Pentium B980

Details and Benchmarks for Intel Pentium B980

Sysbuilds Alpha Stage!

Please take all results with a big grain of salt. Sysbuilds is in alpha stage at the moment which can lead to wrong data, strange counting errors, silly results and more. This site is under active development.

Benchmark Results

Combined benchmark scores based on multiple data points, giving a quick overview of this processor's performance.

Overall Score

Overall score for Pentium B980 based on all benchmark results gathered. Look at this like a meta score, you will find more specific workload ratings below.

4,305 Rank: 1521
Rank Name Score Visual
1517 Core 2 Duo E7600 4,309
+0.1%
1518 A6-5400B 4,309
+0.1%
1519 Core i3-2312M 4,308
+0.1%
1520 Core i5-560M 4,306
+0%
1521 Pentium B980 4,305
1522 A6-3670 4,305
+0%
1523 A6-5400K 4,305
+0%
1524 Pentium 4405U 4,304
+-0%
1525 Athlon II X4 635 4,304
+-0%
1526 Phenom II N660 4,303
+-0%

View full ranking →

Multicore Score

Multicore performance score for Pentium B980 based on multi-threaded benchmark results.

4,504 Rank: 1218
Rank Name Score Visual
1214 Core i5-4330M 4,507
+0.1%
1215 Xeon L5640 4,506
+0%
1216 Athlon Gold 3150U 4,506
+0%
1217 Ryzen Embedded V1202B 4,505
+0%
1218 Pentium B980 4,504
1219 Core i3-6100E 4,503
+-0%
1220 Core i5-760 4,503
+-0%
1221 Athlon X4 845 4,502
+-0%
1222 Celeron G4930 4,500
-0.1%
1223 Phenom II X4 B65 4,500
-0.1%

View full ranking →

Singlecore Score

Single-core performance score for Pentium B980 based on single-threaded benchmark results.

4,172 Rank: 1605
Rank Name Score Visual
1601 Core i5-460M 4,177
+0.1%
1602 Phenom II X4 B95 4,176
+0.1%
1603 Core i3-4010U 4,175
+0.1%
1604 Core 2 Duo E7300 4,174
+0%
1605 Pentium B980 4,172
1606 Phenom II X4 925 4,172
+0%
1607 Core 2 Duo P9500 4,172
+0%
1608 Celeron N4000 4,171
+-0%
1609 Core 2 Duo E7500 4,171
+-0%
1610 Xeon E5420 4,169
-0.1%

View full ranking →

Workload Scores

Performance scores grouped by workload type, normalized and aggregated from multiple raw benchmark results.

Number Crunching

Aggregated score for Pentium B980 based on integer math, floating point math, and prime number computation benchmarks.

4,497 Rank: 1546
Rank Name Score Visual
1542 Celeron 1005M 4,498
+0%
1543 Pentium 3556U 4,498
+0%
1544 A6-3430MX 4,498
+0%
1545 Pentium 4405Y 4,497
+0%
1546 Pentium B980 4,497
1547 Pentium B970 4,497
+0%
1548 Core i5-2467M 4,497
+0%
1549 Celeron G540 4,497
+0%
1550 Phenom II X2 545 4,497
+0%
1551 A9-9400 4,497
+0%

View full ranking →

Data Processing

Aggregated score for Pentium B980 based on data encryption, data compression, and string sorting benchmarks.

4,459 Rank: 1604
Rank Name Score Visual
1600 Xeon W3505 4,460
+0%
1601 Celeron G1820TE 4,460
+0%
1602 Celeron 2950M 4,460
+0%
1603 A4-5300B 4,460
+0%
1604 Pentium B980 4,459
1605 Pentium B970 4,459
+0%
1606 Core i5-4300Y 4,459
+0%
1607 Atom Z3740D 4,459
+0%
1608 Celeron N2910 4,459
+0%
1609 Celeron 3865U 4,458
+-0%

View full ranking →

Physics & Compute

Aggregated score for Pentium B980 based on physics simulation and extended instruction set (SSE/AVX) benchmarks.

4,482 Rank: 1522
Rank Name Score Visual
1518 Celeron 2980U 4,483
+0%
1519 Core i3-380M 4,483
+0%
1520 Core i3-370M 4,483
+0%
1521 Athlon 5350 4,483
+0%
1522 Pentium B980 4,482
1523 Core i3-2377M 4,482
+0%
1524 Core i3-2367M 4,482
+0%
1525 Athlon II X3 435 4,482
+0%
1526 Celeron 1005M 4,482
+0%
1527 Celeron 4205U 4,482
+0%

View full ranking →

Pentium B980 Details

The Intel Pentium B980 represents a significant step down from modern computing standards, having been released in September 2012 as part of the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture era. While it was designed for mobile systems and offered integrated graphics and decent power efficiency for its time, it now sits firmly in the realm of legacy hardware. As of March 2026, the processor is more than a decade old, making it obsolete for mainstream performance use but still relevant for understanding historical performance benchmarks and embedded applications where longevity and stability outweigh raw power.

