Xeon E5430 vs Athlon II X4 638
Xeon E5430
Athlon II X4 638
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 E5430 is positioned at rank 833 and the Athlon II X4 638 is on rank 1040, so the Xeon E5430 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Xeon E5430
Performance Per Dollar Athlon II X4 638
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Xeon E5430 | Athlon II X4 638 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($280) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Harpertown (2007−2008) / 45 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Llano (2011−2012) / 32 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Xeon E5430 | Athlon II X4 638 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($280) |
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 E5430 and Athlon II X4 638
Xeon E5430
The Xeon E5430 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 2.66 GHz, with boost up to 0.67 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: 2,256 points. Launch price was $455.
Athlon II X4 638
The Athlon II X4 638 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Llano (2011−2012) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 2.7 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: FM1. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,260 points. Launch price was $149.
Processing Power
Both the Xeon E5430 and Athlon II X4 638 share an identical 4-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 0.67 GHz on the Xeon E5430 versus 2.7 GHz on the Athlon II X4 638 — a 120.5% clock advantage for the Athlon II X4 638 (base: 2.66 GHz vs 2.7 GHz). The Xeon E5430 uses the Harpertown (2007−2008) architecture (45 nm), while the Athlon II X4 638 uses Llano (2011−2012) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5430 scores 2,256 against the Athlon II X4 638's 2,260 — a 0.2% lead for the Athlon II X4 638. L3 cache: 12 MB L2 Cache on the Xeon E5430 vs 0 kB on the Athlon II X4 638.
| Feature | Xeon E5430 | Athlon II X4 638 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 4 / 4 | 4 / 4 |
| Boost Clock | 0.67 GHz | 2.7 GHz+303% |
| Base Clock | 2.66 GHz | 2.7 GHz+2% |
| L3 Cache | 12 MB L2 Cache | 0 kB |
| L2 Cache | 6 MB (total)+500% | 1 MB (per core) |
| Process | 45 nm | 32 nm-29% |
| Architecture | Harpertown (2007−2008) | Llano (2011−2012) |
| PassMark | 2,256 | 2,260 |
Memory & Platform
The Xeon E5430 uses the LGA771 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Athlon II X4 638 uses FM1 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Xeon E5430 | Athlon II X4 638 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | LGA771 | FM1 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 2.0 | PCIe 2.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | — | DDR3-1866 |
| Max RAM Capacity | — | 64 GB |
| RAM Channels | — | 2 |
| ECC Support | — | ❌ |
| PCIe Lanes | — | 16 |
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