Athlon Gold PRO 3150G vs Core i5-8279U

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Athlon Gold PRO 3150G

2020

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (8 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon Vega 3, while Core i5-8279U needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-8279U across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 6 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $150 MSRP, while Core i5-8279U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.

Core i5-8279U

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.1% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (6 MB vs 4 MB).
✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (7,464 vs 7,468).
❌No integrated graphics, while Athlon Gold PRO 3150G can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Athlon Gold PRO 3150G

2020

Core i5-8279U

2019

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (8 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon Vega 3, while Core i5-8279U needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.1% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (6 MB vs 4 MB).
✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-8279U across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 6 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $150 MSRP, while Core i5-8279U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (7,464 vs 7,468).
❌No integrated graphics, while Athlon Gold PRO 3150G can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon Gold PRO 3150G better than Core i5-8279U?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i5-8279U is ahead with a 8.1% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Athlon Gold PRO 3150G pulls ahead with 0.1% better PassMark. Core i5-8279U also has the bigger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (6 MB vs 4 MB).

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Athlon Gold PRO 3150G is the better fit. You are getting 0.1% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 4 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Athlon Gold PRO 3150G is the smarter buy today. Athlon Gold PRO 3150G is at an unclear MSRP at $150 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 0.1% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i5-8279U is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 8.1% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (49.8 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Athlon Gold PRO 3150G is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2019) and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 4 threads instead of 4/8. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

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.

Athlon Gold PRO 3150G Benchmark Check

Core i5-8279U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Athlon Gold PRO 3150G	Core i5-8279U
1080p
low	165 FPS	170 FPS
medium	141 FPS	137 FPS
high	110 FPS	109 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	85 FPS
1440p
low	142 FPS	146 FPS
medium	119 FPS	117 FPS
high	92 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	74 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	65 FPS	69 FPS
medium	58 FPS	60 FPS
high	46 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	37 FPS

Open Athlon Gold PRO 3150G Open Core i5-8279U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Athlon Gold PRO 3150G	Core i5-8279U
1080p
low	187 FPS	187 FPS
medium	173 FPS	187 FPS
high	158 FPS	187 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	180 FPS
1440p
low	173 FPS	187 FPS
medium	147 FPS	187 FPS
high	133 FPS	187 FPS
ultra	112 FPS	158 FPS
4K
low	129 FPS	187 FPS
medium	112 FPS	167 FPS
high	89 FPS	138 FPS
ultra	66 FPS	113 FPS

Open Athlon Gold PRO 3150G Open Core i5-8279U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Athlon Gold PRO 3150G	Core i5-8279U
1080p
low	187 FPS	187 FPS
medium	187 FPS	187 FPS
high	187 FPS	187 FPS
ultra	187 FPS	187 FPS
1440p
low	187 FPS	187 FPS
medium	187 FPS	187 FPS
high	187 FPS	187 FPS
ultra	187 FPS	187 FPS
4K
low	187 FPS	187 FPS
medium	183 FPS	187 FPS
high	160 FPS	187 FPS
ultra	130 FPS	187 FPS

Open Athlon Gold PRO 3150G Open Core i5-8279U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Athlon Gold PRO 3150G	Core i5-8279U
1080p
low	187 FPS	187 FPS
medium	187 FPS	187 FPS
high	187 FPS	187 FPS
ultra	187 FPS	187 FPS
1440p
low	187 FPS	187 FPS
medium	187 FPS	187 FPS
high	187 FPS	187 FPS
ultra	187 FPS	187 FPS
4K
low	187 FPS	187 FPS
medium	187 FPS	187 FPS
high	187 FPS	187 FPS
ultra	187 FPS	187 FPS

Open Athlon Gold PRO 3150G Open Core i5-8279U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Athlon Gold PRO 3150G and Core i5-8279U

Athlon Gold PRO 3150G

The Athlon Gold PRO 3150G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Picasso (2019−2022) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 7,468 points. Launch price was $149.

Core i5-8279U

The Core i5-8279U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 April 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 4.1 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1528. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 7,464 points. Launch price was $320.

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Processing Power

The Athlon Gold PRO 3150G packs 4 cores / 4 threads, matching the Core i5-8279U's 4 cores. Boost clocks reach 3.9 GHz on the Athlon Gold PRO 3150G versus 4.1 GHz on the Core i5-8279U — a 5% clock advantage for the Core i5-8279U (base: 3.5 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Athlon Gold PRO 3150G uses the Picasso (2019−2022) architecture (12 nm), while the Core i5-8279U uses Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon Gold PRO 3150G scores 7,468 against the Core i5-8279U's 7,464 — a 0.1% lead for the Athlon Gold PRO 3150G. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Athlon Gold PRO 3150G vs 6 MB (total) on the Core i5-8279U.

Feature	Athlon Gold PRO 3150G	Core i5-8279U
Cores / Threads	4 / 4	4 / 8
Boost Clock	3.9 GHz	4.1 GHz+5%
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+46%	2.4 GHz
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	6 MB (total)+50%
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)+100%	256K (per core)
Process	12 nm-14%	14 nm
Architecture	Picasso (2019−2022)	Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019)
PassMark	7,468	7,464

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon Gold PRO 3150G uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-8279U uses FCBGA1528 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.