Pentium 987 vs Pentium G850

Pentium 987

2 Cores2 Thrd17 WWMax: 1.5 GHz2013

Pentium G850

2 Cores2 Thrd65 WWMax: 2.9 GHz2011

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium 987

2 / 2

1,487

0.0%

Celeron J1800

Pentium Dual-Core E2200

1,491

+0.3%

Celeron J1800

Pentium Dual-Core E2200

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 Pentium G850 is on rank 857, so the Pentium G850 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 Pentium G850

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

17977%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

16986%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

12333%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

3716%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

2943%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

2575%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

1475%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

1455%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

1325%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

1325%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

1310%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

1275%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

1257%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

1252%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

1241%

#856

Core i3-2102

MSRP: $117|Avg: $15

100%

#857

Pentium G850

MSRP: $86|Avg: $75

100%

#858

Core i5-3475S

MSRP: $249|Avg: $42

100%

#859

Core i7-2600K

MSRP: $317|Avg: $109

100%

#860

Pentium G860

MSRP: $86|Avg: $36

100%

#861

Athlon II X2 245

MSRP: $66|Avg: $15

99%

#862

Core i7-2700K

MSRP: $332|Avg: $45

99%

#864

Core i5-4670K

MSRP: $328|Avg: $200

98%

#865

Core i5-3330S

MSRP: $231|Avg: $30

98%

#866

Celeron G465

MSRP: $70|Avg: $37

98%

#867

Athlon II X4 630

MSRP: $129|Avg: $15

97%

#868

A6-7400K

MSRP: $101|Avg: $43

96%

#869

Core i7-4765T

MSRP: $303|Avg: $50

96%

#870

Core i7-4770TE

MSRP: $303|Avg: $303

96%

#871

Core i5-4570T

MSRP: $195|Avg: $45

95%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Pentium G850 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	Pentium G850
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($20)	⚠️ Higher cost ($75)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 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 $75), it costs 73% less. While offering basic entry-level performance, it results in a 274% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Pentium G850.

Insight	Pentium 987	Pentium G850
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+274%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($20)	⚠️ Higher cost ($75)

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

Pentium G850 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium 987 and Pentium G850

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.

Pentium G850

The Pentium G850 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 22 May 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 2.9 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1155. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,491 points. Launch price was $27.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Pentium 987 and Pentium G850 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 1.5 GHz on the Pentium 987 versus 2.9 GHz on the Pentium G850 — a 63.6% clock advantage for the Pentium G850 (base: 1.5 GHz vs 2.9 GHz). Both are built on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture using a 32 nm process. In PassMark, the Pentium 987 scores 1,487 against the Pentium G850's 1,491 — a 0.3% lead for the Pentium G850. L3 cache: 2 MB (total) on the Pentium 987 vs 3 MB (total) on the Pentium G850.

Feature	Pentium 987	Pentium G850
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	1.5 GHz	2.9 GHz+93%
Base Clock	1.5 GHz	2.9 GHz+93%
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	3 MB (total)+50%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	32 nm	32 nm
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
PassMark	1,487	1,491

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium 987 uses the BGA1023 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium G850 uses LGA1155 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium 987	Pentium G850
Socket	BGA1023	LGA1155
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0

💰

Value Analysis

The Pentium 987 launched at $134 MSRP, while the Pentium G850 debuted at $86. At current prices ($20 vs $75), the Pentium 987 is $55 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Pentium 987 delivers 74.3 pts/$ vs 19.9 pts/$ for the Pentium G850 — making the Pentium 987 the 115.6% better value option.