A8-3500M vs Xeon E3-1220L v3

A8-3500M

4 Cores4 Thrd35 WWMax: 2.4 GHz2011

Xeon E3-1220L v3

2 Cores4 Thrd16 WWMax: 1.5 GHz2013

Performance Spectrum - CPU

A8-3500M

4 / 4

1,391

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Xeon E3-1220L v3

2 / 4

1,407

+1.2%

Celeron B820

Pentium Dual-Core E2180

About PassMark

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The A8-3500M is positioned at rank 821 and the Xeon E3-1220L v3 is on rank 939, so the A8-3500M offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar A8-3500M

#809

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1266%

#810

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1247%

#811

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1145%

#812

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1140%

#813

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1129%

#815

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1091%

#816

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1046%

#817

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1044%

#818

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1016%

#821

A8-3500M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#824

Celeron Dual-Core T3000

MSRP: $80|Avg: $15

97%

#825

Pentium P6100

MSRP: $100|Avg: $16.39

97%

#827

Celeron M 575

MSRP: $86|Avg: $12

96%

#829

Core i7-10710U

MSRP: $415|Avg: N/A

96%

#835

FX-9830P

MSRP: $150|Avg: $45

95%

#836

Celeron M P4600

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

95%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E3-1220L v3

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

28508%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

5383%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

4782%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

3694%

#527

Xeon Platinum 8592+

MSRP: $11600|Avg: $11600

99%

#528

Xeon E5-2687W v3

MSRP: $2141|Avg: $749

93%

#939

Xeon E3-1220L v3

MSRP: $193|Avg: $30

100%

#940

Xeon E5-2670 v2

MSRP: $1556|Avg: $189

100%

#941

Xeon E5-2637 v3

MSRP: $996|Avg: $75

100%

#943

Xeon E5-1680 v2

MSRP: $1723|Avg: $150

99%

#944

Opteron 144

MSRP: $65|Avg: $29

98%

#945

Opteron 4386

MSRP: $459|Avg: $459

98%

#946

Xeon E5-2640

MSRP: $885|Avg: N/A

98%

#947

Xeon E5-2643 v4

MSRP: $1552|Avg: $555

97%

#949

Xeon E5-2630 v2

MSRP: $1069|Avg: $1224

96%

#953

Xeon E5-1620

MSRP: $885|Avg: $70

91%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Use Case Distinction: This is a comparison between a Professional Workstation processor ($30) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E3-1220L v3 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	A8-3500M	Xeon E3-1220L v3
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($30)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Llano (2011−2012) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Haswell-WS (2013−2014) / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The A8-3500M ($0), however, is optimized for mixed workloads and gaming. For most users, it offers superior single-thread performance and responsiveness at a fraction of the cost ($30 less, 100% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	A8-3500M	Xeon E3-1220L v3
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($30)

Performance Check

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.

A8-3500M Benchmark Check

Xeon E3-1220L v3 Benchmark Check

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of A8-3500M and Xeon E3-1220L v3

A8-3500M

The A8-3500M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2014-01-01. It is based on the Llano (2011−2012) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.5 GHz, with boost up to 2.4 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: FS1. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,391 points. Launch price was $90.

Xeon E3-1220L v3

The Xeon E3-1220L v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-WS (2013−2014) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.1 GHz, with boost up to 1.5 GHz. L3 cache: 4096 kB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1150. Thermal design power (TDP): 13 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 1,407 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The A8-3500M packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Xeon E3-1220L v3 offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the A8-3500M has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.4 GHz on the A8-3500M versus 1.5 GHz on the Xeon E3-1220L v3 — a 46.2% clock advantage for the A8-3500M (base: 1.5 GHz vs 1.1 GHz). The A8-3500M uses the Llano (2011−2012) architecture (32 nm), while the Xeon E3-1220L v3 uses Haswell-WS (2013−2014) (22 nm). In PassMark, the A8-3500M scores 1,391 against the Xeon E3-1220L v3's 1,407 — a 1.1% lead for the Xeon E3-1220L v3. L3 cache: 0 kB on the A8-3500M vs 4096 kB (total) on the Xeon E3-1220L v3.

Feature	A8-3500M	Xeon E3-1220L v3
Cores / Threads	4 / 4+100%	2 / 4
Boost Clock	2.4 GHz+60%	1.5 GHz
Base Clock	1.5 GHz+36%	1.1 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	4096 kB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)+300%	256 kB (per core)
Process	32 nm	22 nm-31%
Architecture	Llano (2011−2012)	Haswell-WS (2013−2014)
PassMark	1,391	1,407+1%
Geekbench 6 Single	231	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The A8-3500M uses the FS1 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Xeon E3-1220L v3 uses LGA1150 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR3-1333 memory speed. The Xeon E3-1220L v3 supports up to 32 GB of RAM compared to 16 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (A8-3500M) vs 16 (Xeon E3-1220L v3) — the A8-3500M offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	A8-3500M	Xeon E3-1220L v3
Socket	FS1	LGA1150
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1333	DDR3-1600
Max RAM Capacity	16 GB	32 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	❌	✅
PCIe Lanes	20+25%	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: AMD-V (A8-3500M) vs VT-P (Xeon E3-1220L v3). The A8-3500M includes integrated graphics (Radeon HD 6620G), while the Xeon E3-1220L v3 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: A8-3500M targets Budget Laptop. Direct competitor: A8-3500M rivals Core i3-2310M.