AMD Opteron 4274 HE vs Intel Xeon E3-1505L v5 Comparison

The Intel Xeon E3-1505L v5 and the AMD Opteron 4274 HE represent two distinct approaches to server and workstation processing, separated by several years of design philosophy. The recorded benchmarks place them very close in overall performance, yet their underlying architectures and specifications tell a story of divergent priorities. The Xeon E3-1505L v5 is a low-power Skylake part aimed at efficiency, while the Opteron 4274 HE is a higher-clocked Bulldozer chip from AMD’s Valencia family. Below, the database analysis breaks down how these two processors compare across every measured dimension.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results are remarkably consistent: the Intel Xeon E3-1505L v5 wins every single test, but by a narrow margin. Across all six Cinebench workloads, the Xeon’s advantage ranges from 1.7% to 2.9%, which is a slim but uniform lead. In the Cinebench R15 multicore test, the Xeon scores 503 against the Opteron’s 494, a delta of 1.8%. The single-core R15 result shows the Xeon at 71, compared to 69 for the AMD part, representing a 2.9% edge, the largest gap in the entire comparison. This pattern repeats in newer workloads: Cinebench R20 multicore gives the Xeon 2099 versus 2061, a 1.8% win, and single-core R20 shows 296 against 291, a 1.7% margin. The Cinebench R23 results follow the same trend, with the Xeon posting 4999 in multicore against 4909, and 705 in single-core versus 693, both deltas at 1.8% and 1.7% respectively.

What stands out is that the Opteron, despite having double the physical cores (8 versus 4), cannot convert that into a multicore advantage. The Xeon’s 8 threads, enabled by Hyper-Threading, allow it to stay ahead in every multicore test, but the lead is small. The data suggests that the Opteron’s higher base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 3.50 GHz help close the gap, but not fully overcome the Xeon’s architectural efficiency. The single-core results are particularly telling: the Xeon’s 71-point R15 score is only 2 points higher than the Opteron’s 69, indicating that the older AMD core design is not dramatically slower per thread, despite its much larger die and older process node.

The aggregate benchmark score reinforces this picture. The Xeon’s average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 1446, while the Opteron’s is 1420. That places the Xeon at the 38th percentile among all CPUs, one point higher than the Opteron’s 37th percentile. The nearest rivals in the database further contextualize these numbers. The Xeon sits within 0.1% of the AMD Opteron 6378 (which scores 1447) and the Intel Core i5-7300HQ (1448), while being 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 3 2200GE (1444) and 0.5% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 2400G (1439). The Opteron 4274 HE, meanwhile, is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-3720QM (1421), 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-2700K (1419), and 0.1% behind the Intel Xeon Bronze 3106 (1422) and 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-3820 (1424). In other words, both CPUs land in a crowded performance band where a few points separate dozens of processors.

For practical workloads, the 1.8% multicore delta means that the Xeon is the faster part, but the difference is minor. A user upgrading from the Opteron to the Xeon would not see a transformative jump in rendering or compute tasks; rather, the gains are incremental and consistent across every generation of Cinebench. The Xeon’s 6 wins out of 6 head-to-head tests, with zero for the Opteron, makes the outcome unambiguous, but the narrow deltas suggest that the Opteron remains competitive in raw throughput despite its age.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher single-core score in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Xeon E3-1505L v5 scores 705, while the AMD Opteron 4274 HE scores 693. The Xeon wins by 1.7%.

Q: How do the two chips compare in average benchmark score?

A: The Xeon E3-1505L v5 has an average benchmark score of 1446, placing it in the 38th percentile of all CPUs. The Opteron 4274 HE has an average score of 1420, which is the 37th percentile. The Xeon is ahead by 26 points.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two?

A: The Xeon E3-1505L v5 supports DDR3 and DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 34.1 GB/s, while the Opteron 4274 HE supports only DDR3 with a bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s. The Xeon offers a higher memory bandwidth figure.

Q: Do both processors support ECC memory?

A: Yes, both the Intel Xeon E3-1505L v5 and the AMD Opteron 4274 HE list ECC memory support as true in the database.

Q: Which chip has more physical cores?

A: The AMD Opteron 4274 HE has 8 physical cores, while the Intel Xeon E3-1505L v5 has 4 physical cores. However, the Xeon supports 8 threads, matching the Opteron’s thread count.

Q: What is the process node for each processor?

A: The Xeon E3-1505L v5 is fabricated on a 14 nm process, while the Opteron 4274 HE uses a 32 nm process. The Xeon’s node is significantly smaller.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two CPUs is substantial, reflecting nearly four years of development between their releases. The Xeon E3-1505L v5 is built on Intel’s Skylake architecture, specifically the Skylake-H codename, and uses a 14 nm process node. It integrates 2,300 million transistors on a die size of 122 mm². The Opteron 4274 HE, by contrast, is based on AMD’s Bulldozer architecture, codenamed Valencia, and uses a 32 nm process from GlobalFoundries. That older process results in a much larger die of 315 mm², yet it contains fewer transistors, 1,200 million, roughly half the count of the Intel part. The transistor density difference is stark: the Xeon packs nearly double the transistors into less than half the die area, a direct consequence of the smaller process node.

