Pentium G840 vs Pentium Silver A1030

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.

Pentium G840 vs Pentium Silver A1030 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with GeForce RTX 5090 to isolate CPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Pentium G840 vs Pentium Silver A1030: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

Pentium G840

2011

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (1,367 vs 1,380).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (3 MB vs 4 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $64 MSRP, while Pentium Silver A1030 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.

Pentium Silver A1030

2020

Why buy it

✅+1% higher PassMark.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (4 MB vs 3 MB).
✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Pentium Silver A1030 better than Pentium G840?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Pentium G840 is ahead with a 0.5% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Pentium Silver A1030 pulls ahead with 1% better PassMark. Pentium Silver A1030 also has the bigger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (4 MB vs 3 MB).

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Pentium Silver A1030 is the stronger fit. You are getting 1% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 2 threads. It also has the larger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (4 MB vs 3 MB).

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Pentium Silver A1030 is still the much better call for a fresh build. Pentium Silver A1030 comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $64 MSRP, and it still gives you 1% better PassMark. Pentium G840 only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that usually means used-market pricing on an obsolete 2011 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (21.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on LGA1155.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Pentium Silver A1030 makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2011), 33.3% larger total L3 cache (4 MB vs 3 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 2 threads instead of 2/2. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Pentium G840 vs Pentium Silver A1030 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

Pentium G840

The Pentium G840 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 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 2.8 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: 1,367 points. Launch price was $60.

Pentium Silver A1030

The Pentium Silver A1030 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 2.7 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1090. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: upto-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 1,380 points. Launch price was $69.

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Processing Power

Both the Pentium G840 and Pentium Silver A1030 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.8 GHz on the Pentium G840 versus 2.7 GHz on the Pentium Silver A1030 — a 3.6% clock advantage for the Pentium G840 (base: 2.8 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Pentium G840 is built on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. In PassMark, the Pentium G840 scores 1,367 against the Pentium Silver A1030's 1,380 — a 0.9% lead for the Pentium Silver A1030. L3 cache: 3 MB (total) on the Pentium G840 vs 4 MB on the Pentium Silver A1030.

Feature	Pentium G840	Pentium Silver A1030
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.8 GHz+4%	2.7 GHz
Base Clock	2.8 GHz+40%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	3 MB (total)	4 MB+33%
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	—
Process	32 nm	14 nm-56%
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	—
PassMark	1,367	1,380

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Memory & Platform

The Pentium G840 uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium Silver A1030 uses FCBGA1090 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.