Xeon X6550
VS
Phenom II X4 X920 BE

Xeon X6550 vs Phenom II X4 X920 BE

Intel

Xeon X6550

8 Cores16 Thrd130 WWMax: 2.4 GHz2010
VS
AMD

Phenom II X4 X920 BE

4 Cores4 Thrd2 WWMax: 2.3 GHz2010

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 X6550 is positioned at rank 879 and the Phenom II X4 X920 BE is on rank 308, so the Phenom II X4 X920 BE 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 X6550

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
21469%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
4054%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
3601%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
2782%
#494
EPYC 9184X
MSRP: $4928|Avg: $3750
100%
#495
Xeon Platinum 8470
MSRP: $9359|Avg: $9359
99%
#496
Xeon E7-8857 v2
MSRP: $3838|Avg: $2995
98%
#497
Xeon Gold 6148
MSRP: $3072|Avg: $290
98%
#498
Xeon E5-1681 V3
MSRP: $1589|Avg: $200
96%
#499
Xeon W-3275
MSRP: $4449|Avg: $1550
96%
#500
Xeon Gold 6138
MSRP: $2612|Avg: $300
95%
#501
Xeon E5-2690 v4
MSRP: $2090|Avg: $389
95%
#502
Xeon Platinum 8362
MSRP: $6236|Avg: $5740
94%
#879
Xeon X6550
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#881
Xeon E5-2430L
MSRP: $551|Avg: $250
99%
#886
Xeon X3460
MSRP: $316|Avg: $25
97%
#893
Xeon E5502
MSRP: $188|Avg: $39
95%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Phenom II X4 X920 BE

#296
Atom x5-Z8300
MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A
455%
#297
Atom Z3735G
MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A
448%
#298
Core i5-480M
MSRP: $81|Avg: $77
411%
#299
Core i5-460M
MSRP: $80|Avg: $129
410%
#300
Core i5-2540M
MSRP: $266|Avg: $10
406%
#302
Core i5-450M
MSRP: $32|Avg: $31
392%
#303
Core i3-380M
MSRP: $49|Avg: $25
376%
#304
Core i5-430M
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33
375%
#305
Core 2 Duo T6600
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4
365%
#308
Phenom II X4 X920 BE
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 X6550 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightXeon X6550Phenom II X4 X920 BE
Gaming
Superior gaming performance
Lower gaming performance
Workstation
Better multi-core power
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price
Equivalent pricing
Equivalent pricing
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Legacy / 45 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Champlain (2010−2011) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Phenom II X4 X920 BE ($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.
InsightXeon X6550Phenom II X4 X920 BE
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.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon X6550 and Phenom II X4 X920 BE

Intel

Xeon X6550

The Xeon X6550 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 2.4 GHz. L3 cache: 18 MB L3 Cache. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1567. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 1,936 points. Launch price was $800.

AMD

Phenom II X4 X920 BE

The Phenom II X4 X920 BE is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Max frequency: 2.3 GHz. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 MB. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,935 points. Launch price was $149.

Processing Power

The Xeon X6550 packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Phenom II X4 X920 BE offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Xeon X6550 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.4 GHz on the Xeon X6550 versus 2.3 GHz on the Phenom II X4 X920 BE — a 4.3% clock advantage for the Xeon X6550. The Phenom II X4 X920 BE is built on the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture. In PassMark, the Xeon X6550 scores 1,936 against the Phenom II X4 X920 BE's 1,935 — a 0.1% lead for the Xeon X6550.

FeatureXeon X6550Phenom II X4 X920 BE
Cores / Threads
8 / 16+100%
4 / 4
Boost Clock
2.4 GHz+4%
2.3 GHz
Base Clock
2 GHz
L3 Cache
18 MB L3 Cache
L2 Cache
2 MB
Process
45 nm
45 nm
Architecture
Champlain (2010−2011)
PassMark
1,936
1,935
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon X6550 uses the LGA1567 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Phenom II X4 X920 BE uses S1 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureXeon X6550Phenom II X4 X920 BE
Socket
LGA1567
S1
PCIe Generation
PCIe 5.0+150%
PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed
DDR3-1333
RAM Channels
4
ECC Support
🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Xeon X6550) / not specified (Phenom II X4 X920 BE). Primary use case: Xeon X6550 targets Server. Direct competitor: Xeon X6550 rivals Core i7-980X.

FeatureXeon X6550Phenom II X4 X920 BE
Integrated GPU
No
Unlocked
No
AVX-512
No
Virtualization
VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use
Server