The cache layouts differ as well. The Xeon has a per-core L1 cache of 64 KB and a per-core L2 cache of 256 KB, with a shared 8 MB L3 cache. The Opteron lists its L1 cache as 384 KB (which, given 8 cores, works out to 48 KB per core, though the database does not specify the per-core breakdown), an L2 cache of 8 MB, and an 8 MB shared L3 cache. The total L3 cache size is identical at 8 MB, but the distribution and per-core allocation differ. The Xeon’s per-core L2 is 256 KB, while the Opteron’s 8 MB L2 is shared across the module design typical of Bulldozer, where pairs of cores share certain resources.

Memory support also diverges. The Xeon supports both DDR3 and DDR4 memory over a dual-channel bus, achieving a memory bandwidth of 34.1 GB/s. The Opteron is limited to DDR3, also dual-channel, with a bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s. That is a 33% higher bandwidth figure for the Intel part, which can matter in memory-bound server workloads. The Xeon also integrates graphics, the HD Graphics P530, while the Opteron has no integrated graphics at all. This makes the Xeon a more self-contained package for workstations that might need a display output without a discrete GPU.

The PCIe capabilities are another differentiator. The Xeon provides PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the Opteron offers PCIe Gen 2, with no lane count specified in the database. The newer PCIe standard doubles the per-lane bandwidth, so even if the lane count were identical, the Xeon would have a significant advantage in I/O throughput. The process node and foundry also differ: Intel produces the Xeon in-house on a 14 nm process, while GlobalFoundries fabricates the Opteron on 32 nm. The production status for both is end-of-life, so neither is a current product, but the Xeon’s release date of October 2015 comes roughly four years after the Opteron’s November 2011 launch.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ on nearly every major specification in the database. The Xeon E3-1505L v5 has 4 cores and 8 threads, while the Opteron 4274 HE has 8 cores and 8 threads. The Opteron’s base clock is 2.50 GHz and its boost clock is 3.50 GHz, compared to the Xeon’s 2.00 GHz base and 2.80 GHz boost. That gives the AMD part a 500 MHz higher base clock and a 700 MHz higher boost clock, which partially explains why the Opteron stays so close in benchmarks despite its older architecture. The thermal design power (TDP) is a major contrast: the Xeon is rated at 25 watts, while the Opteron consumes 65 watts, a 40-watt difference. This makes the Xeon far more energy-efficient, a key consideration for dense server deployments.

The sockets are incompatible: the Xeon uses Intel BGA 1440, while the Opteron uses AMD Socket C32. The process nodes differ, 14 nm versus 32 nm, and the transistor counts are 2,300 million versus 1,200 million. The die sizes are 122 mm² versus 315 mm². Memory support shows the Xeon accepting both DDR3 and DDR4, while the Opteron only accepts DDR3. The integrated graphics field is populated for the Xeon (HD Graphics P530) and null for the Opteron. The part numbers also differ: SR2E0 for the Xeon and OS4274OFU8KGU for the Opteron. The Xeon’s launch MSRP is $433, while the Opteron’s launch MSRP is $377, a $56 difference, though both are end-of-life products. Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier, so overclocking is not supported on either platform. The Opteron is part of the Opteron 4000 series, while the Xeon does not have a series listed in the database.

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to a clear but narrow victory for the Intel Xeon E3-1505L v5. It wins all six head-to-head Cinebench tests, with deltas between 1.7% and 2.9%. The average benchmark score of 1446 versus 1420, and the 38th versus 37th percentile ranking, confirm that the Xeon is the faster processor overall. For users who prioritize raw performance per watt, the Xeon’s 25-watt TDP against the Opteron’s 65-watt TDP is a decisive factor; the Xeon delivers higher scores while consuming less than half the power. Its support for DDR4 memory, PCIe Gen 3, and integrated graphics further modernizes the platform, making it a more versatile choice for a workstation that might need display output or faster I/O.

The Opteron 4274 HE, however, is not without merit. Its 8 physical cores, higher base and boost clocks, and identical 8 MB L3 cache allow it to stay within 2% of the Xeon in every test. In multi-threaded workloads where the software is sensitive to core count rather than architecture, the Opteron’s extra cores could be an advantage in specific scenarios, though the recorded Cinebench results do not show that benefit. Its launch MSRP was lower, and it supports ECC memory, but the lack of DDR4, integrated graphics, and modern PCIe standards limit its appeal.

The verdict from the data is straightforward: the Intel Xeon E3-1505L v5 is the better processor in every measured benchmark, with superior efficiency and a more modern feature set. The AMD Opteron 4274 HE is a competitive part for its era, but the database shows it trailing the Xeon across the board. For a new deployment, the Xeon’s combination of lower power, higher memory bandwidth, and faster scores makes it the recommended choice. For legacy systems already on Socket C32, the Opteron remains a serviceable option, but it offers no performance advantage over the Intel part in the recorded tests. The Xeon’s 6-0 head-to-head record is decisive, even if the margins are slim.