Core 2 Duo P9500 vs Xeon W3520

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 Core 2 Duo P9500 is positioned at rank 354 and the Xeon W3520 is on rank 861, so the Core 2 Duo P9500 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 Core 2 Duo P9500

#102

Core i3-1220P

MSRP: $250|Avg: $150

100%

#107

Core Ultra 5 228V

MSRP: $295|Avg: $295

99%

#111

Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $180

98%

#342

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

506%

#343

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

498%

#344

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

457%

#345

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

455%

#346

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

451%

#348

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

436%

#349

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

418%

#350

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

417%

#351

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

406%

#354

Core 2 Duo P9500

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon W3520

#1

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

20080%

#6

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

3791%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

3368%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

2602%

#485

Xeon Gold 6258R

MSRP: $3950|Avg: $1400

99%

#486

EPYC 9175F

MSRP: $4256|Avg: $3703

99%

#488

EPYC 9534

MSRP: $8803|Avg: $2999

98%

#489

EPYC 9654

MSRP: $11805|Avg: $5345

98%

#490

EPYC 7H12

MSRP: $6950|Avg: $1340

97%

#491

EPYC 7742

MSRP: $6950|Avg: $800

97%

#492

Xeon Platinum 8352M

MSRP: $4471|Avg: $4471

96%

#493

Xeon Platinum 8570

MSRP: $9595|Avg: $9595

94%

#861

Xeon W3520

MSRP: $284|Avg: $15

100%

#862

Xeon E3-1271 v3

MSRP: $727|Avg: $831

100%

#863

Xeon E5603

MSRP: $188|Avg: N/A

99%

#871

Xeon 6315P

MSRP: $1166|Avg: $160

97%

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 ($15) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon W3520 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core 2 Duo P9500	Xeon W3520
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($15)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Penryn (2008−2011) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Bloomfield (2008−2010) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core 2 Duo P9500 ($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 ($15 less, 100% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core 2 Duo P9500	Xeon W3520
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($15)

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.

Core 2 Duo P9500 Benchmark Check

Xeon W3520 Benchmark Check

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Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 2 Duo P9500 and Xeon W3520

Core 2 Duo P9500

The Core 2 Duo P9500 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 15 July 2008 (17 years ago). It is based on the Penryn (2008−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.53 GHz, with boost up to 2.53 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB L2 Cache. L2 cache: 6 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: PGA478. Thermal design power (TDP): 25 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 2,901 points. Launch price was $348.

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 Core 2 Duo P9500 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Xeon W3520 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Xeon W3520 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.53 GHz on the Core 2 Duo P9500 versus 2.93 GHz on the Xeon W3520 — a 14.7% clock advantage for the Xeon W3520 (base: 2.53 GHz vs 2.66 GHz). The Core 2 Duo P9500 uses the Penryn (2008−2011) architecture (45 nm), while the Xeon W3520 uses Bloomfield (2008−2010) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Core 2 Duo P9500 scores 2,901 against the Xeon W3520's 2,940 — a 1.3% lead for the Xeon W3520. L3 cache: 6 MB L2 Cache on the Core 2 Duo P9500 vs 8 MB (total) on the Xeon W3520.

Feature	Core 2 Duo P9500	Xeon W3520
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	4 / 8+100%
Boost Clock	2.53 GHz	2.93 GHz+16%
Base Clock	2.53 GHz	2.66 GHz+5%
L3 Cache	6 MB L2 Cache	8 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	6 MB+2300%	256 kB (per core)
Process	45 nm	45 nm
Architecture	Penryn (2008−2011)	Bloomfield (2008−2010)
PassMark	2,901	2,940+1%
Geekbench 6 Single	340	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	650	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core 2 Duo P9500 uses the PGA478 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Xeon W3520 uses LGA1366 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core 2 Duo P9500	Xeon W3520
Socket	PGA478	LGA1366
PCIe Generation	PCIe 1.1	PCIe 2.0+82%
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1066	—
Max RAM Capacity	8 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	❌	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x (Core 2 Duo P9500) / not specified (Xeon W3520). Primary use case: Core 2 Duo P9500 targets Budget. Direct competitor: Core 2 Duo P9500 rivals Athlon II X2 245e.