Core 2 Quad Q8400 vs Xeon W3520

VS

Aggregate performance score

Xeon W3520
2009
4 cores / 8 threads, 130 Watt
1.91
+41.5%

Xeon W3520 outperforms Core 2 Quad Q8400 by a considerable 41% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon W3520 and Core 2 Quad Q8400 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking19862263
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.27no data
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
Power efficiency1.341.30
Architecture codenameBloomfield (2008−2010)Yorkfield (2007−2009)
Release date30 March 2009 (15 years ago)19 April 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$404no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Xeon W3520 and Core 2 Quad Q8400 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 cores4 (Quad-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads84
Base clock speed2.66 GHz2.66 GHz
Boost clock speed2.93 GHz0.67 GHz
Bus rateno data1333 MHz
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache256 KB (per core)4 MB (shared)
L3 cache8 MB (shared)0 KB
Chip lithography45 nm45 nm
Die size263 mm22x 82 mm2
Maximum core temperature68 °Cno data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data71 °C
Number of transistors731 million456 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
VID voltage rangeno data0.85V-1.3625V

Compatibility

Information on Xeon W3520 and Core 2 Quad Q8400 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
SocketFCLGA1366FCLGA775,LGA775
Power consumption (TDP)130 Watt95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon W3520 and Core 2 Quad Q8400. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology1.0-
Hyper-Threading Technology+-
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring-+
Demand Based Switching+-
PAE36 Bitno data
FSB parityno data-

Security technologies

Xeon W3520 and Core 2 Quad Q8400 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+-
EDB++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon W3520 and Core 2 Quad Q8400 are enumerated here.

VT-x++
EPT+no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon W3520 and Core 2 Quad Q8400. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR1, DDR2, DDR3
Maximum memory size24 GBno data
Max memory channels3no data
Maximum memory bandwidth25.6 GB/sno data
ECC memory support+-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardN/AOn certain motherboards (Chipset feature)

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon W3520 and Core 2 Quad Q8400.

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.

Xeon W3520 1.91
+41.5%
Core 2 Quad Q8400 1.35

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.

Xeon W3520 2924
+41.5%
Core 2 Quad Q8400 2067

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.

Xeon W3520 413
+25.9%
Core 2 Quad Q8400 328

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.

Xeon W3520 1420
+59%
Core 2 Quad Q8400 893

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.91 1.35
Threads 8 4
Power consumption (TDP) 130 Watt 95 Watt

Xeon W3520 has a 41.5% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more threads.

Core 2 Quad Q8400, on the other hand, has 36.8% lower power consumption.

The Xeon W3520 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Quad Q8400 in performance tests.

Be aware that Xeon W3520 is a server/workstation processor while Core 2 Quad Q8400 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon W3520 and Core 2 Quad Q8400, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Xeon W3520
Xeon W3520
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400
Core 2 Quad Q8400

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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