AMD Athlon PRO 3045B
AMD Athlon PRO 3045B: Budget Processor for Everyday Tasks
April 2025
Introduction
In an era where the laptop market is flooded with powerful hybrids and gaming monsters, the AMD Athlon PRO 3045B remains a modest yet significant player in the budget segment. This processor, released in 2023, continues to be used in affordable ultrabooks and work machines. Let’s explore who this model is suitable for and what tasks it can handle in 2025.
Architecture and Technology Process
Foundation: Zen+ on 14 nm
The Athlon PRO 3045B is based on the older Zen+ architecture (2018) and a 14-nm technology process. This means:
- 2 cores and 2 threads — the minimum configuration for basic tasks.
- Base frequency — 2.8 GHz, turbo mode is absent.
- L3 cache — 4 MB — sufficient for office applications, but limited for multitasking.
Integrated Radeon Graphics
The integrated GPU is based on the Vega 3 architecture:
- 3 compute units (192 shader processors).
- Frequency up to 1100 MHz — allows running light games and decoding 4K video.
- Support for DirectX 12, Vulkan, but lacks the power for modern APIs like DirectX 12 Ultimate.
Why 14 nm in 2025?
The answer is simple: cost reduction. AMD continues to use older technology processes for budget lines to compete with Intel’s Celeron/Pentium.
Power Consumption and TDP
TDP of 15W is standard for ultrabooks. This means:
- Low heat generation: even passive cooling can handle moderate loads.
- Energy efficiency: the processor adapts its frequency based on the task. For example, while working with text, the cores lower the frequency to 1.5 GHz.
- No turbo mode: this simplifies the cooling system, but limits peak performance.
Example: In the ASUS Vivobook 15 (2024) with a 42 Wh battery, the Athlon PRO 3045B provides up to 8 hours of web surfing.
Performance in Real Tasks
Office Work
- Microsoft Office, Google Docs: operates without lag even with 10+ tabs open in the browser.
- Video calls (Zoom, Teams): the processor performs well, but there may be stutter when streaming the screen and working in the background simultaneously.
Multimedia
- Video playback: 4K@60fps on YouTube (thanks to hardware VP9 decoding).
- Photo editors: basic retouching in Lightroom or GIMP is slow but possible.
Gaming
- CS:GO: 720p, low settings — 30-40 FPS.
- Minecraft (without shaders): 40-50 FPS.
- Indie games (Stardew Valley, Terraria): an ideal platform.
Geekbench 6:
- Single-Core: 803 — comparable to Intel Core i5-7200U (2016).
- Multi-Core: 1381 — weaker than 4-core Celeron N5100.
Usage Scenarios
Who is this processor for?
1. Students: writing reports, online courses, Netflix.
2. Office workers: document handling, email, cloud services.
3. Retirees: simplicity, long battery life, affordable price.
Who is it not suitable for?
- Gamers: demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Call of Duty are off the table.
- Designers/video editors: rendering in Blender or Premiere Pro will take hours.
Battery Life and Energy Saving
AMD Technologies:
- SenseMI: optimizes power consumption by disabling unused CPU blocks.
- Radeon Chill (for iGPU): reduces frame rates in games when the user is inactive.
Tips for extending battery life:
- Set Windows 11 to "Battery Saver" mode.
- Use browsers with low RAM consumption (like Microsoft Edge).
- Disable background applications through Task Manager.
Example: The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 with Athlon PRO 3045B and a 50 Wh battery can last up to 10 hours at a brightness of 150 nits.
Comparison with Competitors
AMD Ryzen 3 7320U (2023)
- 4 cores, 8 threads, 6 nm technology process.
- 40% faster in multi-threaded tasks.
- Laptop prices: starting at $600 compared to $400 for Athlon.
Intel Celeron N5100
- Comparable price, but worse graphics (Intel UHD 600).
- Better at multitasking (4 cores).
Apple M1 (2020)
- Does not compete directly (MacBook Air starts at $999), but shows how much performance has improved over the past 5 years.
Pros and Cons
Strengths:
- Price: laptops starting at $350.
- Energy efficiency: up to 10 hours of work.
- Sufficient graphics for less demanding games.
Weaknesses:
- 2 cores: multitasking is limited.
- Outdated technology process: 14 nm compared to 5-7 nm for competitors.
- No support for PCIe 4.0: slow SSDs and Wi-Fi 6E are unavailable.
Laptop Selection Recommendations
1. Device type: ultrabook or budget Chromebook.
2. Screen: Full HD IPS minimum (avoid TN panels).
3. RAM: 8 GB minimum, DDR4-2400.
4. Storage: SSD 256 GB (NVMe preferred over SATA).
5. Ports: USB-C with charging support, HDMI for projectors.
Examples of models from 2025:
- Acer Aspire 3: $399, 15.6" FHD, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD.
- HP 14s: $429, 14" screen, weight 1.4 kg.
Final Conclusion
The AMD Athlon PRO 3045B is a processor for those looking for maximum savings without losing basic functionality. It is ideal for:
- Buying a first laptop for a child.
- Office work or studying.
- Watching films and browsing social networks.
Key benefits:
- Low device prices.
- Sufficient performance for everyday tasks.
- Compactness and quiet operation.
If your budget is limited to $400-500 and hardware requirements are minimal — the Athlon PRO 3045B remains a reasonable choice even in 2025.