Pentium Extreme Edition 955 vs Xeon L3406

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 Pentium Extreme Edition 955 is positioned at rank 1123 and the Xeon L3406 is on rank 969, so the Xeon L3406 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 Pentium Extreme Edition 955

#1

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

283377%

#2

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

267764%

#3

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

194418%

#4

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

58570%

#5

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

46394%

#6

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

40585%

#7

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

23245%

#8

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

22942%

#9

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

20889%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

20887%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

20654%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

20096%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

19815%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

19735%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

19556%

#1123

Pentium Extreme Edition 955

MSRP: $999|Avg: $50

100%

#1124

Athlon XP 2700+

MSRP: $349|Avg: $20

94%

#1125

Athlon XP 2800+

MSRP: $375|Avg: $35

92%

#1126

Pentium III 1200

MSRP: $200|Avg: $10

89%

#1127

Athlon XP 3200+

MSRP: $464|Avg: $40

87%

#1128

Pentium III 1400

MSRP: $250|Avg: $20

83%

#1129

Pentium 4 2.60

MSRP: $401|Avg: $25

83%

#1130

Pentium III 1400S

MSRP: $250|Avg: $250

83%

#1131

Athlon XP 1800+

MSRP: $252|Avg: $30

81%

#1132

Athlon XP 1900+

MSRP: $269|Avg: $20

80%

#1133

Athlon 64 FX-51

MSRP: $733|Avg: $733

76%

#1134

Athlon 64 FX-55

MSRP: $827|Avg: $50

75%

#1135

Athlon 64 FX-53

MSRP: $799|Avg: $15

74%

#1136

Athlon XP 2000+

MSRP: $339|Avg: $40

67%

#1137

Athlon 64 FX-57

MSRP: $1031|Avg: $200

64%

#1138

Athlon XP 3000+

MSRP: $588|Avg: $20

63%

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.

Insight	Pentium Extreme Edition 955	Xeon L3406
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($50)	✅ More affordable ($30)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Presler (2005−2007) / 65 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Legacy / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Pentium Extreme Edition 955 ($50), 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 ($20 less, 67% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Pentium Extreme Edition 955	Xeon L3406
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+68%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($50)	✅ More affordable ($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.

Pentium Extreme Edition 955 Benchmark Check

Xeon L3406 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium Extreme Edition 955 and Xeon L3406

Pentium Extreme Edition 955

The Pentium Extreme Edition 955 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 27 December 2005 (19 years ago). It is based on the Presler (2005−2007) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.466 GHz, with boost up to 0.47 GHz. L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: LGA775. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR1, DDR2, DDR3 Depends on motherboard. Passmark benchmark score: 1,095 points. Launch price was $999.

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

Both the Pentium Extreme Edition 955 and Xeon L3406 share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 0.47 GHz on the Pentium Extreme Edition 955 versus 2.53 GHz on the Xeon L3406 — a 137.3% clock advantage for the Xeon L3406 (base: 3.466 GHz vs 2.26 GHz). The Pentium Extreme Edition 955 is built on the Presler (2005−2007) architecture. In PassMark, the Pentium Extreme Edition 955 scores 1,095 against the Xeon L3406's 1,104 — a 0.8% lead for the Xeon L3406.

Feature	Pentium Extreme Edition 955	Xeon L3406
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	2 / 4
Boost Clock	0.47 GHz	2.53 GHz+438%
Base Clock	3.466 GHz+53%	2.26 GHz
L3 Cache	—	4 MB Intel® Smart Cache
L2 Cache	2 MB (per core)	—
Process	65 nm	32 nm-51%
Architecture	Presler (2005−2007)	—
PassMark	1,095	1,104

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium Extreme Edition 955 uses the LGA775 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Xeon L3406 uses LGA1156 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium Extreme Edition 955	Xeon L3406
Socket	LGA775	LGA1156
PCIe Generation	PCIe 1.1	PCIe 2.0+82%

💰

Value Analysis

The Pentium Extreme Edition 955 launched at $999 MSRP, while the Xeon L3406 debuted at $189. At current prices ($50 vs $30), the Xeon L3406 is $20 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Pentium Extreme Edition 955 delivers 21.9 pts/$ vs 36.8 pts/$ for the Xeon L3406 — making the Xeon L3406 the 50.8% better value option.