Phenom II X4 N970
VS
Xeon E5504

Phenom II X4 N970 vs Xeon E5504

AMD

Phenom II X4 N970

4 Cores4 Thrd2 WWMax: 2.2 GHz2010
VS
Intel

Xeon E5504

4 Cores4 Thrd80 WWMax: 2 GHz2009

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 Phenom II X4 N970 is positioned at rank 388 and the Xeon E5504 is on rank 911, so the Phenom II X4 N970 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 Phenom II X4 N970

#119
Ryzen 7 PRO 250
MSRP: $400|Avg: $380
99%
#376
Atom x5-Z8300
MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A
534%
#377
Atom Z3735G
MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A
527%
#378
Core i5-480M
MSRP: $81|Avg: $77
483%
#379
Core i5-460M
MSRP: $80|Avg: $129
481%
#380
Core i5-2540M
MSRP: $266|Avg: $10
477%
#382
Core i5-450M
MSRP: $32|Avg: $31
460%
#383
Core i3-380M
MSRP: $49|Avg: $25
442%
#384
Core i5-430M
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33
441%
#385
Core 2 Duo T6600
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4
429%
#388
Phenom II X4 N970
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#391
Core i5-1145GRE
MSRP: $362|Avg: N/A
100%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E5504

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
25160%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
4750%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
4221%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
3261%
#511
Xeon D-1587
MSRP: $1652|Avg: $1443
100%
#512
Xeon E5-2687W v4
MSRP: $2141|Avg: $1138
100%
#513
Xeon W-3265
MSRP: $3684|Avg: $3400
99%
#514
Xeon E5-2658A V3
MSRP: $1832|Avg: $200
98%
#515
Xeon E5-4640 v4
MSRP: $2837|Avg: N/A
96%
#516
Xeon E7-8867 v3
MSRP: $4672|Avg: $4672
96%
#517
Xeon Gold 6150
MSRP: $3358|Avg: $196
95%
#518
Xeon E5-1680 v3
MSRP: $1723|Avg: $200
93%
#519
Xeon E5-2690 v3
MSRP: $2090|Avg: $85
93%
#911
Xeon E5504
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#916
Xeon E5-2650L
MSRP: $748|Avg: $129
98%
#918
Xeon E5410
MSRP: $256|Avg: $20
96%
#924
Xeon E5-1660
MSRP: $1080|Avg: $29
93%
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 ($0) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E5504 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightPhenom II X4 N970Xeon E5504
Gaming
Superior gaming performance
Lower gaming performance
Workstation
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Better multi-core power
Price
Equivalent pricing
Equivalent pricing
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Champlain (2010−2011) / 45 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Gainestown (2009−2010) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Phenom II X4 N970 ($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 ($0 less, NaN% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.
InsightPhenom II X4 N970Xeon E5504
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
Equivalent pricing
Equivalent pricing

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.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Phenom II X4 N970 and Xeon E5504

AMD

Phenom II X4 N970

The Phenom II X4 N970 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Max frequency: 2.2 GHz. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 MB. Passmark benchmark score: 1,647 points. Launch price was $149.

Intel

Xeon E5504

The Xeon E5504 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 30 March 2009 (16 years ago). It is based on the Gainestown (2009−2010) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 2 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1366. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,652 points. Launch price was $60.

Processing Power

Both the Phenom II X4 N970 and Xeon E5504 share an identical 4-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.2 GHz on the Phenom II X4 N970 versus 2 GHz on the Xeon E5504 — a 9.5% clock advantage for the Phenom II X4 N970. The Phenom II X4 N970 uses the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture (45 nm), while the Xeon E5504 uses Gainestown (2009−2010) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Phenom II X4 N970 scores 1,647 against the Xeon E5504's 1,652 — a 0.3% lead for the Xeon E5504.

FeaturePhenom II X4 N970Xeon E5504
Cores / Threads
4 / 4
4 / 4
Boost Clock
2.2 GHz+10%
2 GHz
Base Clock
2 GHz
L3 Cache
4 MB (total)
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
256 kB (per core)
Process
45 nm
45 nm
Architecture
Champlain (2010−2011)
Gainestown (2009−2010)
PassMark
1,647
1,652
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Phenom II X4 N970 uses the S1 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Xeon E5504 uses LGA1366 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeaturePhenom II X4 N970Xeon E5504
Socket
S1
LGA1366
PCIe Generation
PCIe 2.0
PCIe 2.0