Athlon II X2 250 vs Phenom II X3 720

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Aggregate performance score

Phenom II X3 720
2010
3 cores / 3 threads, 95 Watt
0.99
+45.6%
Athlon II X2 250
2009
2 cores / 2 threads, 65 Watt
0.68

Phenom II X3 720 outperforms Athlon II X2 250 by a considerable 46% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Phenom II X3 720 and Athlon II X2 250 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking24782740
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation5.163.61
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Power efficiency0.990.99
Architecture codenameHeka (2009−2010)Regor (2009−2013)
Release date1 January 2010 (14 years ago)2 June 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$75$39

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Phenom II X3 720 has 43% better value for money than Athlon II X2 250.

Detailed specifications

Phenom II X3 720 and Athlon II X2 250 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores3 (Tri-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads32
Base clock speed2.8 GHz3 GHz
Boost clock speed2.8 GHz3 GHz
L1 cache128 KB (per core)256 KB
L2 cache512 KB (per core)2 MB
L3 cache6 MB (shared)0 KB
Chip lithography45 nm45 nm
Die size258 mm2117 mm2
Number of transistors758 million410 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Phenom II X3 720 and Athlon II X2 250 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration11
SocketAM3AM3
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt65 Watt

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Phenom II X3 720 and Athlon II X2 250. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataOn certain motherboards (Chipset feature)

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Phenom II X3 720 and Athlon II X2 250.

PCIe version2.02.0

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

Phenom II X3 720 0.99
+45.6%
Athlon II X2 250 0.68

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

Phenom II X3 720 1575
+45.8%
Athlon II X2 250 1080

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

Phenom II X3 720 326
+6.2%
Athlon II X2 250 307

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

Phenom II X3 720 790
+46.6%
Athlon II X2 250 539

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 0.99 0.68
Recency 1 January 2010 2 June 2009
Physical cores 3 2
Threads 3 2
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 65 Watt

Phenom II X3 720 has a 45.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 6 months, and 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads.

Athlon II X2 250, on the other hand, has 46.2% lower power consumption.

The Phenom II X3 720 is our recommended choice as it beats the Athlon II X2 250 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Phenom II X3 720 and Athlon II X2 250, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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AMD Phenom II X3 720
Phenom II X3 720
AMD Athlon II X2 250
Athlon II X2 250

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Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


3.5 85 votes

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Phenom II X3 720 or Athlon II X2 250, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.