Xeon W3520 vs Core 2 Duo E8400

Aggregate performance score

Core 2 Duo E8400
2008
2 cores / 2 threads, 65 Watt
0.73
Xeon W3520
2009
4 cores / 8 threads, 130 Watt
1.84
+152%

Xeon W3520 outperforms Core 2 Duo E8400 by a whopping 152% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core 2 Duo E8400 and Xeon W3520 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking26711991
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data0.32
Market segmentDesktop processorServer
Power efficiency1.061.34
Architecture codenameWolfdale (2008−2010)Bloomfield (2008−2010)
Release date1 January 2008 (16 years ago)30 March 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$404

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core 2 Duo E8400 and Xeon W3520 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 cores2 (Dual-core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads28
Base clock speed3 GHz2.66 GHz
Boost clock speed3 GHz2.93 GHz
Bus rate1333 MHzno data
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache6 MB (shared)256 KB (per core)
L3 cache0 KB8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography45 nm45 nm
Die size104 mm2263 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data68 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)72 °Cno data
Number of transistors410 million731 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
VID voltage range0.85V-1.3625Vno data

Compatibility

Information on Core 2 Duo E8400 and Xeon W3520 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 configuration11
SocketLGA775FCLGA1366
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Duo E8400 and Xeon W3520. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.2
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology-1.0
Hyper-Threading Technology-+
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring+-
Demand Based Switching-+
PAEno data36 Bit
FSB parity-no data

Security technologies

Core 2 Duo E8400 and Xeon W3520 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT++
EDB++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Duo E8400 and Xeon W3520 are enumerated here.

VT-d+no data
VT-x++
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Duo E8400 and Xeon W3520. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR1, DDR2, DDR3DDR3
Maximum memory sizeno data24 GB
Max memory channelsno data3
Maximum memory bandwidthno data25.6 GB/s
ECC memory support-+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardOn certain motherboards (Chipset feature)N/A

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Duo E8400 and Xeon W3520.

PCIe version2.02.0

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.

Core 2 Duo E8400 0.73
Xeon W3520 1.84
+152%

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.

Core 2 Duo E8400 1165
Xeon W3520 2924
+151%

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.

Core 2 Duo E8400 370
Xeon W3520 413
+11.6%

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.

Core 2 Duo E8400 604
Xeon W3520 1421
+135%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 0.73 1.84
Recency 1 January 2008 30 March 2009
Physical cores 2 4
Threads 2 8
Power consumption (TDP) 65 Watt 130 Watt

Core 2 Duo E8400 has 100% lower power consumption.

Xeon W3520, on the other hand, has a 152.1% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, and 100% more physical cores and 300% more threads.

The Xeon W3520 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Duo E8400 in performance tests.

Note that Core 2 Duo E8400 is a desktop processor while Xeon W3520 is a server/workstation one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Duo E8400 and Xeon W3520, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.


Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
Core 2 Duo E8400
Intel Xeon W3520
Xeon W3520

Similar processor comparisons

We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.

Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


3.7 2278 votes

Rate Core 2 Duo E8400 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
4.3 120 votes

Rate Xeon W3520 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core 2 Duo E8400 or Xeon W3520, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.