Pentium Silver A1030 vs Athlon II X2 280

Pentium Silver A1030

2 Cores2 Thrd15 WWMax: 2.7 GHz2020

Athlon II X2 280

2 Cores2 Thrd65 WWMax: 3.6 GHz2013

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium Silver A1030

2 / 2

1,380

+1.8%

1,355

0.0%

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 Silver A1030 is positioned at rank 1140 and the Athlon II X2 280 is on rank 638, so the Athlon II X2 280 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 Silver A1030

#1128

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3825%

#1129

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3769%

#1130

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

3460%

#1131

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

3445%

#1132

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

3413%

#1134

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

3296%

#1135

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

3160%

#1136

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

3155%

#1137

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

3070%

#1140

Pentium Silver A1030

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#1141

Celeron 807

MSRP: $70|Avg: $10

100%

#1142

Pentium B950

MSRP: $134|Avg: $35

99%

#1143

Celeron 220

MSRP: $42|Avg: $42

99%

#1144

Pentium B960

MSRP: $134|Avg: $15

99%

#1146

Pentium 957

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

99%

#1147

Core 2 Duo SL9400

MSRP: $284|Avg: N/A

98%

#1149

Pentium N3540

MSRP: $161|Avg: $161

98%

#1150

Core i7-3555LE

MSRP: $300|Avg: $280

97%

#1151

Core i3-2377M

MSRP: $250|Avg: N/A

96%

#1152

Core 2 Duo E8435

MSRP: $150|Avg: $74

96%

#1153

Celeron M 723

MSRP: $161|Avg: $161

96%

#1154

Core i7-3517UE

MSRP: $330|Avg: $35

94%

#1155

Core M-5Y51

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Athlon II X2 280

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

11502%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

10869%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

7892%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

2377%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

1883%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

1647%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

944%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

931%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

848%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

848%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

838%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

816%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

804%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

801%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

794%

#387

Ryzen Embedded V1807B

MSRP: $300|Avg: $300

99%

#638

Athlon II X2 280

MSRP: $50|Avg: $15

100%

#639

FX-8300

MSRP: $197|Avg: $50

100%

#640

Celeron G540T

MSRP: $42|Avg: $42

100%

#641

Core i5-6600

MSRP: $224|Avg: $90

100%

#642

Core i5-4460

MSRP: $182|Avg: $40

100%

#645

Core i3-4170T

MSRP: $117|Avg: $17

99%

#646

FX-8370E

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

99%

#647

Core i5-4590S

MSRP: $192|Avg: $45

99%

#648

Pentium G2020

MSRP: $64|Avg: $15

98%

#649

Pentium G3450

MSRP: $82|Avg: $25

98%

#650

Core i7-6700

MSRP: $303|Avg: $143

98%

#651

Athlon II X4 631

MSRP: $80|Avg: $15

98%

#652

Pentium G3240T

MSRP: $64|Avg: $15

98%

#653

Core i3-4160T

MSRP: $117|Avg: $18

97%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Generational Difference: This comparison involves processors from different technological eras. The Pentium Silver A1030 (2020) utilizes 14 nm technology and upto-2400, providing a fundamental performance advantage.

Insight	Pentium Silver A1030	Athlon II X2 280
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($15)
Longevity	✨ Modern (Legacy / 14 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Regor (2009−2013) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Athlon II X2 280 (2013) relies on 45 nm technology and DDR2, DDR3, placing it in a different performance category relative to modern standards.

Insight	Pentium Silver A1030	Athlon II X2 280
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($15)

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 Silver A1030 Benchmark Check

Athlon II X2 280 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium Silver A1030 and Athlon II X2 280

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.

Athlon II X2 280

The Athlon II X2 280 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 February 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Regor (2009−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: AM3. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR2, DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,355 points. Launch price was $100.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Pentium Silver A1030 and Athlon II X2 280 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.7 GHz on the Pentium Silver A1030 versus 3.6 GHz on the Athlon II X2 280 — a 28.6% clock advantage for the Athlon II X2 280 (base: 2 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Athlon II X2 280 is built on the Regor (2009−2013) architecture. In PassMark, the Pentium Silver A1030 scores 1,380 against the Athlon II X2 280's 1,355 — a 1.8% lead for the Pentium Silver A1030. L3 cache: 4 MB on the Pentium Silver A1030 vs 0 kB on the Athlon II X2 280.

Feature	Pentium Silver A1030	Athlon II X2 280
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.7 GHz	3.6 GHz+33%
Base Clock	2 GHz	3.6 GHz+80%
L3 Cache	4 MB	0 kB
L2 Cache	—	1 MB
Process	14 nm-69%	45 nm
Architecture	—	Regor (2009−2013)
PassMark	1,380+2%	1,355
Geekbench 6 Single	—	290
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	550

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium Silver A1030 uses the FCBGA1090 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Athlon II X2 280 uses AM3 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium Silver A1030	Athlon II X2 280
Socket	FCBGA1090	AM3
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0+50%	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3-1333
Max RAM Capacity	—	16 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	✅
PCIe Lanes	—	0

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Pentium Silver A1030) / AMD-V (Athlon II X2 280). Primary use case: Athlon II X2 280 targets Legacy Desktop. Direct competitor: Athlon II X2 280 rivals Pentium E6700.