Core 2 Duo E8400 vs Atom C3538
Aggregate performance score
Atom C3538 outperforms Core 2 Duo E8400 by an impressive 63% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Atom C3538 and Core 2 Duo E8400 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2347 | 2671 |
| 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 | 7.51 | 1.06 |
| 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.19 | 0.73 |
| 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 63% 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.
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