Xeon W3550 vs Pentium Gold 4417U

CPU

GPU

Xeon W3550

4 Cores8 Thrd130 WWMax: 3.33 GHz2009

Pentium Gold 4417U

2 Cores4 Thrd1 WWMax: 2.3 GHz2019

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon W3550

4 / 8

3,251

+0.3%

3,240

0.0%

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 W3550 is positioned at rank 837 and the Pentium Gold 4417U is on rank 193, so the Pentium Gold 4417U 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 W3550

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

18791%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

3548%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

3152%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

2435%

#474

EPYC 9654P

MSRP: $10625|Avg: $5345

99%

#475

EPYC 9965

MSRP: $14813|Avg: $10000

98%

#476

EPYC 9745

MSRP: $12141|Avg: $10588

97%

#477

EPYC 7J13

MSRP: $7890|Avg: $150

97%

#478

EPYC 7702

MSRP: $6450|Avg: $2035

97%

#479

EPYC 7763

MSRP: $7890|Avg: $1513

97%

#480

EPYC 9734

MSRP: $9600|Avg: $6598

96%

#837

Xeon W3550

MSRP: $294|Avg: $30

100%

#839

Xeon E5-2450

MSRP: $694|Avg: $795

98%

#841

Xeon E5-2630L v2

MSRP: $612|Avg: $149

98%

#842

Xeon E3-1246 v3

MSRP: $667|Avg: $215

98%

#843

Xeon W3540

MSRP: $284|Avg: $10

98%

#844

Xeon E-2124G

MSRP: $667|Avg: $462

98%

#852

Xeon E5-2407

MSRP: $250|Avg: $25

96%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Pentium Gold 4417U

#180

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

362%

#181

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

357%

#182

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

328%

#183

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

326%

#184

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

323%

#186

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

312%

#187

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

299%

#188

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

299%

#189

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

291%

#193

Pentium Gold 4417U

MSRP: $161|Avg: N/A

100%

#194

Atom N475

MSRP: $75|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Generational Difference: This comparison involves processors from different technological eras. The Pentium Gold 4417U (2019) utilizes 14 nm technology and DDR3, DDR4, providing a fundamental performance advantage.

Insight	Xeon W3550	Pentium Gold 4417U
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	✅ More affordable ($30)	⚠️ Higher cost ($161)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Bloomfield (2008−2010) / 45 nm)	✨ Modern (Kaby Lake Refresh (2017−2019) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Xeon W3550 (2009) relies on 45 nm technology and DDR3, placing it in a different performance category relative to modern standards.

Insight	Xeon W3550	Pentium Gold 4417U
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+438%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($30)	⚠️ Higher cost ($161)

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 W3550 Benchmark Check

Pentium Gold 4417U Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon W3550 and Pentium Gold 4417U

Xeon W3550

The Xeon W3550 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 9 August 2009 (16 years ago). It is based on the Bloomfield (2008−2010) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.06 GHz, with boost up to 3.33 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: 3,251 points. Launch price was $235.

Pentium Gold 4417U

The Pentium Gold 4417U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 15 February 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Kaby Lake Refresh (2017−2019) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 2.3 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1356. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 3,240 points. Launch price was $161.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon W3550 packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Pentium Gold 4417U offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Xeon W3550 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.33 GHz on the Xeon W3550 versus 2.3 GHz on the Pentium Gold 4417U — a 36.6% clock advantage for the Xeon W3550 (base: 3.06 GHz vs 2.3 GHz). The Xeon W3550 uses the Bloomfield (2008−2010) architecture (45 nm), while the Pentium Gold 4417U uses Kaby Lake Refresh (2017−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon W3550 scores 3,251 against the Pentium Gold 4417U's 3,240 — a 0.3% lead for the Xeon W3550. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Xeon W3550 vs 2 MB on the Pentium Gold 4417U.

Feature	Xeon W3550	Pentium Gold 4417U
Cores / Threads	4 / 8+100%	2 / 4
Boost Clock	3.33 GHz+45%	2.3 GHz
Base Clock	3.06 GHz+33%	2.3 GHz
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)+300%	2 MB
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	1 MB+300%
Process	45 nm	14 nm-69%
Architecture	Bloomfield (2008−2010)	Kaby Lake Refresh (2017−2019)
PassMark	3,251	3,240

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon W3550 uses the LGA1366 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium Gold 4417U uses BGA1356 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.