Pentium N3520 vs Atom x5-Z8550

CPU

GPU

Pentium N3520

4 Cores4 Thrd2 WWMax: 2.42 GHz2013

Atom x5-Z8550

4 Cores4 Thrd−WMax: 2.4 GHz2016

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium N3520

4 / 4

1,144

+0.1%

1,143

0.0%

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 N3520 is positioned at rank 1046 and the Atom x5-Z8550 is on rank 723, so the Atom x5-Z8550 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 N3520

#1034

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

2565%

#1035

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

2527%

#1036

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

2320%

#1037

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

2309%

#1038

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2288%

#1040

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2210%

#1041

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2119%

#1042

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2115%

#1043

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2059%

#1046

Pentium N3520

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

100%

#1047

E2-3800

MSRP: $100|Avg: $20

99%

#1048

Athlon X2 QL-66

MSRP: $150|Avg: $5

99%

#1049

Athlon II Neo K145

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

99%

#1050

Celeron P4600

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

98%

#1051

Core 2 Duo U7500

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

98%

#1052

Pentium 987

MSRP: $134|Avg: $20

97%

#1053

Core i7-4910MQ

MSRP: $570|Avg: $570

97%

#1054

Pentium T4400

MSRP: $107|Avg: $5

96%

#1056

Athlon X2 QL-65

MSRP: $150|Avg: $22

95%

#1057

Pentium J2850

MSRP: $94|Avg: $94

94%

#1058

Core i7-4900MQ

MSRP: $570|Avg: $40

94%

#1059

Pentium Dual Core T2370

MSRP: $150|Avg: $25

93%

#1060

Celeron P4505

MSRP: $86|Avg: $86

93%

#1061

Pentium T4200

MSRP: $99|Avg: $10

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Atom x5-Z8550

#711

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1027%

#712

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1012%

#713

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

929%

#714

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

924%

#715

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

916%

#717

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

885%

#718

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

848%

#719

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

847%

#720

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

824%

#723

Atom x5-Z8550

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Pentium N3520 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Atom x5-Z8550 in both compute-intensive tasks (0.1% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Pentium N3520	Atom x5-Z8550
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($10)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Bay Trail-M (2013−2014) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Cherry Trail (2015−2016) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Pentium N3520	Atom x5-Z8550
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($10)	✅ More affordable ($0)

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 N3520 Benchmark Check

Atom x5-Z8550 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium N3520 and Atom x5-Z8550

Pentium N3520

The Pentium N3520 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 December 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Bay Trail-M (2013−2014) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.17 GHz, with boost up to 2.42 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1170. Thermal design power (TDP): 7.5 Watt. Memory support: DDR3L-1333. Passmark benchmark score: 1,144 points. Launch price was $161.

Atom x5-Z8550

The Atom x5-Z8550 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 8 February 2016 (9 years ago). It is based on the Cherry Trail (2015−2016) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.44 GHz, with boost up to 2.4 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: UTFCBGA1380. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,143 points. Launch price was $69.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Pentium N3520 and Atom x5-Z8550 share an identical 4-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.42 GHz on the Pentium N3520 versus 2.4 GHz on the Atom x5-Z8550 — a 0.8% clock advantage for the Pentium N3520 (base: 2.17 GHz vs 1.44 GHz). The Pentium N3520 uses the Bay Trail-M (2013−2014) architecture (22 nm), while the Atom x5-Z8550 uses Cherry Trail (2015−2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium N3520 scores 1,144 against the Atom x5-Z8550's 1,143 — a 0.1% lead for the Pentium N3520. L3 cache: 2 MB on the Pentium N3520 vs 0 kB on the Atom x5-Z8550.

Feature	Pentium N3520	Atom x5-Z8550
Cores / Threads	4 / 4	4 / 4
Boost Clock	2.42 GHz	2.4 GHz
Base Clock	2.17 GHz+51%	1.44 GHz
L3 Cache	2 MB	0 kB
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB
Process	22 nm	14 nm-36%
Architecture	Bay Trail-M (2013−2014)	Cherry Trail (2015−2016)
PassMark	1,144	1,143

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium N3520 uses the FCBGA1170 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Atom x5-Z8550 uses UTFCBGA1380 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium N3520	Atom x5-Z8550
Socket	FCBGA1170	UTFCBGA1380
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed	—	LPDDR3-1600
Max RAM Capacity	—	8 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	2