Intel Core i3-4360T vs Intel Xeon W3550 Comparison

The Intel Core i3-4360T and the Intel Xeon W3550 are separated by five years of architecture, yet their benchmark results are remarkably close. The data shows a consistent, albeit narrow, victory for the newer dual-core i3-4360T across every single Cinebench test. The Xeon W3550, despite having double the core count, cannot overcome the efficiency and per-core performance of the Haswell design.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking finding is the near-perfect parity in multi-core performance. In the Cinebench R15 multi-core test, the i3-4360T scores 282 against the Xeon's 279, a lead of just 1.1%. This pattern repeats in the more demanding R20 multi-core test, where the i3-4360T's 1175 narrowly edges out the Xeon's 1166, a 0.8% advantage. The R23 multi-core benchmark tells the same story, with the i3-4360T posting 2799 versus the Xeon's 2778, again a 0.8% delta. This is a surprising result given the Xeon's 4 cores and 8 threads versus the i3's 2 cores and 4 threads; the Xeon's additional compute resources are almost entirely neutralized by the i3's superior per-core efficiency.

In single-core workloads, the i3-4360T also takes the lead, though the margins are similarly slim. The Cinebench R20 single-core test shows the i3-4360T scoring 165 against the Xeon's 164, a 0.6% difference. In the R23 single-core test, the i3-4360T scores 395 versus the Xeon's 392, a 0.8% lead. While these wins are small in percentage terms, they are consistent across all five benchmarks, giving the i3-4360T a clean sweep of 5 wins and 0 losses in this head-to-head comparison.

The average benchmark scores reinforce this narrative of near-equality. The i3-4360T has an average score of 963, while the Xeon W3550 sits only slightly lower at 956. This places both processors in the 26th percentile of all CPUs, indicating that they occupy the same performance tier overall. The i3-4360T's nearest rival is the Intel Pentium Gold G5500T at an identical 963 score, while the Xeon W3550's closest competitor is the AMD Athlon X4 870K at 956. The delta between the two is less than 1%, making them functionally equivalent in aggregate performance.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear, if narrow, victory for the Intel Core i3-4360T. It wins every head-to-head benchmark, from the R15 multi-core test to the R23 single-core test. The consistency of these results, even if the margins are small, establishes the i3-4360T as the superior performer in raw Cinebench throughput. The Xeon W3550's only consolation is that the performance gap is minimal, but the direction of the data is unambiguous.

For a user choosing between these two, the i3-4360T is the default pick based on performance alone. It also brings a much newer platform with a 22 nm process node, integrated Intel HD 4600 graphics, and PCIe Gen 3 support, all while consuming a fraction of the power. The Xeon W3550, in contrast, is an end-of-life product from 2009 with a 45 nm process, no integrated graphics, and PCIe Gen 2. While the Xeon offers ECC memory support and a triple-channel memory bus, these features do not translate into a performance advantage in the Cinebench suite.

The Xeon W3550 does have a theoretical edge in multi-threaded scaling due to its 4 cores and 8 threads, but the benchmark data shows this advantage is not realized in practice. In every multi-core test, the i3-4360T comes out ahead. Therefore, the verdict is straightforward: the Intel Core i3-4360T is the better performer, offering a slight but consistent edge across all tested workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i3-4360T wins in every benchmark category tested. Its lead is most pronounced in the Cinebench R15 multi-core test, where it leads by 1.1%, and it maintains a steady 0.8% lead in the R20 and R23 multi-core tests. In single-core tests, its lead is slightly smaller at 0.6% to 0.8%, but it still wins. This makes the i3-4360T the superior choice for both multi-threaded rendering tasks and single-threaded responsiveness.

The Intel Xeon W3550 has no benchmark wins to claim. However, its value lies in its platform features. It supports ECC memory, which is critical for data integrity in server and workstation environments. Its triple-channel memory bus offers greater memory bandwidth potential compared to the i3-4360T's dual-channel bus, though the Cinebench results do not reflect a performance benefit from this. The Xeon's 8 MB of shared L3 cache is double the i3-4360T's 4 MB, but again, this does not translate into a benchmark win.

