Xeon E5503 vs A8-5550M

Xeon E5503

2 Cores2 Thrd80 WWMax: 2 GHz2010

A8-5550M

4 Cores4 Thrd35 WWMax: 3.1 GHz2013

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon E5503

2 / 2

1,815

+0.2%

1,811

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

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 E5503 is positioned at rank 895 and the A8-5550M is on rank 692, so the A8-5550M 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 E5503

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

22888%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

4321%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

3839%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

2966%

#503

Xeon W-3275M

MSRP: $4449|Avg: $4449

100%

#504

Xeon E5-2660 v3

MSRP: $1445|Avg: $150

99%

#505

Xeon E5-2679 v4

MSRP: $2702|Avg: $500

98%

#506

Xeon E5-2680 v3

MSRP: $1745|Avg: $212

94%

#507

Xeon Platinum 8562Y+

MSRP: $5945|Avg: $7000

93%

#508

Xeon E7-8895 v2

MSRP: $6841|Avg: $65

92%

#509

EPYC 9684X

MSRP: $14756|Avg: $14756

91%

#509

EPYC 9754

MSRP: $11900|Avg: $10631

91%

#895

Xeon E5503

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#898

Xeon W-2225

MSRP: $1166|Avg: $150

98%

#900

Xeon E5-2650L v3

MSRP: $1329|Avg: N/A

98%

#906

Xeon E5405

MSRP: $209|Avg: $15

92%

#907

Xeon E5-2440

MSRP: $728|Avg: $249

92%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar A8-5550M

#680

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

972%

#681

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

958%

#682

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

879%

#683

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

875%

#684

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

867%

#686

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

838%

#687

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

803%

#688

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

802%

#689

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

780%

#692

A8-5550M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#696

Processor N95

MSRP: $160|Avg: $80

99%

#699

Athlon Silver 3050e

MSRP: $100|Avg: $60

99%

#705

C-60

MSRP: $50|Avg: $20

98%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Use Case Distinction: This is a comparison between a Professional Workstation processor ($0) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E5503 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon E5503	A8-5550M
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Gainestown (2009−2010) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Richland (2013−2014) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The A8-5550M ($0), however, is optimized for mixed workloads and gaming. For most users, it offers superior single-thread performance and responsiveness at a fraction of the cost ($0 less, NaN% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Xeon E5503	A8-5550M
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing

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 E5503 Benchmark Check

A8-5550M Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E5503 and A8-5550M

Xeon E5503

The Xeon E5503 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 16 March 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Gainestown (2009−2010) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 2 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1366. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,815 points. Launch price was $287.

A8-5550M

The A8-5550M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2014-01-01. It is based on the Richland (2013−2014) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.1 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: FS1r2. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,811 points. Launch price was $90.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon E5503 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the A8-5550M offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the A8-5550M has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2 GHz on the Xeon E5503 versus 3.1 GHz on the A8-5550M — a 43.1% clock advantage for the A8-5550M (base: 2 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Xeon E5503 uses the Gainestown (2009−2010) architecture (45 nm), while the A8-5550M uses Richland (2013−2014) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5503 scores 1,815 against the A8-5550M's 1,811 — a 0.2% lead for the Xeon E5503. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Xeon E5503 vs 0 kB on the A8-5550M.

Feature	Xeon E5503	A8-5550M
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	2 GHz	3.1 GHz+55%
Base Clock	2 GHz	2.1 GHz+5%
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	0 kB
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	45 nm	32 nm-29%
Architecture	Gainestown (2009−2010)	Richland (2013−2014)
PassMark	1,815	1,811

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E5503 uses the LGA1366 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the A8-5550M uses FS1r2 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Xeon E5503	A8-5550M
Socket	LGA1366	FS1r2
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed	—	1600
Max RAM Capacity	—	16
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Xeon E5503) / true (A8-5550M). The A8-5550M includes integrated graphics (Radeon HD 8510G / 8550G), while the Xeon E5503 requires a dedicated GPU. Direct competitor: A8-5550M rivals Core i3-4000M.