Pentium B940 vs A12-9720P

Pentium B940

2 Cores2 Thrd35 WWMax: 2 GHz2011

A12-9720P

4 Cores4 Thrd2 WWMax: 3.6 GHz2016

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium B940

2 / 2

2,610

0.0%

2,622

+0.5%

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 B940 is positioned at rank 895 and the A12-9720P is on rank 1016, so the Pentium B940 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 B940

#883

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1506%

#884

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1484%

#885

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1362%

#886

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1356%

#887

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1344%

#889

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1298%

#890

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1244%

#891

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1242%

#892

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1209%

#895

Pentium B940

MSRP: $134|Avg: $11

100%

#896

Core i5-8305G

MSRP: $350|Avg: $350

100%

#897

Celeron 6305

MSRP: $107|Avg: $80

100%

#900

Core i7-8705G

MSRP: $400|Avg: $400

98%

#902

Pentium Dual Core T2410

MSRP: $100|Avg: $100

97%

#903

FX-8800P

MSRP: $150|Avg: $45

97%

#905

Core i7-8809G

MSRP: $450|Avg: $450

96%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar A12-9720P

#1004

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

2238%

#1005

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

2205%

#1006

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

2024%

#1007

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

2015%

#1008

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1997%

#1010

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1928%

#1011

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1849%

#1012

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1846%

#1013

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1796%

#1016

A12-9720P

MSRP: $200|Avg: $25

100%

#1017

Core i5-4300M

MSRP: $227|Avg: N/A

99%

#1018

Celeron 1005M

MSRP: $86|Avg: N/A

99%

#1019

Athlon 64 X2 TK-42

MSRP: $60|Avg: $10

99%

#1020

Athlon Neo MV-40

MSRP: $100|Avg: $5

97%

#1021

Core i7-4860EQ

MSRP: $434|Avg: $80

97%

#1022

Pentium SU2700

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

97%

#1023

A4-1250

MSRP: $100|Avg: $30

96%

#1025

Core i5-4200M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

95%

#1026

Celeron 1000M

MSRP: $86|Avg: N/A

95%

#1028

Celeron B840

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

94%

#1029

Celeron M 743

MSRP: $107|Avg: $15

94%

#1030

Core i7-3612QM

MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A

94%

#1031

Pentium 967

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The A12-9720P delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Pentium B940 in both compute-intensive tasks (0.5% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Pentium B940	A12-9720P
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($11)	⚠️ Higher cost ($25)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) / 28 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Value Proposition: While both processors are considered legacy components by modern standards, the Pentium B940 holds the technical lead in efficiency. Priced at $11 (vs $25), it costs 56% less. While offering basic entry-level performance, it results in a 126% higher cost efficiency score compared to the A12-9720P.

Insight	Pentium B940	A12-9720P
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+126%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($11)	⚠️ Higher cost ($25)

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 B940 Benchmark Check

A12-9720P Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium B940 and A12-9720P

Pentium B940

The Pentium B940 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 June 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 GHz, with boost up to 2 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: PGA988. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,610 points. Launch price was $134.

A12-9720P

The A12-9720P is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2014-01-01. It is based on the Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 28 nm process technology. Socket: FP4. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 MB. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 2,622 points. Launch price was $130.

⚡

Processing Power

The Pentium B940 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the A12-9720P offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the A12-9720P has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2 GHz on the Pentium B940 versus 3.6 GHz on the A12-9720P — a 57.1% clock advantage for the A12-9720P (base: 2 GHz vs 2.7 GHz). The Pentium B940 uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the A12-9720P uses Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) (28 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium B940 scores 2,610 against the A12-9720P's 2,622 — a 0.5% lead for the A12-9720P.

Feature	Pentium B940	A12-9720P
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	2 GHz	3.6 GHz+80%
Base Clock	2 GHz	2.7 GHz+35%
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	—
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	2 MB+700%
Process	32 nm	28 nm-13%
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Bristol Ridge (2016−2019)
PassMark	2,610	2,622
Geekbench 6 Single	—	529

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium B940 uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the A12-9720P uses FP4 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium B940	A12-9720P
Socket	PGA988	FP4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-1866
Max RAM Capacity	—	16 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	8

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Pentium B940) / AMD-V (A12-9720P). The A12-9720P includes integrated graphics (Radeon R7), while the Pentium B940 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: A12-9720P targets Laptop. Direct competitor: A12-9720P rivals Core i5-7200U.

Feature	Pentium B940	A12-9720P
Integrated GPU	—	Yes
IGPU Model	—	Radeon R7
Unlocked	—	No
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Laptop

💰

Value Analysis

The Pentium B940 launched at $134 MSRP, while the A12-9720P debuted at $200. At current prices ($11 vs $25), the Pentium B940 is $14 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Pentium B940 delivers 237.3 pts/$ vs 104.9 pts/$ for the A12-9720P — making the Pentium B940 the 77.4% better value option.