Xeon E5335 vs Athlon II X3 420e
Xeon E5335
Athlon II X3 420e
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 E5335 is positioned at rank 922 and the Athlon II X3 420e is on rank 906, so the Athlon II X3 420e offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Xeon E5335
Performance Per Dollar Athlon II X3 420e
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Xeon E5335 | Athlon II X3 420e |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Clovertown (2006−2007) / 65 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Rana (2009−2011) / 45 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Xeon E5335 | Athlon II X3 420e |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) |
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 E5335 and Athlon II X3 420e
Xeon E5335
The Xeon E5335 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Clovertown (2006−2007) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 2 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB L2 Cache. L2 cache: 4 MB (total). Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: LGA771. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR2, DDR3 Depends on motherboard. Passmark benchmark score: 1,549 points. Launch price was $800.
Athlon II X3 420e
The Athlon II X3 420e is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 21 September 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Rana (2009−2011) architecture. It features 3 cores and 3 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 2.6 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: AM3. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,557 points. Launch price was $116.
Processing Power
The Xeon E5335 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Athlon II X3 420e offers 3 cores / 3 threads — the Xeon E5335 has 1 more core. Boost clocks reach 2 GHz on the Xeon E5335 versus 2.6 GHz on the Athlon II X3 420e — a 26.1% clock advantage for the Athlon II X3 420e (base: 2 GHz vs 2.6 GHz). The Xeon E5335 uses the Clovertown (2006−2007) architecture (65 nm), while the Athlon II X3 420e uses Rana (2009−2011) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5335 scores 1,549 against the Athlon II X3 420e's 1,557 — a 0.5% lead for the Athlon II X3 420e. L3 cache: 8 MB L2 Cache on the Xeon E5335 vs 0 kB on the Athlon II X3 420e.
| Feature | Xeon E5335 | Athlon II X3 420e |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 4 / 4+33% | 3 / 3 |
| Boost Clock | 2 GHz | 2.6 GHz+30% |
| Base Clock | 2 GHz | 2.6 GHz+30% |
| L3 Cache | 8 MB L2 Cache | 0 kB |
| L2 Cache | 4 MB (total)+700% | 512 kB (per core) |
| Process | 65 nm | 45 nm-31% |
| Architecture | Clovertown (2006−2007) | Rana (2009−2011) |
| PassMark | 1,549 | 1,557 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | — | 314 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | — | 880 |
Memory & Platform
The Xeon E5335 uses the LGA771 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Athlon II X3 420e uses AM3 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Xeon E5335 | Athlon II X3 420e |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | LGA771 | AM3 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 2.0 | PCIe 2.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | — | DDR3-1333 |
| Max RAM Capacity | — | 16 GB |
| RAM Channels | — | 2 |
| ECC Support | — | ❌ |
| PCIe Lanes | — | 16 |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: not specified (Xeon E5335) / AMD-V (Athlon II X3 420e). Primary use case: Athlon II X3 420e targets Legacy Desktop. Direct competitor: Athlon II X3 420e rivals Athlon II X3 415e.
| Feature | Xeon E5335 | Athlon II X3 420e |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | — | No |
| Unlocked | — | No |
| AVX-512 | — | No |
| Virtualization | — | AMD-V |
| Target Use | — | Legacy Desktop |
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