Phenom II X4 N970 vs Pentium 967

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Phenom II X4 N970

4 / 4

1,647

+0.4%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5945WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Pentium 967

2 / 2

1,640

0.0%

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 Phenom II X4 N970 is positioned at rank 388 and the Pentium 967 is on rank 1031, so the Phenom II X4 N970 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 Phenom II X4 N970

#119

Ryzen 7 PRO 250

MSRP: $400|Avg: $380

99%

#376

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

534%

#377

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

527%

#378

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

483%

#379

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

481%

#380

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

477%

#382

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

460%

#383

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

442%

#384

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

441%

#385

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

429%

#388

Phenom II X4 N970

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#391

Core i5-1145GRE

MSRP: $362|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Pentium 967

#1019

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

2397%

#1020

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

2362%

#1021

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

2168%

#1022

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

2158%

#1023

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2139%

#1025

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2065%

#1026

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1980%

#1027

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1977%

#1028

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1924%

#1031

Pentium 967

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

100%

#1033

Core i5-4400E

MSRP: $266|Avg: $50

100%

#1034

Pentium Dual Core T4400

MSRP: $107|Avg: $5

98%

#1037

Core i7-8665UE

MSRP: $409|Avg: $409

97%

#1038

Celeron T3300

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

96%

#1039

Celeron Dual-Core T3300

MSRP: $86|Avg: $30

96%

#1042

Core i7-3612QE

MSRP: $426|Avg: $50

95%

#1043

A10-7300

MSRP: $150|Avg: $50

95%

#1044

Pentium Dual Core T4200

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

94%

#1045

A6 Micro-6500T

MSRP: $100|Avg: $15

94%

#1046

Pentium N3520

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Phenom II X4 N970 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Pentium 967 in both compute-intensive tasks (0.4% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Phenom II X4 N970	Pentium 967
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($10)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Champlain (2010−2011) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Phenom II X4 N970	Pentium 967
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($10)

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.

Phenom II X4 N970 Benchmark Check

Pentium 967 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Phenom II X4 N970 and Pentium 967

Phenom II X4 N970

The Phenom II X4 N970 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Max frequency: 2.2 GHz. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 MB. Passmark benchmark score: 1,647 points. Launch price was $149.

Pentium 967

The Pentium 967 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 October 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.3 GHz, with boost up to 1.3 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1023. Thermal design power (TDP): 17 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,640 points. Launch price was $134.

⚡

Processing Power

The Phenom II X4 N970 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Pentium 967 offers 2 cores / 2 threads — the Phenom II X4 N970 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.2 GHz on the Phenom II X4 N970 versus 1.3 GHz on the Pentium 967 — a 51.4% clock advantage for the Phenom II X4 N970. The Phenom II X4 N970 uses the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture (45 nm), while the Pentium 967 uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Phenom II X4 N970 scores 1,647 against the Pentium 967's 1,640 — a 0.4% lead for the Phenom II X4 N970.

Feature	Phenom II X4 N970	Pentium 967
Cores / Threads	4 / 4+100%	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.2 GHz+69%	1.3 GHz
Base Clock	—	1.3 GHz
L3 Cache	—	2 MB (total)
L2 Cache	2 MB+700%	256K (per core)
Process	45 nm	32 nm-29%
Architecture	Champlain (2010−2011)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
PassMark	1,647	1,640

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Phenom II X4 N970 uses the S1 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium 967 uses BGA1023 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.