Pentium M 780 vs Athlon 64 3600+
Pentium M 780
Athlon 64 3600+
Performance Spectrum - CPU
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 M 780 is positioned at rank 807 and the Athlon 64 3600+ is on rank 1078, so the Pentium M 780 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Pentium M 780
Performance Per Dollar Athlon 64 3600+
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Pentium M 780 | Athlon 64 3600+ |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Dothan (2004−2005) / 90 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Clawhammer (2001−2005) / 130 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Pentium M 780 | Athlon 64 3600+ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) |
Performance Check
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.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Pentium M 780 and Athlon 64 3600+
Pentium M 780
The Pentium M 780 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Dothan (2004−2005) architecture. It features 1 cores and 1 threads. Base frequency is 2.26 GHz, with boost up to 0.03 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 90 nm process technology. Socket: PGA478. Thermal design power (TDP): 27 Watt. Memory support: DDR2. Passmark benchmark score: 575 points. Launch price was $69.
Athlon 64 3600+
The Athlon 64 3600+ is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Clawhammer (2001−2005) architecture. It features 1 cores and 1 threads. Max frequency: 2.4 GHz. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 130 nm process technology. Socket: 754. Thermal design power (TDP): 89 Watt. Memory support: DDR1. Passmark benchmark score: 595 points. Launch price was $149.
Processing Power
Both the Pentium M 780 and Athlon 64 3600+ share an identical 1-core/1-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 0.03 GHz on the Pentium M 780 versus 2.4 GHz on the Athlon 64 3600+ — a 195.1% clock advantage for the Athlon 64 3600+. The Pentium M 780 uses the Dothan (2004−2005) architecture (90 nm), while the Athlon 64 3600+ uses Clawhammer (2001−2005) (130 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium M 780 scores 575 against the Athlon 64 3600+'s 595 — a 3.4% lead for the Athlon 64 3600+.
| Feature | Pentium M 780 | Athlon 64 3600+ |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 1 / 1 | 1 / 1 |
| Boost Clock | 0.03 GHz | 2.4 GHz+7900% |
| Base Clock | 2.26 GHz | — |
| L3 Cache | 0 kB | — |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB+100% | 1 MB |
| Process | 90 nm-31% | 130 nm |
| Architecture | Dothan (2004−2005) | Clawhammer (2001−2005) |
| PassMark | 575 | 595+3% |
Memory & Platform
The Pentium M 780 uses the PGA478 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Athlon 64 3600+ uses 754 (PCIe 1.1) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR2-533 memory speed. The Athlon 64 3600+ supports up to 16 GB of RAM compared to 4 GB — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Pentium M 780) vs 0 (Athlon 64 3600+) — the Pentium M 780 offers 16 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: 915GM,945GT (Pentium M 780) and AMD AM2 (Athlon 64 3600+).
| Feature | Pentium M 780 | Athlon 64 3600+ |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | PGA478 | 754 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 1.1 | PCIe 1.1 |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR2-533 | DDR2-800 |
| Max RAM Capacity | 4 GB | 16 GB+300% |
| RAM Channels | 2 | 2 |
| ECC Support | ❌ | ❌ |
| PCIe Lanes | 16 | 0 |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: false (Pentium M 780) / not specified (Athlon 64 3600+).
| Feature | Pentium M 780 | Athlon 64 3600+ |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | No | No |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | false | — |
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