Pentium B980 vs Athlon II Neo K325

Pentium B980

2 Cores2 Thrd35 WWMax: 2.4 GHz2012

Athlon II Neo K325

2 Cores2 Thrd1 WWMax: 1.3 GHz2010

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium B980

2 / 2

1,101

0.0%

1,111

+0.9%

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 B980 is positioned at rank 1110 and the Athlon II Neo K325 is on rank 912, so the Athlon II Neo K325 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 B980

#1098

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3330%

#1099

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3281%

#1100

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

3012%

#1101

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

2999%

#1102

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2971%

#1104

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2869%

#1105

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2751%

#1106

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2747%

#1107

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2673%

#1110

Pentium B980

MSRP: $125|Avg: $35

100%

#1111

Celeron 867

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

100%

#1112

Pentium B970

MSRP: $125|Avg: $39

99%

#1113

Core i5-2410M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

99%

#1114

Pentium T2370

MSRP: $86|Avg: $10

98%

#1115

Pentium N3710

MSRP: $161|Avg: $50

98%

#1116

Core m3-7Y30

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

98%

#1117

Pentium 977

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

97%

#1118

Core i7-2715QE

MSRP: $378|Avg: $50

97%

#1119

VIA Nano U2250

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

96%

#1121

Core i5-560M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

96%

#1122

Pentium U5600

MSRP: $100|Avg: $50

95%

#1124

Core m5-6Y57

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

#1125

Core i7-610E

MSRP: $250|Avg: $40

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Athlon II Neo K325

#900

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1584%

#901

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1561%

#902

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1433%

#903

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1427%

#904

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1413%

#906

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1365%

#907

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1309%

#908

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1307%

#909

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1272%

#912

Athlon II Neo K325

MSRP: $60|Avg: $25

100%

#919

Core i5-8365UE

MSRP: $297|Avg: $297

99%

#921

A6 Pro-7050B

MSRP: $100|Avg: $15

98%

#923

Athlon II N370

MSRP: $60|Avg: $10

98%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Pentium B980 leads in gaming performance. However, the Athlon II Neo K325 is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 0.9% greater multi-core processing power.

Insight	Pentium B980	Athlon II Neo K325
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($35)	✅ More affordable ($25)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Geneva (2010) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Efficiency: Even within a comparison of older hardware, the Athlon II Neo K325 stands out as the superior choice. It is effectively 29% cheaper ($25 vs $35) while identifying as the stronger performer.

Insight	Pentium B980	Athlon II Neo K325
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+41%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($35)	✅ More affordable ($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 B980 Benchmark Check

Athlon II Neo K325 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium B980 and Athlon II Neo K325

Pentium B980

The Pentium B980 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 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 2.4 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: 1,101 points. Launch price was $125.

Athlon II Neo K325

The Athlon II Neo K325 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Geneva (2010) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 1.3 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: 1,111 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Pentium B980 and Athlon II Neo K325 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.4 GHz on the Pentium B980 versus 1.3 GHz on the Athlon II Neo K325 — a 59.5% clock advantage for the Pentium B980. The Pentium B980 uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Athlon II Neo K325 uses Geneva (2010) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium B980 scores 1,101 against the Athlon II Neo K325's 1,111 — a 0.9% lead for the Athlon II Neo K325.

Feature	Pentium B980	Athlon II Neo K325
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.4 GHz+85%	1.3 GHz
Base Clock	2.4 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	1,101	1,111
Geekbench 6 Single	—	736
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,235

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium B980 uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Athlon II Neo K325 uses S1 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium B980	Athlon II Neo K325
Socket	PGA988	S1
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3-800
Max RAM Capacity	—	8 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	0

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Pentium B980) / AMD-V (Athlon II Neo K325). Primary use case: Athlon II Neo K325 targets Low Power.

Feature	Pentium B980	Athlon II Neo K325
Integrated GPU	—	No
Unlocked	—	No
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Low Power

💰

Value Analysis

The Pentium B980 launched at $125 MSRP, while the Athlon II Neo K325 debuted at $60. At current prices ($35 vs $25), the Athlon II Neo K325 is $10 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Pentium B980 delivers 31.5 pts/$ vs 44.4 pts/$ for the Athlon II Neo K325 — making the Athlon II Neo K325 the 34.2% better value option.