Xeon W3520 vs Athlon Silver 3050e
Xeon W3520
Athlon Silver 3050e
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 W3520 is positioned at rank 861 and the Athlon Silver 3050e is on rank 699, so the Athlon Silver 3050e offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Xeon W3520
Performance Per Dollar Athlon Silver 3050e
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Xeon W3520 | Athlon Silver 3050e |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | ✅ More affordable ($15) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($60) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Bloomfield (2008−2010) / 45 nm) | ✨ Modern (Dali (Zen) (2020) / 14 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Xeon W3520 | Athlon Silver 3050e |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ✅ Better overall value (+295%) | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ✅ More affordable ($15) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($60) |
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 W3520 and Athlon Silver 3050e
Xeon W3520
The Xeon W3520 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 30 March 2009 (16 years ago). It is based on the Bloomfield (2008−2010) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.66 GHz, with boost up to 2.93 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1366. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,940 points. Launch price was $404.
Athlon Silver 3050e
The Athlon Silver 3050e is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Dali (Zen) (2020) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.4 GHz, with boost up to 2.8 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 1 MB + 4 MB. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 2,979 points. Launch price was $149.
Processing Power
The Xeon W3520 packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Athlon Silver 3050e offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Xeon W3520 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.93 GHz on the Xeon W3520 versus 2.8 GHz on the Athlon Silver 3050e — a 4.5% clock advantage for the Xeon W3520 (base: 2.66 GHz vs 1.4 GHz). The Xeon W3520 uses the Bloomfield (2008−2010) architecture (45 nm), while the Athlon Silver 3050e uses Dali (Zen) (2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon W3520 scores 2,940 against the Athlon Silver 3050e's 2,979 — a 1.3% lead for the Athlon Silver 3050e. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Xeon W3520 vs 4 MB on the Athlon Silver 3050e.
| Feature | Xeon W3520 | Athlon Silver 3050e |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 4 / 8+100% | 2 / 4 |
| Boost Clock | 2.93 GHz+5% | 2.8 GHz |
| Base Clock | 2.66 GHz+90% | 1.4 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 8 MB (total)+100% | 4 MB |
| L2 Cache | 256 kB (per core) | 1 MB+300% |
| Process | 45 nm | 14 nm-69% |
| Architecture | Bloomfield (2008−2010) | Dali (Zen) (2020) |
| PassMark | 2,940 | 2,979+1% |
| Cinebench R23 Multi | — | 1,175 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | — | 758 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | — | 1,494 |
Memory & Platform
The Xeon W3520 uses the LGA1366 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Athlon Silver 3050e uses FP5 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Xeon W3520 | Athlon Silver 3050e |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | LGA1366 | FP5 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 2.0 | PCIe 3.0+50% |
| Max RAM Speed | — | 2400 |
| Max RAM Capacity | — | 32 |
| RAM Channels | — | 2 |
| ECC Support | — | ❌ |
| PCIe Lanes | — | 8 |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: not specified (Xeon W3520) / true (Athlon Silver 3050e). The Athlon Silver 3050e includes integrated graphics (Radeon Vega 3), while the Xeon W3520 requires a dedicated GPU.
| Feature | Xeon W3520 | Athlon Silver 3050e |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | — | Yes |
| IGPU Model | — | Radeon Vega 3 |
| Unlocked | — | No |
| AVX-512 | — | No |
| Virtualization | — | true |
Value Analysis
The Xeon W3520 launched at $284 MSRP, while the Athlon Silver 3050e debuted at $100. At current prices ($15 vs $60), the Xeon W3520 is $45 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Xeon W3520 delivers 196.0 pts/$ vs 49.6 pts/$ for the Athlon Silver 3050e — making the Xeon W3520 the 119.2% better value option.
| Feature | Xeon W3520 | Athlon Silver 3050e |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $284 | $100-65% |
| Avg Price (30d) | $15-75% | $60 |
| Performance per Dollar | 196.0+295% | 49.6 |
| Release Date | 2009 | 2020 |
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