In practical terms, the Xeon W3550 is positioned for legacy server and workstation builds where ECC memory and a specific socket (Intel Socket 1366) are required. The i3-4360T, by contrast, is a modern desktop part that offers a more complete package with integrated graphics and a lower power envelope. For any workload represented by the Cinebench suite, the i3-4360T is the winner.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i3-4360T has an average benchmark score of 963, while the Intel Xeon W3550 scores 956.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the Cinebench R23 multi-core test?

A: The i3-4360T scores 2799, which is 0.8% higher than the Xeon W3550's score of 2778.

Q: Does the Xeon W3550 win any benchmark tests?

A: No. The head-to-head data shows the i3-4360T winning all 5 tests, with the Xeon W3550 recording 0 wins.

Q: What is the single-core performance difference in the R20 test?

A: The i3-4360T scores 165, leading the Xeon W3550's 164 by a margin of 0.6%.

Q: What percentile do both CPUs rank in?

A: Both the i3-4360T and the Xeon W3550 are in the 26th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: Which processor has a higher base clock speed?

A: The i3-4360T has a base clock of 3.20 GHz, while the Xeon W3550 has a base clock of 3.07 GHz.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on fundamentally different architectures. The Intel Core i3-4360T uses the Haswell microarchitecture, codenamed Haswell, and is manufactured on a 22 nm process node. It integrates 1,400 million transistors on a 177 mm² die. In contrast, the Intel Xeon W3550 uses the Nehalem architecture, codenamed Bloomfield, and is built on a 45 nm process. It contains 731 million transistors on a larger 263 mm² die. The newer 22 nm process gives the i3-4360T a significant efficiency advantage, which is reflected in its 35W TDP versus the Xeon's 130W TDP.

The cache layouts differ notably. Both have 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 256 KB of L2 cache per core. However, the Xeon W3550 has 8 MB of shared L3 cache, double the 4 MB shared L3 cache found on the i3-4360T. The i3-4360T is a dual-core processor with 4 threads, while the Xeon W3550 is a quad-core processor with 8 threads. The i3-4360T features integrated Intel HD 4600 graphics, while the Xeon W3550 has no integrated graphics. The i3-4360T supports PCIe Gen 3, whereas the Xeon W3550 is limited to PCIe Gen 2.

The Xeon W3550 belongs to the Xeon (Bloomfield) generation and targets the Server/Workstation market segment, whereas the i3-4360T is a Core i3 (Haswell) part for the Desktop segment. The production status also differs: the i3-4360T is listed as Active, while the Xeon W3550 is End-of-life.

Specification Differences

The most prominent specification difference is the core and thread count. The Intel Core i3-4360T has 2 cores and 4 threads, while the Intel Xeon W3550 has 4 cores and 8 threads. The base clock speeds are close, with the i3-4360T at 3.20 GHz and the Xeon W3550 at 3.07 GHz. The Xeon W3550 also has a boost clock of 3.33 GHz, a feature the i3-4360T does not have.

The TDP is a major differentiator. The i3-4360T is rated at 35W, while the Xeon W3550 is rated at 130W. The sockets are incompatible: the i3-4360T uses Intel Socket 1150, and the Xeon W3550 uses Intel Socket 1366. Memory support differs as well, with the i3-4360T using a dual-channel DDR3 bus and the Xeon W3550 using a triple-channel DDR3 bus. ECC memory is supported by the Xeon W3550 but not by the i3-4360T.

The process nodes are 22 nm for the i3-4360T and 45 nm for the Xeon W3550. The transistor count and die size also differ: the i3-4360T has 1,400 million transistors on a 177 mm² die, while the Xeon W3550 has 731 million transistors on a 263 mm² die. The i3-4360T includes integrated graphics (Intel HD 4600), whereas the Xeon W3550 has none. The PCIe generation is Gen 3 for the i3-4360T and Gen 2 for the Xeon W3550. Finally, the release dates are far apart, with the i3-4360T launching in 2014 and the Xeon W3550 in 2009.