Pentium 987 vs Athlon II Neo K125

Pentium 987

2 Cores2 Thrd17 WWMax: 1.5 GHz2013

Athlon II Neo K125

1 Cores1 Thrd1 WWMax: 1.7 GHz2010

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium 987

2 / 2

1,487

0.0%

Celeron J1800

Pentium Dual-Core E2200

1,491

+0.3%

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 987 is positioned at rank 1052 and the Athlon II Neo K125 is on rank 982, so the Athlon II Neo K125 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 987

#1040

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

2643%

#1041

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

2605%

#1042

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

2391%

#1043

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

2380%

#1044

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2358%

#1046

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2277%

#1047

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2184%

#1048

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2180%

#1049

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2122%

#1052

Pentium 987

MSRP: $134|Avg: $20

100%

#1053

Core i7-4910MQ

MSRP: $570|Avg: $570

100%

#1054

Pentium T4400

MSRP: $107|Avg: $5

99%

#1056

Athlon X2 QL-65

MSRP: $150|Avg: $22

98%

#1057

Pentium J2850

MSRP: $94|Avg: $94

97%

#1058

Core i7-4900MQ

MSRP: $570|Avg: $40

97%

#1059

Pentium Dual Core T2370

MSRP: $150|Avg: $25

96%

#1060

Celeron P4505

MSRP: $86|Avg: $86

96%

#1061

Pentium T4200

MSRP: $99|Avg: $10

96%

#1062

Core i7-2720QM

MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A

96%

#1063

Pentium 2020M

MSRP: $134|Avg: N/A

95%

#1064

Celeron P4500

MSRP: $86|Avg: $5

95%

#1065

Pentium Dual Core SU4100

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

95%

#1066

Processor N50

MSRP: $128|Avg: $120

94%

#1067

Athlon II N350

MSRP: $100|Avg: $100

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Athlon II Neo K125

#970

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1968%

#971

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1939%

#972

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1780%

#973

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1772%

#974

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1756%

#976

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1696%

#977

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1626%

#978

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1623%

#979

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1579%

#982

Athlon II Neo K125

MSRP: $100|Avg: $100

100%

#986

Pro A8-8600B

MSRP: $150|Avg: $25

99%

#991

Pentium 8500

MSRP: $200|Avg: $200

97%

#992

A6-8500P

MSRP: $100|Avg: $16

97%

#994

Core i7-4700EQ

MSRP: $378|Avg: $180

96%

#995

Core i3-8145UE

MSRP: $281|Avg: $50

96%

#996

Core i7-4712MQ

MSRP: $378|Avg: $60

94%

#997

Core i7-3615QE

MSRP: $400|Avg: $100

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Athlon II Neo K125 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Pentium 987 in both compute-intensive tasks (0.3% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Pentium 987	Athlon II Neo K125
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($20)	⚠️ Higher cost ($100)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Geneva (2010) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Value Proposition: While both processors are considered legacy components by modern standards, the Pentium 987 holds the technical lead in efficiency. Priced at $20 (vs $100), it costs 80% less. While offering basic entry-level performance, it results in a 399% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Athlon II Neo K125.

Insight	Pentium 987	Athlon II Neo K125
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+399%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($20)	⚠️ Higher cost ($100)

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 987 Benchmark Check

Athlon II Neo K125 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium 987 and Athlon II Neo K125

Pentium 987

The Pentium 987 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 February 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.5 GHz, with boost up to 1.5 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: 1,487 points. Launch price was $134.

Athlon II Neo K125

The Athlon II Neo K125 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Geneva (2010) architecture. It features 1 cores and 1 threads. Max frequency: 1.7 GHz. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1. Thermal design power (TDP): 1 MB. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,491 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

The Pentium 987 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Athlon II Neo K125 offers 1 cores / 1 threads — the Pentium 987 has 1 more core. Boost clocks reach 1.5 GHz on the Pentium 987 versus 1.7 GHz on the Athlon II Neo K125 — a 12.5% clock advantage for the Athlon II Neo K125. The Pentium 987 uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Athlon II Neo K125 uses Geneva (2010) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium 987 scores 1,487 against the Athlon II Neo K125's 1,491 — a 0.3% lead for the Athlon II Neo K125.

Feature	Pentium 987	Athlon II Neo K125
Cores / Threads	2 / 2+100%	1 / 1
Boost Clock	1.5 GHz	1.7 GHz+13%
Base Clock	1.5 GHz	—
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	—
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB+300%
Process	32 nm-29%	45 nm
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Geneva (2010)
PassMark	1,487	1,491

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium 987 uses the BGA1023 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Athlon II Neo K125 uses S1 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium 987	Athlon II Neo K125
Socket	BGA1023	S1
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3-800
Max RAM Capacity	—	4 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	0

💰

Value Analysis

The Pentium 987 launched at $134 MSRP, while the Athlon II Neo K125 debuted at $100. At current prices ($20 vs $100), the Pentium 987 is $80 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Pentium 987 delivers 74.3 pts/$ vs 14.9 pts/$ for the Athlon II Neo K125 — making the Pentium 987 the 133.2% better value option.