Pentium 997 vs A6-3400M

Pentium 997

2 Cores2 Thrd17 WWMax: 1.6 GHz2012

A6-3400M

4 Cores4 Thrd35 WWMax: 2.3 GHz2011

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium 997

2 / 2

1,215

0.0%

1,223

+0.7%

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 997 is positioned at rank 1104 and the A6-3400M is on rank 869, so the A6-3400M 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 997

#1092

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3235%

#1093

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3187%

#1094

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

2926%

#1095

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

2913%

#1096

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2886%

#1098

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2787%

#1099

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2673%

#1100

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2668%

#1101

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2596%

#1104

Pentium 997

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

100%

#1105

Pentium A1018

MSRP: $132|Avg: $15

99%

#1106

Core i5-2430M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

99%

#1108

Pentium Dual Core T4500

MSRP: $150|Avg: $30

98%

#1109

Celeron B820

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

98%

#1110

Pentium B980

MSRP: $125|Avg: $35

97%

#1111

Celeron 867

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

97%

#1112

Pentium B970

MSRP: $125|Avg: $39

96%

#1113

Core i5-2410M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

96%

#1114

Pentium T2370

MSRP: $86|Avg: $10

95%

#1115

Pentium N3710

MSRP: $161|Avg: $50

95%

#1116

Core m3-7Y30

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

#1117

Pentium 977

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

94%

#1118

Core i7-2715QE

MSRP: $378|Avg: $50

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar A6-3400M

#857

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1440%

#858

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1419%

#859

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1302%

#860

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1296%

#861

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1284%

#863

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1240%

#864

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1189%

#865

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1187%

#866

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1156%

#869

A6-3400M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#873

Celeron M 540

MSRP: $86|Avg: $20

100%

#877

Microsoft SQ1

MSRP: $300|Avg: $180

99%

#879

Core i5-6440HQ

MSRP: $250|Avg: N/A

99%

#882

Celeron Dual-Core T1600

MSRP: $150|Avg: $150

98%

#884

Athlon II N330

MSRP: $100|Avg: $50

98%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The A6-3400M delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Pentium 997 in both compute-intensive tasks (0.7% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Pentium 997	A6-3400M
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
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 997	A6-3400M
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 997 Benchmark Check

A6-3400M Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium 997 and A6-3400M

Pentium 997

The Pentium 997 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.6 GHz, with boost up to 1.6 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: 1,215 points. Launch price was $134.

A6-3400M

The A6-3400M 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 1.4 GHz, with boost up to 2.3 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: 1,223 points. Launch price was $70.

⚡

Processing Power

The Pentium 997 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the A6-3400M offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the A6-3400M has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 1.6 GHz on the Pentium 997 versus 2.3 GHz on the A6-3400M — a 35.9% clock advantage for the A6-3400M (base: 1.6 GHz vs 1.4 GHz). The Pentium 997 uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the A6-3400M uses Llano (2011−2012) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium 997 scores 1,215 against the A6-3400M's 1,223 — a 0.7% lead for the A6-3400M. L3 cache: 2 MB (total) on the Pentium 997 vs 0 kB on the A6-3400M.

Feature	Pentium 997	A6-3400M
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	1.6 GHz	2.3 GHz+44%
Base Clock	1.6 GHz+14%	1.4 GHz
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	0 kB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	32 nm	32 nm
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Llano (2011−2012)
PassMark	1,215	1,223
Geekbench 6 Single	—	218

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium 997 uses the BGA1023 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the A6-3400M uses FS1 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium 997	A6-3400M
Socket	BGA1023	FS1
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3-1333
Max RAM Capacity	—	8 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Pentium 997) / AMD-V (A6-3400M). The A6-3400M includes integrated graphics (Radeon HD 6520G), while the Pentium 997 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: A6-3400M targets Budget Laptop. Direct competitor: A6-3400M rivals Core i3-2310M.