Athlon Silver 3050U vs Xeon W3520
Athlon Silver 3050U
Xeon W3520
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 Silver 3050U is positioned at rank 456 and the Xeon W3520 is on rank 861, so the Athlon Silver 3050U offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Athlon Silver 3050U
Performance Per Dollar Xeon W3520
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Athlon Silver 3050U | Xeon W3520 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) |
| Longevity | ✨ Modern (Dali (Zen) (2020) / 14 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Bloomfield (2008−2010) / 45 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Athlon Silver 3050U | Xeon W3520 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) |
Performance Check
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 Silver 3050U and Xeon W3520
Athlon Silver 3050U
The Athlon Silver 3050U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Dali (Zen) (2020) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 2,950 points. Launch price was $149.
Xeon W3520
The Xeon W3520 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 30 March 2009 (16 years ago). It is based on the Bloomfield (2008−2010) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.66 GHz, with boost up to 2.93 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1366. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,940 points. Launch price was $404.
Processing Power
The Athlon Silver 3050U packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Xeon W3520 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Xeon W3520 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.2 GHz on the Athlon Silver 3050U versus 2.93 GHz on the Xeon W3520 — a 8.8% clock advantage for the Athlon Silver 3050U (base: 2.2 GHz vs 2.66 GHz). The Athlon Silver 3050U uses the Dali (Zen) (2020) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon W3520 uses Bloomfield (2008−2010) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon Silver 3050U scores 2,950 against the Xeon W3520's 2,940 — a 0.3% lead for the Athlon Silver 3050U. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Athlon Silver 3050U vs 8 MB (total) on the Xeon W3520.
| Feature | Athlon Silver 3050U | Xeon W3520 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 2 | 4 / 8+100% |
| Boost Clock | 3.2 GHz+9% | 2.93 GHz |
| Base Clock | 2.2 GHz | 2.66 GHz+21% |
| L3 Cache | 4 MB (total) | 8 MB (total)+100% |
| L2 Cache | 512 kB (per core)+100% | 256 kB (per core) |
| Process | 14 nm-69% | 45 nm |
| Architecture | Dali (Zen) (2020) | Bloomfield (2008−2010) |
| PassMark | 2,950 | 2,940 |
| Cinebench R23 Multi | 900 | — |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 873 | — |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 1,524 | — |
Memory & Platform
The Athlon Silver 3050U uses the FP5 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon W3520 uses LGA1366 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Athlon Silver 3050U | Xeon W3520 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | FP5 | LGA1366 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0+50% | PCIe 2.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR4-2400 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 32 GB | — |
| RAM Channels | 2 | — |
| ECC Support | ❌ | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 8 | — |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: AMD-V (Athlon Silver 3050U) / not specified (Xeon W3520). The Athlon Silver 3050U includes integrated graphics (Radeon Vega 3), while the Xeon W3520 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Athlon Silver 3050U targets Budget. Direct competitor: Athlon Silver 3050U rivals Pentium Gold 7505.
| Feature | Athlon Silver 3050U | Xeon W3520 |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | Yes | — |
| IGPU Model | Radeon Vega 3 | — |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | AMD-V | — |
| Target Use | Budget | — |
Top Performing CPUs
The most powerful cpus ranked by PassMark CPU Mark benchmark scores.
You May Also Compare
Similar CPU comparisons based on Athlon Silver 3050U and Xeon W3520
