AMD Opteron 3365 vs Intel Xeon D-1520 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data presents a clear and consistent picture: the Intel Xeon D-1520 wins every recorded head-to-head benchmark against the AMD Opteron 3365. Across five Cinebench tests, the Xeon D-1520 takes the top spot in each one, while the Opteron 3365 does not record a single victory. This is not a close contest with trade-offs between workloads; it is a uniform sweep in favor of the Intel part.

The Xeon D-1520's advantages are most pronounced in single-threaded workloads. In Cinebench R20 single-core, the Intel chip scores 247 against the Opteron's 205, a 20.5% lead. The Cinebench R23 single-core test shows a similar margin, with the Xeon D-1520 at 590 and the Opteron 3365 at 489, a 20.7% difference. These results indicate that the Intel architecture delivers better per-thread performance, which matters for lightly threaded server tasks such as database queries, web serving, or legacy application workloads that do not scale well across many cores.

In multi-threaded workloads, the Xeon D-1520 still leads, but the margin is slightly narrower. The Cinebench R15 multi-core test shows the Intel chip at 421 against the Opteron's 349, a 20.6% difference. Cinebench R20 multi-core shows 1755 versus 1457, a 20.5% lead, and Cinebench R23 multi-core shows 4179 versus 3470, a 20.4% advantage. Notably, the AMD Opteron 3365 has double the core count, 8 cores versus 4, but the Intel chip's higher per-core efficiency and newer architecture overcome that deficit. The Opteron's 8 threads are all physical cores, while the Xeon D-1520 has 4 cores with Hyper-Threading, producing 8 threads. Even with equal thread counts, the Intel part wins by roughly one-fifth in every test.

The average benchmark scores reinforce this dominance. The Xeon D-1520 posts an average score of 1209, while the Opteron 3365 averages 1194. The Intel chip also sits at the 34th percentile of all CPUs, and the Opteron sits at the exact same 34th percentile, which places both in the same tier of overall performance despite the Intel part's consistent head-to-head wins.

For workload planning, the data suggests the Xeon D-1520 is the better choice for both single-threaded and multi-threaded server tasks. The Opteron 3365, with its 8 physical cores, might appear attractive for parallel workloads, but the benchmark results show that the Intel chip's architectural efficiency wins out even when the AMD part has more cores. The Opteron's higher boost clock, 3.30 GHz versus 2.60 GHz, does not translate into a performance advantage in any recorded test.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in single-core performance?

A: The Intel Xeon D-1520 is faster in every recorded single-core test. In Cinebench R20 single-core, it scores 247 versus the AMD Opteron 3365's 205, a 20.5% lead. In Cinebench R23 single-core, it scores 590 versus 489, a 20.7% advantage.

Q: Does the AMD Opteron 3365 win any benchmark?

A: No. Across all five recorded head-to-head Cinebench benchmarks, the AMD Opteron 3365 records zero wins. The Intel Xeon D-1520 wins all five.

Q: How much faster is the Intel Xeon D-1520 in multi-core workloads?

A: The Intel chip leads by 20.6% in Cinebench R15 multi-core (421 versus 349), by 20.5% in Cinebench R20 multi-core (1755 versus 1457), and by 20.4% in Cinebench R23 multi-core (4179 versus 3470).

Q: Which processor has more cores?

A: The AMD Opteron 3365 has 8 cores and 8 threads. The Intel Xeon D-1520 has 4 cores and 8 threads, using Hyper-Threading to match the thread count.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Opteron 3365 has a higher boost clock at 3.30 GHz, compared to the Intel Xeon D-1520's 2.60 GHz. Despite this, the Intel chip wins all benchmark tests.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each processor?

A: The Intel Xeon D-1520 has an average benchmark score of 1209, while the AMD Opteron 3365 has an average of 1194. Both sit at the 34th percentile of all CPUs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a remarkably consistent margin across all five Cinebench tests. The Intel Xeon D-1520 wins every test by a delta between 20.4% and 20.7%. This uniformity suggests that the performance gap is architectural and scales evenly across both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads.

The largest single margin is in Cinebench R23 single-core, where the Xeon D-1520 scores 590 against the Opteron 3365's 489, a 20.7% difference. The smallest margin is in Cinebench R23 multi-core, where the Intel chip scores 4179 against the Opteron's 3470, a 20.4% lead. These two extremes are separated by only 0.3 percentage points, indicating that the Intel advantage is consistent regardless of workload type.

In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the Xeon D-1520 scores 421 while the Opteron 3365 scores 349, a 20.6% margin. This is an older test that tends to favor higher clock speeds and simpler architectures, yet the Intel chip still wins decisively. The Opteron's higher boost clock of 3.30 GHz and its 8 physical cores do not overcome the Intel part's efficiency.

