Athlon II Neo K325
VS
Xeon L3406

Athlon II Neo K325 vs Xeon L3406

AMD

Athlon II Neo K325

2 Cores2 Thrd1 WWMax: 1.3 GHz2010
VS
Intel

Xeon L3406

2 Cores4 Thrd30 WWMax: 2.53 GHz2010

Performance Spectrum - CPU

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 Athlon II Neo K325 is positioned at rank 912 and the Xeon L3406 is on rank 969, so the Athlon II Neo K325 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 Athlon II Neo K325

#900
Atom x5-Z8300
MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A
1584%
#901
Atom Z3735G
MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A
1561%
#902
Core i5-480M
MSRP: $81|Avg: $77
1433%
#903
Core i5-460M
MSRP: $80|Avg: $129
1427%
#904
Core i5-2540M
MSRP: $266|Avg: $10
1413%
#906
Core i5-450M
MSRP: $32|Avg: $31
1365%
#907
Core i3-380M
MSRP: $49|Avg: $25
1309%
#908
Core i5-430M
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33
1307%
#909
Core 2 Duo T6600
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4
1272%
#912
Athlon II Neo K325
MSRP: $60|Avg: $25
100%
#919
Core i5-8365UE
MSRP: $297|Avg: $297
99%
#921
A6 Pro-7050B
MSRP: $100|Avg: $15
98%
#923
Athlon II N370
MSRP: $60|Avg: $10
98%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon L3406

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
35586%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
6719%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
5970%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
4612%
#535
Xeon W-3245M
MSRP: $5002|Avg: $5002
98%
#536
Xeon W-3265M
MSRP: $6300|Avg: $3500
97%
#969
Xeon L3406
MSRP: $189|Avg: $30
100%
#970
Xeon E5-2687W v2
MSRP: $2112|Avg: $62
100%
#972
Xeon L5430
MSRP: $390|Avg: $380
99%
#973
Xeon E5-2470
MSRP: $1440|Avg: $125
99%
#974
Xeon E5-2670
MSRP: $1552|Avg: $60
98%
#976
Xeon X3470
MSRP: $589|Avg: $16
97%
#979
Xeon E5-2689
MSRP: $1800|Avg: $18
94%
#980
Xeon E5-2450L
MSRP: $1106|Avg: $78
94%
#981
Xeon X3480
MSRP: $612|Avg: $48
93%
#982
Xeon E5-2687W
MSRP: $1885|Avg: $70
91%
#983
Xeon E5-4610
MSRP: $1219|Avg: $50
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 L3406 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightAthlon II Neo K325Xeon L3406
Gaming
Lower gaming performance
Superior gaming performance
Workstation
Better multi-core power
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price
More affordable ($25)
⚠️ Higher cost ($30)
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Geneva (2010) / 45 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Legacy / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Athlon II Neo K325 ($25), 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 ($5 less, 17% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.
InsightAthlon II Neo K325Xeon L3406
Cost Efficiency
Better overall value (+21%)
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
More affordable ($25)
⚠️ 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.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Athlon II Neo K325 and Xeon L3406

AMD

Athlon II Neo K325

The Athlon II Neo K325 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Geneva (2010) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 1.3 GHz. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1. Thermal design power (TDP): 1 MB. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,111 points. Launch price was $149.

Intel

Xeon L3406

The Xeon L3406 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.26 GHz, with boost up to 2.53 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB Intel® Smart Cache. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1156. Thermal design power (TDP): 30 Watt. Memory support: DDR3-1066. Passmark benchmark score: 1,104 points. Launch price was $800.

Processing Power

The Athlon II Neo K325 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, matching the Xeon L3406's 2 cores. Boost clocks reach 1.3 GHz on the Athlon II Neo K325 versus 2.53 GHz on the Xeon L3406 — a 64.2% clock advantage for the Xeon L3406. The Athlon II Neo K325 is built on the Geneva (2010) architecture. In PassMark, the Athlon II Neo K325 scores 1,111 against the Xeon L3406's 1,104 — a 0.6% lead for the Athlon II Neo K325.

FeatureAthlon II Neo K325Xeon L3406
Cores / Threads
2 / 2
2 / 4
Boost Clock
1.3 GHz
2.53 GHz+95%
Base Clock
2.26 GHz
L3 Cache
4 MB Intel® Smart Cache
L2 Cache
1 MB
Process
45 nm
32 nm-29%
Architecture
Geneva (2010)
PassMark
1,111
1,104
Geekbench 6 Single
736
Geekbench 6 Multi
1,235
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Athlon II Neo K325 uses the S1 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Xeon L3406 uses LGA1156 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureAthlon II Neo K325Xeon L3406
Socket
S1
LGA1156
PCIe Generation
PCIe 2.0
PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed
DDR3-800
Max RAM Capacity
8 GB
RAM Channels
2
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
0
🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Athlon II Neo K325) / not specified (Xeon L3406). Primary use case: Athlon II Neo K325 targets Low Power.

FeatureAthlon II Neo K325Xeon L3406
Integrated GPU
No
Unlocked
No
AVX-512
No
Virtualization
AMD-V
Target Use
Low Power
💰

Value Analysis

The Athlon II Neo K325 launched at $60 MSRP, while the Xeon L3406 debuted at $189. At current prices ($25 vs $30), the Athlon II Neo K325 is $5 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Athlon II Neo K325 delivers 44.4 pts/$ vs 36.8 pts/$ for the Xeon L3406 — making the Athlon II Neo K325 the 18.8% better value option.

FeatureAthlon II Neo K325Xeon L3406
MSRP
$60-68%
$189
Avg Price (30d)
$25-17%
$30
Performance per Dollar
44.4+21%
36.8
Release Date
2010
2010