Athlon II X2 260 vs Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

VS

Aggregate performance score

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
2019
32 cores / 64 threads, 280 Watt
39.74
+5270%
Athlon II X2 260
2010
2 cores / 2 threads, 65 Watt
0.74

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X outperforms Athlon II X2 260 by a whopping 5270% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Athlon II X2 260 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking652662
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation15.583.72
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesAMD Ryzen Threadripperno data
Power efficiency13.431.08
Architecture codenameMatisse (2019−2020)Regor (2009−2013)
Release date25 November 2019 (4 years ago)11 May 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$1,999$48

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X has 319% better value for money than Athlon II X2 260.

Detailed specifications

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Athlon II X2 260 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 cores32 (Dotriaconta-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads642
Base clock speed3.7 GHz3.2 GHz
Boost clock speed4.5 GHz3.2 GHz
Bus rate8 × 16 GT/sno data
Multiplier37no data
L1 cache96K (per core)128 KB
L2 cache512K (per core)1 MB
L3 cache128 MB0 KB
Chip lithography7 nm, 12 nm45 nm
Die sizeno data117 mm2
Number of transistors19,200 million410 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility+-
Unlocked multiplier+-

Compatibility

Information on Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Athlon II X2 260 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 configuration1 (Uniprocessor)1
SocketTR4AM3
Power consumption (TDP)280 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Athlon II X2 260. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

AES-NI+-
AVX+-
Precision Boost 2+no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Athlon II X2 260 are enumerated here.

AMD-V+-

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Athlon II X2 260. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4 Eight-channelDDR3
Maximum memory size256 GBno data
Max memory channels4no data
Maximum memory bandwidth102.403 GB/sno data
ECC memory support+-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Athlon II X2 260.

PCIe versionno data2.0

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.

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 39.74
+5270%
Athlon II X2 260 0.74

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.

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 63129
+5259%
Athlon II X2 260 1178

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.

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 1661
+376%
Athlon II X2 260 349

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.

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 13806
+2105%
Athlon II X2 260 626

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 39.74 0.74
Recency 25 November 2019 11 May 2010
Physical cores 32 2
Threads 64 2
Chip lithography 7 nm 45 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 280 Watt 65 Watt

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X has a 5270.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 9 years, 1500% more physical cores and 3100% more threads, and a 542.9% more advanced lithography process.

Athlon II X2 260, on the other hand, has 330.8% lower power consumption.

The Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is our recommended choice as it beats the Athlon II X2 260 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Athlon II X2 260, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.


AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
AMD Athlon II X2 260
Athlon II X2 260

Similar processor comparisons

We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.

Community ratings

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


4.1 347 votes

Rate Ryzen Threadripper 3970X on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
3.3 131 vote

Rate Athlon II X2 260 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Ryzen Threadripper 3970X or Athlon II X2 260, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.