Xeon E5503 vs Atom x5-E3940

Xeon E5503

2 Cores2 Thrd80 WWMax: 2 GHz2010

Atom x5-E3940

4 Cores4 Thrd10 WWMax: 1.8 GHz2014

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon E5503

2 / 2

1,815

0.0%

1,816

+0.1%

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 Atom x5-E3940 is on rank 337, so the Atom x5-E3940 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 Atom x5-E3940

#101

Core i5-1350P

MSRP: $320|Avg: $250

97%

#325

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

485%

#326

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

478%

#327

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

438%

#328

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

436%

#329

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

432%

#331

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

418%

#332

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

400%

#333

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

400%

#334

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

389%

#337

Atom x5-E3940

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

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	Atom x5-E3940
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Gainestown (2009−2010) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Apollo Lake (2014−2016) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Atom x5-E3940 ($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	Atom x5-E3940
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

Atom x5-E3940 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E5503 and Atom x5-E3940

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.

Atom x5-E3940

The Atom x5-E3940 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 30 August 2014 (11 years ago). It is based on the Apollo Lake (2014−2016) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.6 GHz, with boost up to 1.8 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB (total). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1296. Thermal design power (TDP): 10 Watt. Memory support: DDR3-1866. Passmark benchmark score: 1,816 points. Launch price was $69.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon E5503 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Atom x5-E3940 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Atom x5-E3940 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2 GHz on the Xeon E5503 versus 1.8 GHz on the Atom x5-E3940 — a 10.5% clock advantage for the Xeon E5503 (base: 2 GHz vs 1.6 GHz). The Xeon E5503 uses the Gainestown (2009−2010) architecture (45 nm), while the Atom x5-E3940 uses Apollo Lake (2014−2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5503 scores 1,815 against the Atom x5-E3940's 1,816 — a 0.1% lead for the Atom x5-E3940. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Xeon E5503 vs 0 kB on the Atom x5-E3940.

Feature	Xeon E5503	Atom x5-E3940
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	2 GHz+11%	1.8 GHz
Base Clock	2 GHz+25%	1.6 GHz
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	0 kB
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	2 MB (total)+700%
Process	45 nm	14 nm-69%
Architecture	Gainestown (2009−2010)	Apollo Lake (2014−2016)
PassMark	1,815	1,816

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E5503 uses the LGA1366 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Atom x5-E3940 uses FCBGA1296 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Xeon E5503	Atom x5-E3940
Socket	LGA1366	FCBGA1296
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3L-1866
Max RAM Capacity	—	8 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	✅
PCIe Lanes	—	6