Xeon E5503
VS
Athlon II X3 445

Xeon E5503 vs Athlon II X3 445

Intel

Xeon E5503

2 Cores2 Thrd80 WWMax: 2 GHz2010
VS
AMD

Athlon II X3 445

3 Cores3 Thrd95 WWMax: 3.1 GHz2010

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 E5503 is positioned at rank 895 and the Athlon II X3 445 is on rank 781, so the Athlon II X3 445 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

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
22888%
#6
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 Athlon II X3 445

#1
Ryzen 9 7950X
MSRP: $194|Avg: $20
15008%
#2
Core i9-10900T
MSRP: $120|Avg: $5
14181%
#3
Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE
MSRP: $423|Avg: $5
10297%
#4
Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85
3102%
#5
Ryzen 9 9950X
MSRP: $649|Avg: $129
2457%
#6
Ryzen 5 8400F
MSRP: $303|Avg: $55
2149%
#7
Ryzen 7 PRO 2700
MSRP: $299|Avg: $60
1231%
#8
Ryzen 5 2600X
MSRP: $229|Avg: $55
1215%
#9
Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G
MSRP: $150|Avg: $60
1106%
#10
Core Ultra 5 245KF
MSRP: $294|Avg: $189
1106%
#11
Ryzen 5 5500
MSRP: $159|Avg: $85
1094%
#12
Ryzen 5 3600
MSRP: $199|Avg: $80
1064%
#13
Core i3-9100E
MSRP: $202|Avg: $30
1049%
#14
Core Ultra 5 245K
MSRP: $319|Avg: $200
1045%
#15
Core i3-8300T
MSRP: $138|Avg: $25
1036%
#393
Core i3-9300T
MSRP: $309|Avg: $309
99%
#781
Athlon II X3 445
MSRP: $87|Avg: $15
100%
#782
Core i5-2310
MSRP: $177|Avg: $12
100%
#783
Core i5-5675C
MSRP: $276|Avg: $66
99%
#784
Core i5-2380P
MSRP: $177|Avg: $25
99%
#785
Core i5-4690
MSRP: $272|Avg: $120
99%
#786
FX-6120
MSRP: $188|Avg: $54
99%
#787
Core i7-6700TE
MSRP: $303|Avg: $175
99%
#788
Athlon II X4 620
MSRP: $99|Avg: $15
99%
#790
Core i7-3820
MSRP: $286|Avg: $30
97%
#791
Athlon II X3 425
MSRP: $79|Avg: $5
97%
#792
Athlon II X2 255
MSRP: $60|Avg: $10
97%
#793
Core i3-3245
MSRP: $120|Avg: $50
97%
#795
FX-4170
MSRP: $157|Avg: $23
96%
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.
InsightXeon E5503Athlon II X3 445
Gaming
Lower gaming performance
Superior gaming performance
Workstation
Better multi-core power
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price
More affordable ($0)
⚠️ Higher cost ($15)
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Gainestown (2009−2010) / 45 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Rana (2009−2011) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Athlon II X3 445 ($15), 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 ($15 less, Infinity% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.
InsightXeon E5503Athlon II X3 445
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
More affordable ($0)
⚠️ Higher cost ($15)

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.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E5503 and Athlon II X3 445

Intel

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.

AMD

Athlon II X3 445

The Athlon II X3 445 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 11 May 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Rana (2009−2011) architecture. It features 3 cores and 3 threads. Base frequency is 3.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.1 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: AM3. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,807 points. Launch price was $91.

Processing Power

The Xeon E5503 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Athlon II X3 445 offers 3 cores / 3 threads — the Athlon II X3 445 has 1 more core. Boost clocks reach 2 GHz on the Xeon E5503 versus 3.1 GHz on the Athlon II X3 445 — a 43.1% clock advantage for the Athlon II X3 445 (base: 2 GHz vs 3.1 GHz). The Xeon E5503 uses the Gainestown (2009−2010) architecture (45 nm), while the Athlon II X3 445 uses Rana (2009−2011) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5503 scores 1,815 against the Athlon II X3 445's 1,807 — a 0.4% lead for the Xeon E5503. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Xeon E5503 vs 0 kB on the Athlon II X3 445.

FeatureXeon E5503Athlon II X3 445
Cores / Threads
2 / 2
3 / 3+50%
Boost Clock
2 GHz
3.1 GHz+55%
Base Clock
2 GHz
3.1 GHz+55%
L3 Cache
4 MB (total)
0 kB
L2 Cache
256 kB (per core)
512 kB (per core)+100%
Process
45 nm
45 nm
Architecture
Gainestown (2009−2010)
Rana (2009−2011)
PassMark
1,815
1,807
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E5503 uses the LGA1366 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Athlon II X3 445 uses AM3 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureXeon E5503Athlon II X3 445
Socket
LGA1366
AM3
PCIe Generation
PCIe 2.0
PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed
DDR3-1333
Max RAM Capacity
32 GB
RAM Channels
2
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
0