Xeon E5420 vs Opteron 3250 HE
Xeon E5420
Opteron 3250 HE
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 E5420 is positioned at rank 1033 and the Opteron 3250 HE is on rank 253, so the Opteron 3250 HE offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Xeon E5420
Performance Per Dollar Opteron 3250 HE
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Xeon E5420 | Opteron 3250 HE |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | ⚠️ Higher cost ($6,500) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Harpertown (2007−2008) / 45 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Zurich (2012) / 32 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Xeon E5420 | Opteron 3250 HE |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ⚠️ Higher cost ($6,500) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
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 E5420 and Opteron 3250 HE
Xeon E5420
The Xeon E5420 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 11 November 2007 (18 years ago). It is based on the Harpertown (2007−2008) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 2.5 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB L2 Cache. L2 cache: 6 MB (total). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA771. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR2, DDR3 Depends on motherboard. Passmark benchmark score: 2,044 points. Launch price was $316.
Opteron 3250 HE
The Opteron 3250 HE is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 20 March 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Zurich (2012) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 4 MB. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: AM3+. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,061 points. Launch price was $99.
Processing Power
Both the Xeon E5420 and Opteron 3250 HE share an identical 4-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.5 GHz on the Xeon E5420 versus 3.5 GHz on the Opteron 3250 HE — a 33.3% clock advantage for the Opteron 3250 HE (base: 2.5 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Xeon E5420 uses the Harpertown (2007−2008) architecture (45 nm), while the Opteron 3250 HE uses Zurich (2012) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5420 scores 2,044 against the Opteron 3250 HE's 2,061 — a 0.8% lead for the Opteron 3250 HE. L3 cache: 12 MB L2 Cache on the Xeon E5420 vs 4 MB (total) on the Opteron 3250 HE.
| Feature | Xeon E5420 | Opteron 3250 HE |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 4 / 4 | 4 / 4 |
| Boost Clock | 2.5 GHz | 3.5 GHz+40% |
| Base Clock | 2.5 GHz | 2.5 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 12 MB L2 Cache+200% | 4 MB (total) |
| L2 Cache | 6 MB (total)+50% | 4 MB |
| Process | 45 nm | 32 nm-29% |
| Architecture | Harpertown (2007−2008) | Zurich (2012) |
| PassMark | 2,044 | 2,061 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 314 | — |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 881 | — |
Memory & Platform
The Xeon E5420 uses the LGA771 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Opteron 3250 HE uses AM3+ (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Xeon E5420 | Opteron 3250 HE |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | LGA771 | AM3+ |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 2.0 | PCIe 2.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR2-667 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 32 GB | — |
| RAM Channels | 4 | — |
| ECC Support | ✅ | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 32 | — |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: Yes (Xeon E5420) / not specified (Opteron 3250 HE).
| Feature | Xeon E5420 | Opteron 3250 HE |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | Yes | — |
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