Xeon 5120 vs Xeon W3503

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 Xeon 5120 is positioned at rank 857 and the Xeon W3503 is on rank 978, so the Xeon 5120 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 Xeon 5120

#1

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

19945%

#6

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

3766%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

3346%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

2585%

#484

EPYC 7773X

MSRP: $8800|Avg: $8800

100%

#485

Xeon Gold 6258R

MSRP: $3950|Avg: $1400

98%

#486

EPYC 9175F

MSRP: $4256|Avg: $3703

98%

#488

EPYC 9534

MSRP: $8803|Avg: $2999

97%

#489

EPYC 9654

MSRP: $11805|Avg: $5345

97%

#490

EPYC 7H12

MSRP: $6950|Avg: $1340

96%

#857

Xeon 5120

MSRP: $107|Avg: $15

100%

#859

Xeon W3530

MSRP: $294|Avg: $10

100%

#861

Xeon W3520

MSRP: $284|Avg: $15

99%

#862

Xeon E3-1271 v3

MSRP: $727|Avg: $831

99%

#863

Xeon E5603

MSRP: $188|Avg: N/A

99%

#871

Xeon 6315P

MSRP: $1166|Avg: $160

96%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon W3503

#1

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

36913%

#6

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

6970%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

6192%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

4784%

#978

Xeon W3503

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#979

Xeon E5-2689

MSRP: $1800|Avg: $18

98%

#980

Xeon E5-2450L

MSRP: $1106|Avg: $78

97%

#981

Xeon X3480

MSRP: $612|Avg: $48

97%

#982

Xeon E5-2687W

MSRP: $1885|Avg: $70

94%

#983

Xeon E5-4610

MSRP: $1219|Avg: $50

94%

#985

Xeon X7550

MSRP: $1500|Avg: $1400

93%

#986

Xeon E7540

MSRP: $1980|Avg: $146

93%

#987

Xeon E7530

MSRP: $1391|Avg: $146

92%

#988

Xeon E5-4627 v4

MSRP: $2500|Avg: $200

92%

#989

Xeon E5-4627 v3

MSRP: $2225|Avg: $200

91%

#990

Xeon X5660

MSRP: $1219|Avg: $10

87%

#991

Xeon E5-2667

MSRP: $1552|Avg: $31

85%

#992

Xeon E5-2690

MSRP: $2057|Avg: $150

84%

#993

Xeon E3-1565L v5

MSRP: $1552|Avg: $120

84%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Xeon W3503 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Xeon 5120 in both compute-intensive tasks (0.9% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Xeon 5120	Xeon W3503
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($15)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Woodcrest (2006) / 65 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Bloomfield (2008−2010) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Xeon 5120	Xeon W3503
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($15)	✅ 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.

Xeon 5120 Benchmark Check

Xeon W3503 Benchmark Check

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Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon 5120 and Xeon W3503

Xeon 5120

The Xeon 5120 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in Junho 2006 (19 years ago). It is based on the Woodcrest (2006) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.86 GHz, with boost up to 1.87 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 4 MB. Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: LGA771. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR2. Passmark benchmark score: 1,115 points. Launch price was $45.

Xeon W3503

The Xeon W3503 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 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 2.4 GHz. L3 cache: 4 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: 1,125 points. Launch price was $65.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Xeon 5120 and Xeon W3503 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 1.87 GHz on the Xeon 5120 versus 2.4 GHz on the Xeon W3503 — a 24.8% clock advantage for the Xeon W3503 (base: 1.86 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Xeon 5120 uses the Woodcrest (2006) architecture (65 nm), while the Xeon W3503 uses Bloomfield (2008−2010) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon 5120 scores 1,115 against the Xeon W3503's 1,125 — a 0.9% lead for the Xeon W3503. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Xeon 5120 vs 4 MB (total) on the Xeon W3503.

Feature	Xeon 5120	Xeon W3503
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	1.87 GHz	2.4 GHz+28%
Base Clock	1.86 GHz	2.4 GHz+29%
L3 Cache	0 kB	4 MB (total)
L2 Cache	4 MB+1500%	256 kB (per core)
Process	65 nm	45 nm-31%
Architecture	Woodcrest (2006)	Bloomfield (2008−2010)
PassMark	1,115	1,125

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon 5120 uses the LGA771 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Xeon W3503 uses LGA1366 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.