Xeon L3406 vs Core 2 Duo U7500

Xeon L3406

2 Cores4 Thrd30 WWMax: 2.53 GHz2010

Core 2 Duo U7500

2 Cores2 Thrd2 WWMax: 1.06 GHz2006

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon L3406

1,104

0.0%

1,116

+1.1%

Pentium D 830

Pentium T2370

Pentium T3400

Pentium Dual-Core E2200

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 L3406 is positioned at rank 969 and the Core 2 Duo U7500 is on rank 1051, so the Xeon L3406 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 L3406

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

35586%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

6719%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

5970%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

4612%

#535

Xeon W-3245M

MSRP: $5002|Avg: $5002

98%

#536

Xeon W-3265M

MSRP: $6300|Avg: $3500

97%

#969

Xeon L3406

MSRP: $189|Avg: $30

100%

#970

Xeon E5-2687W v2

MSRP: $2112|Avg: $62

100%

#972

Xeon L5430

MSRP: $390|Avg: $380

99%

#973

Xeon E5-2470

MSRP: $1440|Avg: $125

99%

#974

Xeon E5-2670

MSRP: $1552|Avg: $60

98%

#976

Xeon X3470

MSRP: $589|Avg: $16

97%

#979

Xeon E5-2689

MSRP: $1800|Avg: $18

94%

#980

Xeon E5-2450L

MSRP: $1106|Avg: $78

94%

#981

Xeon X3480

MSRP: $612|Avg: $48

93%

#982

Xeon E5-2687W

MSRP: $1885|Avg: $70

91%

#983

Xeon E5-4610

MSRP: $1219|Avg: $50

91%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core 2 Duo U7500

#1039

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

2629%

#1040

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

2591%

#1041

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

2378%

#1042

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

2367%

#1043

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2346%

#1045

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2265%

#1046

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2172%

#1047

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2168%

#1048

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2110%

#1051

Core 2 Duo U7500

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

100%

#1052

Pentium 987

MSRP: $134|Avg: $20

99%

#1053

Core i7-4910MQ

MSRP: $570|Avg: $570

99%

#1054

Pentium T4400

MSRP: $107|Avg: $5

98%

#1056

Athlon X2 QL-65

MSRP: $150|Avg: $22

97%

#1057

Pentium J2850

MSRP: $94|Avg: $94

97%

#1058

Core i7-4900MQ

MSRP: $570|Avg: $40

97%

#1059

Celeron P4505

MSRP: $86|Avg: $86

96%

#1060

Pentium Dual Core T2370

MSRP: $150|Avg: $25

96%

#1061

Pentium T4200

MSRP: $99|Avg: $10

96%

#1062

Core i7-2720QM

MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A

95%

#1063

Pentium 2020M

MSRP: $134|Avg: N/A

94%

#1064

Celeron P4500

MSRP: $86|Avg: $5

94%

#1065

Pentium Dual Core SU4100

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

94%

#1066

Processor N50

MSRP: $128|Avg: $120

94%

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 ($30) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon L3406 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon L3406	Core 2 Duo U7500
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($30)	✅ More affordable ($10)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Legacy / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Merom-2048 (2006−2008) / 65 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core 2 Duo U7500 ($10), 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 ($20 less, 67% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Xeon L3406	Core 2 Duo U7500
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+203%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($30)	✅ More affordable ($10)

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 L3406 Benchmark Check

Core 2 Duo U7500 Benchmark Check

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon L3406 and Core 2 Duo U7500

Xeon L3406

The Xeon L3406 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.26 GHz, with boost up to 2.53 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB Intel® Smart Cache. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1156. Thermal design power (TDP): 30 Watt. Memory support: DDR3-1066. Passmark benchmark score: 1,104 points. Launch price was $800.

Core 2 Duo U7500

The Core 2 Duo U7500 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2008-01-01. It is based on the Merom-2048 (2006−2008) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.06 GHz, with boost up to 1.06 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: BGA479. Thermal design power (TDP): 10 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 1,116 points. Launch price was $249.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon L3406 packs 2 cores / 4 threads, matching the Core 2 Duo U7500's 2 cores. Boost clocks reach 2.53 GHz on the Xeon L3406 versus 1.06 GHz on the Core 2 Duo U7500 — a 81.9% clock advantage for the Xeon L3406 (base: 2.26 GHz vs 1.06 GHz). The Core 2 Duo U7500 is built on the Merom-2048 (2006−2008) architecture. In PassMark, the Xeon L3406 scores 1,104 against the Core 2 Duo U7500's 1,116 — a 1.1% lead for the Core 2 Duo U7500. L3 cache: 4 MB Intel® Smart Cache on the Xeon L3406 vs 0 kB on the Core 2 Duo U7500.

Feature	Xeon L3406	Core 2 Duo U7500
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.53 GHz+139%	1.06 GHz
Base Clock	2.26 GHz+113%	1.06 GHz
L3 Cache	4 MB Intel® Smart Cache	0 kB
L2 Cache	—	2 MB
Process	32 nm-51%	65 nm
Architecture	—	Merom-2048 (2006−2008)
PassMark	1,104	1,116+1%
Geekbench 6 Single	—	180
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	320

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon L3406 uses the LGA1156 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core 2 Duo U7500 uses BGA479 (PCIe 1.1) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Xeon L3406	Core 2 Duo U7500
Socket	LGA1156	BGA479
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0+82%	PCIe 1.1
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR2-533
Max RAM Capacity	—	2 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	0

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Xeon L3406) / VT-x (Core 2 Duo U7500). Primary use case: Core 2 Duo U7500 targets Ultra Low Voltage Laptop.

Feature	Xeon L3406	Core 2 Duo U7500
Integrated GPU	—	No
Unlocked	—	No
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	VT-x
Target Use	—	Ultra Low Voltage Laptop

💰

Value Analysis

The Xeon L3406 launched at $189 MSRP, while the Core 2 Duo U7500 debuted at $100. At current prices ($30 vs $10), the Core 2 Duo U7500 is $20 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Xeon L3406 delivers 36.8 pts/$ vs 111.6 pts/$ for the Core 2 Duo U7500 — making the Core 2 Duo U7500 the 100.8% better value option.