A8-3870K vs Xeon E5420
Aggregate performance score
A8-3870K outperforms Xeon E5420 by a moderate 15% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon E5420 and A8-3870K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2278 | 2157 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Power efficiency | 1.50 | 1.39 |
| Architecture codename | no data | Llano (2011−2012) |
| Release date | 1 October 2007 (17 years ago) | 20 December 2011 (12 years ago) |
Detailed specifications
Xeon E5420 and A8-3870K 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 | no data | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | no data | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 2.5 GHz | 3 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | no data | 3 GHz |
| L1 cache | no data | 128 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | no data | 1 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 12 MB L2 Cache | 0 KB |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | no data | 228 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 67 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | no data | 1,178 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
| VID voltage range | 0.85V-1.35V | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon E5420 and A8-3870K 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 | no data | 1 |
| Socket | LGA771 | FM1 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 80 Watt | 100 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5420 and A8-3870K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | - | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | no data |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| Demand Based Switching | + | no data |
| FSB parity | + | no data |
Security technologies
Xeon E5420 and A8-3870K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | no data |
| EDB | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5420 and A8-3870K are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | - | + |
| VT-x | + | no data |
| EPT | - | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5420 and A8-3870K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR3 |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | AMD Radeon HD 6550D |
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.32 | 1.52 |
| Recency | 1 October 2007 | 20 December 2011 |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 32 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 80 Watt | 100 Watt |
Xeon E5420 has 25% lower power consumption.
A8-3870K, on the other hand, has a 15.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.
The A8-3870K is our recommended choice as it beats the Xeon E5420 in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon E5420 is a server/workstation processor while A8-3870K is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5420 and A8-3870K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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