CPU
GPU
Xeon 5160
Athlon II M300
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 Xeon 5160 is positioned at rank 903 and the Athlon II M300 is on rank 940, so the Xeon 5160 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Xeon 5160
Performance Per Dollar Athlon II M300
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Xeon 5160 | Athlon II M300 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($10) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Woodcrest (2006) / 65 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Caspian (2009) / 45 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Xeon 5160 | Athlon II M300 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($10) |
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 Xeon 5160 and Athlon II M300
Xeon 5160
The Xeon 5160 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 3 GHz, with boost up to 3 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 4 MB. Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: LGA771. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR2. Passmark benchmark score: 1,715 points. Launch price was $22.
Athlon II M300
The Athlon II M300 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Caspian (2009) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 2 GHz. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1g3. Thermal design power (TDP): 1 MB. Memory support: DDR2. Passmark benchmark score: 1,700 points. Launch price was $149.
Processing Power
Both the Xeon 5160 and Athlon II M300 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3 GHz on the Xeon 5160 versus 2 GHz on the Athlon II M300 — a 40% clock advantage for the Xeon 5160. The Xeon 5160 uses the Woodcrest (2006) architecture (65 nm), while the Athlon II M300 uses Caspian (2009) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon 5160 scores 1,715 against the Athlon II M300's 1,700 — a 0.9% lead for the Xeon 5160.
| Feature | Xeon 5160 | Athlon II M300 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 |
| Boost Clock | 3 GHz+50% | 2 GHz |
| Base Clock | 3 GHz | — |
| L3 Cache | 0 kB | — |
| L2 Cache | 4 MB+300% | 1 MB |
| Process | 65 nm | 45 nm-31% |
| Architecture | Woodcrest (2006) | Caspian (2009) |
| PassMark | 1,715 | 1,700 |
Memory & Platform
The Xeon 5160 uses the LGA771 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Athlon II M300 uses S1g3 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Xeon 5160 | Athlon II M300 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | LGA771 | S1g3 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 2.0 | PCIe 2.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | — | 800 |
| Max RAM Capacity | — | 8 |
| RAM Channels | — | 2 |
| ECC Support | — | ❌ |
| PCIe Lanes | — | 0 |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: not specified (Xeon 5160) / true (Athlon II M300). Direct competitor: Athlon II M300 rivals Core 2 Duo T6400.
| Feature | Xeon 5160 | Athlon II M300 |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | — | No |
| IGPU Model | — | None |
| Unlocked | — | No |
| AVX-512 | — | No |
| Virtualization | — | true |
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The most powerful cpus ranked by PassMark CPU Mark benchmark scores.
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