
Pentium III 1400 vs Atom Z520

Pentium III 1400

Atom Z520
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 Pentium III 1400 is positioned at rank 1128 and the Atom Z520 is on rank 523, so the Atom Z520 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Pentium III 1400
Performance Per Dollar Atom Z520
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Pentium III 1400 | Atom Z520 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | ⚠️ Higher cost ($20) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Tualatin (2000−2002) / 130 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Silverthorne (2008−2010) / 45 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Pentium III 1400 | Atom Z520 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ⚠️ Higher cost ($20) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
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 Pentium III 1400 and Atom Z520

Pentium III 1400
The Pentium III 1400 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Tualatin (2000−2002) architecture. It features 1 cores and 1 threads. Max frequency: 1.4 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 256 kB. Built on 130 nm process technology. Socket: PGA370. Thermal design power (TDP): 31 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 228 points. Launch price was $69.

Atom Z520
The Atom Z520 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2008 (17 years ago). It is based on the Silverthorne (2008−2010) architecture. It features 1 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.33 GHz, with boost up to 0.03 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: PBGA441. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 215 points. Launch price was $65.
Processing Power
The Pentium III 1400 packs 1 cores / 1 threads, matching the Atom Z520's 1 cores. Boost clocks reach 1.4 GHz on the Pentium III 1400 versus 0.03 GHz on the Atom Z520 — a 191.6% clock advantage for the Pentium III 1400. The Pentium III 1400 uses the Tualatin (2000−2002) architecture (130 nm), while the Atom Z520 uses Silverthorne (2008−2010) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium III 1400 scores 228 against the Atom Z520's 215 — a 5.9% lead for the Pentium III 1400. Both processors carry 0 kB of L3 cache.
| Feature | Pentium III 1400 | Atom Z520 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 1 / 1 | 1 / 2 |
| Boost Clock | 1.4 GHz+4567% | 0.03 GHz |
| Base Clock | — | 1.33 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 0 kB | 0 kB |
| L2 Cache | 256 kB | 512 kB+100% |
| Process | 130 nm | 45 nm-65% |
| Architecture | Tualatin (2000−2002) | Silverthorne (2008−2010) |
| PassMark | 228+6% | 215 |
Memory & Platform
The Pentium III 1400 uses the PGA370 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Atom Z520 uses PBGA441 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Pentium III 1400 | Atom Z520 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | PGA370 | PBGA441 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 1.1 | PCIe 2.0+82% |
| Max RAM Speed | — | DDR2-533 |
| Max RAM Capacity | — | 2 GB |
| RAM Channels | — | 1 |
| ECC Support | — | ❌ |
| PCIe Lanes | — | 0 |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: not specified (Pentium III 1400) / VT-x (Atom Z520). Primary use case: Atom Z520 targets Mobile.
| Feature | Pentium III 1400 | Atom Z520 |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | — | No |
| Unlocked | — | No |
| AVX-512 | — | No |
| Virtualization | — | VT-x |
| Target Use | — | Mobile |
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