Core 2 Duo E8400 vs Atom C3538

Place in the ranking	2342	2666
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.04	no data
Market segment	Server	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Atom	no data
Power efficiency	7.48	1.07
Architecture codename	Goldmont (2016−2017)	Wolfdale (2008−2010)
Release date	15 August 2017 (7 years ago)	1 January 2008 (16 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$75	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Atom C3538 and Core 2 Duo E8400 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	4 (Quad-Core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	4	2
Base clock speed	2.1 GHz	3 GHz
Boost clock speed	2.1 GHz	3 GHz
Bus rate	no data	1333 MHz
Multiplier	21	no data
L1 cache	224 KB	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	8 MB	6 MB (shared)
L3 cache	8 MB	0 KB
Chip lithography	14 nm	45 nm
Die size	no data	104 mm²
Maximum core temperature	87 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	72 °C
Number of transistors	no data	410 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
VID voltage range	no data	0.85V-1.3625V

Compatibility

Information on Atom C3538 and Core 2 Duo E8400 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 (Uniprocessor)	1
Socket	FCBGA1310	LGA775
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Atom C3538 and Core 2 Duo E8400. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

AES-NI	+	-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
QuickAssist	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	-	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	-	-
Idle States	no data	+
Thermal Monitoring	-	+
Demand Based Switching	no data	-
FSB parity	no data	-

Security technologies

Atom C3538 and Core 2 Duo E8400 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	no data	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Boot	+	no data
Secure Key	+	no data
SGX	-	no data
OS Guard	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Atom C3538 and Core 2 Duo E8400 are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Atom C3538 and Core 2 Duo E8400. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4: 2133	DDR1, DDR2, DDR3
Maximum memory size	256 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	29.871 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	+	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card

no data

On certain motherboards (Chipset feature)

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Atom C3538 and Core 2 Duo E8400.

PCIe version	3	2.0
PCI Express lanes	12	no data
USB revision	3	no data
Total number of SATA ports	12	no data
Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports	12	no data
Number of USB ports	8	no data
Integrated LAN	2x10/2.5/1 GBE + 2x2.5/1 GBE	no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

Atom C3538 1.23
+61.8%

Core 2 Duo E8400 0.76

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

Atom C3538 1889
+62.1%

Core 2 Duo E8400 1165

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

Atom C3538 255

Core 2 Duo E8400 370
+45.1%

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

Atom C3538 895
+48.2%

Core 2 Duo E8400 604

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.23	0.76
Recency	15 August 2017	1 January 2008
Physical cores	4	2
Threads	4	2
Chip lithography	14 nm	45 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	65 Watt

Atom C3538 has a 61.8% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 9 years, 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads, a 221.4% more advanced lithography process, and 333.3% lower power consumption.

The Atom C3538 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Duo E8400 in performance tests.

Be aware that Atom C3538 is a server/workstation processor while Core 2 Duo E8400 is a desktop one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Atom C3538 and Core 2 Duo E8400, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.