Built on a 32 nm process and featuring the Sandy Bridge M core, the Pentium B980 is a dual-core, dual-thread CPU with a base clock of 2.4 GHz and a locked multiplier. It operates on the rPGA988B socket and supports dual-channel DDR3 memory up to 1333 MHz, with a maximum capacity of 16 GB. The processor integrates Intel HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge), which runs at 650 MHz base frequency and can boost up to 1150 MHz, supporting up to two displays. It includes 2 MB of L3 cache and 0.5 MB of L2 cache, with 64-bit x86-64 architecture and a TDP of 35 W, indicating moderate power consumption for its era.

In terms of performance, the Pentium B980 achieves an Overall Score of 4305, ranking #1521 out of 2060 processors in the database. Its Singlecore Score is 4172 (#1605), and its Multicore Score is 4504 (#1218). This indicates that while its single-threaded performance is relatively weak compared to modern standards, its multicore performance slightly outpaces some of its contemporaries, particularly older dual-core processors. It trails behind several modern Celeron and Athlon variants, such as the Celeron N4000 and Athlon X4 845, but competes with low-end mobile CPUs like the Core i3-6100E and the Core i5-760.

Despite its age, the B980 supports a robust set of instruction sets, including SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, AES-NI, and Intel’s Enhanced SpeedStep Technology. These features allowed it to handle basic multimedia and productivity tasks efficiently when new. However, its lack of Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) and limited cache hierarchy restrict its scalability in modern workloads. The processor is best suited for light office use, media playback, and basic computing tasks, especially in legacy systems where replacing the CPU is not feasible.

In the broader context of modern processors, the Pentium B980 is far behind the top performers in the industry. The highest-ranked CPU, the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9995WX, scores over 9,000, highlighting the massive leap in computing power over the past decade. Nevertheless, the B980 remains a testament to Intel’s efforts in balancing performance, power efficiency, and cost during the early 2010s. For users seeking a reliable, low-power solution for non-demanding tasks, it can still serve as a functional component—though not one capable of handling today’s demanding software or multitasking environments.
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Intel Pentium B980

Main Specifications

Designer: Intel
Name: Pentium B980
Family: Pentium
Series: 900
Model Number: B980
Cores: 2
Threads: 2
Base Frequency: 2400 MHz
Clock Multiplier: 24x (locked)
Microarchitecture: Sandy Bridge
Core Name: Sandy Bridge M
Core Family: 6
Core Model: 42
Socket: Socket
Package: rPGA988B
Chipset: Cougar
Target Segment: Mobile
Max CPUs: 1
TDP: 35 W
Release Price: $125.00

Cache Specifications

L1 Cache: 128 KiB
L1 Instruction Cache: 64 KiB (8-way set associative)
L1 Data Cache: 64 KiB (8-way set associative)
L2 Cache: 0.5 MiB (8-way set associative)
L3 Cache: 2 MiB (8-way set associative)

Memory Specifications

Supported Memory Type: DDR3-1333 and DDR3-1066
Memory Channels: 2
Maximum Memory: 16 GB
Maximum Bandwidth: 19.87 GB/s
ECC Support: No

PCI-Express Specifications

PCIe Revision: 2.0
PCIe Lanes: 16
PCIe Configuration: 1x16, 2x8, 1x8+2x4

Integrated Graphics

GPU: HD
GPU Designer: Intel
GPU Max Frequency: 1150 MHz
Execution Units: 6

Physical Specifications

Process: 32 nm
Die Area: 131 mm²
Transistor Count: 0.50 billion
Manufacturer: Intel
Technology: CMOS
Word Size: 64-bit
ISA: x86-64 (x86)

CPU Features

MMX EMMX SSE SSE2 SSE3 SSSE3 SSE4.1 SSE4.2 AVX AVX2 ABM BMI1 BMI2 FMA3 AES RdRand ADX CLMUL F16C x86-16 x86-32 x86-64 Real Protected SMM FPU NX TBT 2.0 EIST TXT vPro VT-x VT-d MPX SGX Secure Key SMEP SIPP IPT TSX Flex Memory FMA
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