Processor N97 vs Atom C3958
Aggregate performance score
Processor N97 outperforms Atom C3958 by a considerable 40% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Atom C3958 and Processor N97 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1750 | 1545 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.53 | no data |
| Market segment | Server | Laptop |
| Series | Intel Atom | no data |
| Power efficiency | 7.54 | 27.21 |
| Architecture codename | Goldmont (2016−2017) | Alder Lake-N (2023) |
| Release date | 15 August 2017 (7 years ago) | 3 January 2023 (1 year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $449 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Atom C3958 and Processor N97 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 | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 16 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 2 GHz | 2 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| Multiplier | 20 | no data |
| L1 cache | 896 KB | 96 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 16 MB | 2 MB (shared) |
| L3 cache | 16 MB | 6 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 10 nm |
| Maximum core temperature | 83 °C | 105 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Atom C3958 and Processor N97 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 | Intel BGA 1264 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 31 Watt | 12 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Atom C3958 and Processor N97. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | - | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| QuickAssist | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | - | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | no data |
Security technologies
Atom C3958 and Processor N97 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
| EDB | + | no data |
| 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 C3958 and Processor N97 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Atom C3958 and Processor N97. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4: 2400 | DDR4, DDR5 4800 MHz Single-channel |
| Maximum memory size | 256 GB | no data |
| Max memory channels | 2 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 38.397 GB/s | no data |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Atom C3958 and Processor N97.
| PCIe version | 3 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | 9 |
| USB revision | 3 | no data |
| Total number of SATA ports | 16 | no data |
| Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports | 16 | no data |
| Number of USB ports | 8 | no data |
| Integrated LAN | 4x10/2.5/1 GBE | no data |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 2.47 | 3.45 |
| Recency | 15 August 2017 | 3 January 2023 |
| Physical cores | 16 | 4 |
| Threads | 16 | 4 |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 10 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 31 Watt | 12 Watt |
Atom C3958 has 300% more physical cores and 300% more threads.
Processor N97, on the other hand, has a 39.7% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 5 years, a 40% more advanced lithography process, and 158.3% lower power consumption.
The Processor N97 is our recommended choice as it beats the Atom C3958 in performance tests.
Be aware that Atom C3958 is a server/workstation processor while Processor N97 is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Atom C3958 and Processor N97, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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