Cinebench R20 multi-core shows the Xeon D-1520 at 1755 and the Opteron at 1457, a 20.5% lead. Cinebench R20 single-core shows 247 versus 205, also a 20.5% margin. The consistency across R15, R20, and R23, which are successive generations of the same workload, confirms that the performance relationship between these two processors has not changed over time.

The Opteron 3365's best relative showing is in Cinebench R23 multi-core, where it trails by only 20.4%. Even in its strongest test, the AMD part still loses by more than one-fifth. The Xeon D-1520's nearest rivals in the database, the Intel Core i3-8121U and Intel Xeon D-1527, both have average scores within 0.1% of the Intel chip, while the Opteron 3365's nearest rivals, the AMD Athlon PRO 300U and Intel Core i3-4170, are also within 0.1% of its score. The two processors themselves, however, are separated by a clear margin in every direct comparison.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ significantly in their core configurations. The AMD Opteron 3365 has 8 cores and 8 threads, while the Intel Xeon D-1520 has 4 cores and 8 threads. This means the Opteron uses all physical cores for its thread count, while the Intel chip relies on Hyper-Threading to double its 4 physical cores into 8 threads.

Clock speeds also differ. The Opteron 3365 has a base clock of 2.30 GHz and a boost clock of 3.30 GHz. The Xeon D-1520 has a base clock of 2.20 GHz and a boost clock of 2.60 GHz. Despite the Opteron's higher clocks, the Intel chip wins all benchmarks.

Power consumption differs substantially. The Xeon D-1520 has a TDP of 45 watts, while the Opteron 3365 has a TDP of 65 watts. The Intel chip delivers higher performance while drawing less power, a meaningful advantage for dense server deployments.

Memory support differs. The Xeon D-1520 supports both DDR3 and DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it supports ECC memory. The Opteron 3365 supports only DDR3 in a dual-channel configuration, with a recorded memory bandwidth of 29.9 GB/s, and it does not support ECC memory. The Intel chip's ECC support is a critical differentiator for server reliability.

PCIe support also differs. The Xeon D-1520 has PCIe Gen 3 with 24 lanes from the CPU. The Opteron 3365 has PCIe Gen 2. The newer PCIe generation on the Intel part provides higher bandwidth for expansion devices.

The Opteron 3365 includes integrated graphics on certain motherboards as a chipset feature, while the Xeon D-1520 has no integrated graphics listed. The Intel chip's socket is Intel BGA 1667, while the AMD chip uses AMD Socket AM3+. Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different architectural eras. The Intel Xeon D-1520 is built on the Broadwell architecture, specifically the Broadwell-DE generation, using a 14 nm process node fabricated by Intel. The AMD Opteron 3365 uses the K10 architecture, specifically the Delhi generation, on a 32 nm process node fabricated by GlobalFoundries. The 14 nm process gives Intel a significant transistor density advantage.

The transistor counts reflect this difference. The Xeon D-1520 contains 3,200 million transistors on a die size of 246 mm². The Opteron 3365 contains 1,200 million transistors on a larger die of 315 mm². The Intel chip packs nearly three times as many transistors into a smaller area, which explains its superior efficiency and performance per watt.

Cache configurations differ in structure. The Xeon D-1520 has 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 256 KB of L2 cache per core, with 1.5 MB of L3 cache per core. The Opteron 3365 has 384 KB of total L1 cache, 4 MB of total L2 cache, and 8 MB of shared L3 cache. The Intel cache is allocated per core, while the AMD cache is largely shared or pooled.

The Opteron 3365 is part of the Opteron 3000 series, a line aimed at microservers and dense computing. Its production status is end-of-life, while the Xeon D-1520 remains active. The Xeon D-1520 was released on March 8, 2015, with a launch MSRP of $199. The Opteron 3365 has no recorded release date or launch MSRP in the database.

The Intel Xeon D-1520 supports both DDR3 and DDR4 memory, while the Opteron 3365 is limited to DDR3. The Intel chip's ECC memory support is a notable architectural feature for server workloads, and its PCIe Gen 3 support with 24 lanes provides more modern I/O capabilities than the Opteron's PCIe Gen 2. The Xeon D-1520's part number is SR29B, while the Opteron 3365's part number is OS3365OLW8KHK.

The combination of a newer process node, a more modern architecture, and higher transistor density allows the Xeon D-1520 to overcome the Opteron's core count and clock speed advantages. The recorded benchmark data shows that architectural efficiency, not raw specifications, determines the winner in every test.