i5-520E vs Athlon II X2 255
Primary details
Comparing Athlon II X2 255 and Core i5-520E processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2664 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.02 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | no data | Intel Core i5 |
| Power efficiency | 1.08 | no data |
| Architecture codename | Regor (2009−2013) | Westmere (2010−2011) |
| Release date | 25 January 2010 (14 years ago) | 7 January 2010 (14 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $60 | $210 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Athlon II X2 255 and Core i5-520E basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 2 (Dual-core) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 2 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 3.1 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 3.1 GHz | 2.4 GHz |
| Bus type | no data | DMI 1.0 |
| Bus rate | no data | 1 × 2.5 GT/s |
| Multiplier | no data | 18 |
| L1 cache | 128 KB | 128 KB |
| L2 cache | 1 MB | 512 KB |
| L3 cache | 0 KB | 3 MB |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | 117 mm2 | 81 mm2 |
| Number of transistors | 410 million | 382 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Athlon II X2 255 and Core i5-520E compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Number of CPUs in a configuration | 1 | 1 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | AM3 | no data |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 35 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Athlon II X2 255 and Core i5-520E. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | - | + |
| FMA | - | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | no data | + |
Security technologies
Athlon II X2 255 and Core i5-520E technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Athlon II X2 255 and Core i5-520E are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Athlon II X2 255 and Core i5-520E. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR3-1066 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 8 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 17.051 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel HD Graphics (Ironlake) |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Athlon II X2 255 and Core i5-520E.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 16 |
Pros & cons summary
| Threads | 2 | 4 |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 32 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 35 Watt |
i5-520E has 100% more threads, a 40.6% more advanced lithography process, and 85.7% lower power consumption.
We couldn't decide between Athlon II X2 255 and Core i5-520E. We've got no test results to judge.
Note that Athlon II X2 255 is a desktop processor while Core i5-520E is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Athlon II X2 255 and Core i5-520E, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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