A8-3870K vs Xeon E5420
Aggregate performance score
A8-3870K outperforms Xeon E5420 by a moderate 16% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2437 | 2310 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.18 | no data |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Power efficiency | 1.51 | 1.40 |
| Designer | Intel | AMD |
| Manufacturer | Intel | no data |
| Architecture codename | Harpertown (2007−2008) | Llano (2011−2012) |
| Release date | 11 November 2007 (17 years ago) | 20 December 2011 (13 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $316 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Performance to price scatter graph
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 | 4 (Quad-Core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 2.5 GHz | 3 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2.5 GHz | 3 GHz |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 128 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 6 MB (per die) | 1 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 12 MB L2 Cache | 0 KB |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | 2x 107 mm2 | 228 mm2 |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 63 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 820 million | 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 | 2 | 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 | DDR2, DDR3 Depends on motherboard | DDR3 |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | N/A | AMD Radeon HD 6550D |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5420 and A8-3870K.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | 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.
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. Other than that, Passmark measures multi-core performance.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.26 | 1.46 |
| Recency | 11 November 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 15.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.
The AMD A8-3870K is our recommended choice as it beats the Intel Xeon E5420 in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon E5420 is a server/workstation processor while A8-3870K is a desktop one.
Other comparisons
We've compiled a selection of CPU comparisons, ranging from closely matched processors to other comparisons that may be of interest.
