg: $20

99%

#820

Core i5-7400

MSRP: $294|Avg: $70

98%

#821

Pentium E5800

MSRP: $64|Avg: $15

98%

#822

Core i7-6820EQ

MSRP: $378|Avg: $344

98%

#823

A6-9500

MSRP: $101|Avg: $25

97%

#824

Pentium G2120T

MSRP: $87|Avg: $10

97%

#825

Athlon II X2 270

MSRP: $72|Avg: $15

97%

#827

Core i7-6850K

MSRP: $617|Avg: $80

97%

#828

Core i5-2500K

MSRP: $225|Avg: $35

97%

#829

Pentium G3430

MSRP: $116|Avg: $30

96%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The A4-3300 leads in gaming performance. However, the Pentium 977 is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 0.4% greater multi-core processing power.

Insight	Pentium 977	A4-3300
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($10)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Llano (2011−2012) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Pentium 977	A4-3300
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($10)	✅ 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 977 Benchmark Check

A4-3300 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium 977 and A4-3300

Pentium 977

The Pentium 977 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 January 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.4 GHz, with boost up to 1.4 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1023. Thermal design power (TDP): 17 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,148 points. Launch price was $134.

A4-3300

The A4-3300 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2014-01-01. It is based on the Llano (2011−2012) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 2.5 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: FM1. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,143 points. Launch price was $50.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Pentium 977 and A4-3300 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 1.4 GHz on the Pentium 977 versus 2.5 GHz on the A4-3300 — a 56.4% clock advantage for the A4-3300 (base: 1.4 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Pentium 977 uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the A4-3300 uses Llano (2011−2012) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium 977 scores 1,148 against the A4-3300's 1,143 — a 0.4% lead for the Pentium 977. L3 cache: 2 MB (total) on the Pentium 977 vs 0 kB on the A4-3300.

Feature	Pentium 977	A4-3300
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	1.4 GHz	2.5 GHz+79%
Base Clock	1.4 GHz	2.5 GHz+79%
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	0 kB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512 kB (per core)+100%
Process	32 nm	32 nm
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Llano (2011−2012)
PassMark	1,148	1,143
Geekbench 6 Single	—	266

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium 977 uses the BGA1023 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the A4-3300 uses FM1 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium 977	A4-3300
Socket	BGA1023	FM1
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3-1600
Max RAM Capacity	—	16 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Pentium 977) / AMD-V (A4-3300). The A4-3300 includes integrated graphics (Radeon HD 6410D), while the Pentium 977 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: A4-3300 targets Budget Desktop. Direct competitor: A4-3300 rivals Celeron G530.