Xeon W3520 vs Core i5-4308U

Xeon W3520

4 Cores8 Thrd130 WWMax: 2.93 GHz2009

Core i5-4308U

2 Cores4 Thrd512 WWMax: 3.3 GHz2014

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon W3520

4 / 8

2,940

0.0%

2,978

+1.3%

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 Core i5-4308U is on rank 700, so the Core i5-4308U 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 W3520

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

20080%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

3791%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

3368%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

2602%

#485

Xeon Gold 6258R

MSRP: $3950|Avg: $1400

99%

#486

EPYC 9175F

MSRP: $4256|Avg: $3703

99%

#488

EPYC 9534

MSRP: $8803|Avg: $2999

98%

#489

EPYC 9654

MSRP: $11805|Avg: $5345

98%

#490

EPYC 7H12

MSRP: $6950|Avg: $1340

97%

#491

EPYC 7742

MSRP: $6950|Avg: $800

97%

#492

Xeon Platinum 8352M

MSRP: $4471|Avg: $4471

96%

#493

Xeon Platinum 8570

MSRP: $9595|Avg: $9595

94%

#861

Xeon W3520

MSRP: $284|Avg: $15

100%

#862

Xeon E3-1271 v3

MSRP: $727|Avg: $831

100%

#863

Xeon E5603

MSRP: $188|Avg: N/A

99%

#871

Xeon 6315P

MSRP: $1166|Avg: $160

97%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i5-4308U

#688

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

985%

#689

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

971%

#690

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

891%

#691

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

887%

#692

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

879%

#694

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

849%

#695

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

814%

#696

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

813%

#697

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

791%

#700

Core i5-4308U

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#705

C-60

MSRP: $50|Avg: $20

100%

#712

Core i7-10850H

MSRP: $395|Avg: N/A

99%

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 ($15) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon W3520 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon W3520	Core i5-4308U
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($15)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Bloomfield (2008−2010) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Haswell (2013−2015) / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i5-4308U ($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 ($15 less, 100% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Xeon W3520	Core i5-4308U
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($15)	✅ More affordable ($0)

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 W3520 Benchmark Check

Core i5-4308U Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon W3520 and Core i5-4308U

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.

Core i5-4308U

The Core i5-4308U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 21 July 2014 (11 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1168. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,978 points. Launch price was $315.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon W3520 packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Core i5-4308U offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Xeon W3520 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.93 GHz on the Xeon W3520 versus 3.3 GHz on the Core i5-4308U — a 11.9% clock advantage for the Core i5-4308U (base: 2.66 GHz vs 2.8 GHz). The Xeon W3520 uses the Bloomfield (2008−2010) architecture (45 nm), while the Core i5-4308U uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon W3520 scores 2,940 against the Core i5-4308U's 2,978 — a 1.3% lead for the Core i5-4308U. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Xeon W3520 vs 3 MB on the Core i5-4308U.

Feature	Xeon W3520	Core i5-4308U
Cores / Threads	4 / 8+100%	2 / 4
Boost Clock	2.93 GHz	3.3 GHz+13%
Base Clock	2.66 GHz	2.8 GHz+5%
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)+167%	3 MB
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	512 kB+100%
Process	45 nm	22 nm-51%
Architecture	Bloomfield (2008−2010)	Haswell (2013−2015)
PassMark	2,940	2,978+1%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon W3520 uses the LGA1366 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i5-4308U uses FCBGA1168 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Xeon W3520	Core i5-4308U
Socket	LGA1366	FCBGA1168
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3L-1600
Max RAM Capacity	—	16 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	12

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Xeon W3520) / VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-4308U). The Core i5-4308U includes integrated graphics (Iris Graphics 5100), while the Xeon W3520 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-4308U targets Mobile.