Athlon 300U vs FX-6120

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 300U

2019

Why buy it

✅+0.2% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 15W instead of 95W, a 80W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (12 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon RX Vega 3, while FX-6120 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than FX-6120 across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 8 MB).

FX-6120

2012

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +16.4% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (3,853 vs 3,861).
❌Launch MSRP is still $188 MSRP, while Athlon 300U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌533.3% higher power demand at 95W vs 15W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Athlon 300U can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Athlon 300U

2019

FX-6120

2012

Why buy it

✅+0.2% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 15W instead of 95W, a 80W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (12 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon RX Vega 3, while FX-6120 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +16.4% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than FX-6120 across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 8 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (3,853 vs 3,861).
❌Launch MSRP is still $188 MSRP, while Athlon 300U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌533.3% higher power demand at 95W vs 15W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Athlon 300U can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon 300U better than FX-6120?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, FX-6120 is ahead with a 16.4% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Athlon 300U pulls ahead with 0.2% better PassMark. FX-6120 also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Athlon 300U is the better fit. You are getting 0.2% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 4 threads.

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

Athlon 300U is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Athlon 300U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $188 MSRP, and it gives you 0.2% better PassMark. FX-6120 only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2012 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (20.5 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a very cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on AM3+.

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

Athlon 300U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2019 vs 2012) and more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 4 threads instead of 6/6. 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 300U Benchmark Check

FX-6120 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Athlon 300U	FX-6120
1080p
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	97 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	96 FPS
1440p
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	89 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	78 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	65 FPS
medium	57 FPS	57 FPS
high	43 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	34 FPS	36 FPS

Open Athlon 300U Open FX-6120

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Athlon 300U	FX-6120
1080p
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	92 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	96 FPS
1440p
low	92 FPS	96 FPS
medium	79 FPS	96 FPS
high	74 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	96 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	96 FPS
medium	56 FPS	96 FPS
high	39 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	96 FPS

Open Athlon 300U Open FX-6120

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Athlon 300U	FX-6120
1080p
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	97 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	96 FPS
1440p
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	97 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	96 FPS
4K
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	97 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	96 FPS

Open Athlon 300U Open FX-6120

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Athlon 300U	FX-6120
1080p
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	97 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	96 FPS
1440p
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	97 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	96 FPS
4K
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	97 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	96 FPS

Open Athlon 300U Open FX-6120

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Athlon 300U and FX-6120

Athlon 300U

The Athlon 300U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Raven Ridge 2 (2019) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 3,861 points. Launch price was $149.

FX-6120

The FX-6120 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 23 October 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Zambezi (2011−2012) architecture. It features 6 cores and 6 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 6 MB. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: AM3+. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 3,853 points. Launch price was $69.

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Processing Power

The Athlon 300U packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the FX-6120 offers 6 cores / 6 threads — the FX-6120 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Athlon 300U versus 4.2 GHz on the FX-6120 — a 24% clock advantage for the FX-6120 (base: 2.4 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Athlon 300U uses the Raven Ridge 2 (2019) architecture (14 nm), while the FX-6120 uses Zambezi (2011−2012) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon 300U scores 3,861 against the FX-6120's 3,853 — a 0.2% lead for the Athlon 300U. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Athlon 300U vs 8 MB (total) on the FX-6120.

Feature	Athlon 300U	FX-6120
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	6 / 6+200%
Boost Clock	3.3 GHz	4.2 GHz+27%
Base Clock	2.4 GHz	3.6 GHz+50%
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	8 MB (total)+100%
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	6 MB+1100%
Process	14 nm-56%	32 nm
Architecture	Raven Ridge 2 (2019)	Zambezi (2011−2012)
PassMark	3,861	3,853
Geekbench 6 Single	900	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,800	—

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon 300U uses the FP5 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the FX-6120 uses AM3+ (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Athlon 300U	FX-6120
Socket	FP5	AM3+
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0+50%	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2400	—
Max RAM Capacity	32 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	12	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Athlon 300U) / not specified (FX-6120). The Athlon 300U includes integrated graphics (Radeon RX Vega 3), while the FX-6120 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Athlon 300U targets Budget Laptop.