Intel Core i5-3470T vs Intel Xeon W3520 Comparison

The Intel Core i5-3470T and the Intel Xeon W3520 land in the same performance tier, with average benchmark scores of 863 and 862 respectively. The i5-3470T holds a razor-thin 0.1% aggregate lead, yet the two chips achieve this parity through wildly different means: the i5 is a low-power dual-core from the Ivy Bridge generation, while the Xeon is a power-hungry quad-core from the older Nehalem architecture. The data shows the i5-3470T wins every head-to-head benchmark, but the Xeon W3520 brings more cores, more cache, and ECC memory support to the table.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i5-3470T edges out the Intel Xeon W3520 with an average score of 863 versus 862, a difference of just 0.1%.

Q: How do the two chips compare in multi-core rendering performance?

A: The i5-3470T wins all multi-core Cinebench tests, including a 1.6% lead in Cinebench R15 (256 vs 252) and a 1.7% lead in Cinebench R23 (2547 vs 2505).

Q: What are the core and thread counts for each processor?

A: The Intel Core i5-3470T has 2 cores and 4 threads. The Intel Xeon W3520 has 4 cores and 8 threads.

Q: Which processor supports ECC memory?

A: The Intel Xeon W3520 supports ECC memory, while the Intel Core i5-3470T does not.

Q: How do their power requirements differ?

A: The i5-3470T has a TDP of 35 watts, whereas the Xeon W3520 has a TDP of 130 watts.

Q: Which chip has a newer manufacturing process?

A: The Intel Core i5-3470T is built on a 22 nm process, compared to the 45 nm process used for the Intel Xeon W3520.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i5-3470T is the clear winner in every direct benchmark comparison. It takes the top spot in all five head-to-head tests, including both single-core and multi-core workloads. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the i5-3470T scores 2547 against the Xeon's 2505, a 1.7% advantage. The single-core test shows a similar pattern, with the i5-3470T posting 359 versus 353 for the Xeon. The i5-3470T also wins in Cinebench R20 multi-core (1069 vs 1052) and single-core (150 vs 148), along with Cinebench R15 multi-core (256 vs 252). The data shows the i5-3470T has a consistent, if modest, performance edge across the board.

The Intel Xeon W3520's strengths lie outside raw benchmark scores. It offers double the core count (4 cores vs 2) and double the thread count (8 threads vs 4), which suggests better scalability in heavily threaded environments, even if the tested workloads do not reflect that advantage. The Xeon also features triple-channel memory support and ECC memory, making it more suitable for reliability-focused workstation tasks. Its larger 8 MB shared L3 cache, compared to the i5-3470T's 3 MB, may also help in certain data-intensive applications, though the benchmark results do not show a corresponding win.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different architectural eras. The Intel Core i5-3470T is based on Ivy Bridge, a 22 nm design, while the Intel Xeon W3520 uses the older Nehalem architecture (codenamed Bloomfield) built on a 45 nm process. This generational gap explains many of the performance characteristics: the i5-3470T achieves higher clock speeds and better single-core performance despite having fewer cores.

The i5-3470T has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 3.60 GHz, whereas the Xeon W3520 operates at a base of 2.67 GHz and boosts to 2.93 GHz. The i5-3470T also benefits from a more modern PCIe implementation, supporting Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the Xeon W3520 is limited to PCIe Gen 2.

Cache layouts differ significantly. Both chips have 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core, but the shared L3 cache is much larger on the Xeon: 8 MB versus 3 MB on the i5-3470T. The Xeon also has a notably larger die size (263 mm²) compared to the i5-3470T (93.6 mm²), and it packs 731 million transistors, a figure not listed for the i5-3470T.

The i5-3470T includes integrated graphics in the form of Intel HD 2500, which the Xeon W3520 completely lacks. This makes the i5-3470T a more self-contained solution for systems without a discrete GPU.

Specification Differences

The two chips diverge on nearly every major specification. The i5-3470T offers 2 cores and 4 threads, while the Xeon W3520 provides 4 cores and 8 threads. Clock speeds favor the i5-3470T, with a 2.90 GHz base and 3.60 GHz boost versus the Xeon's 2.67 GHz base and 2.93 GHz boost.

Power consumption is a major differentiator. The i5-3470T has a TDP of 35 watts, making it far more energy-efficient than the Xeon W3520's 130-watt TDP. The socket types also differ: the i5-3470T uses Intel Socket 1155, while the Xeon W3520 requires Intel Socket 1366.

Memory configurations differ as well. The i5-3470T supports dual-channel DDR3 memory, while the Xeon W3520 supports triple-channel DDR3. ECC memory support is exclusive to the Xeon W3520, which is expected given its server/workstation market segment. The i5-3470T is classified as a desktop part, whereas the Xeon W3520 targets server and workstation environments.

The Xeon W3520 is marked as end-of-life in production status, while no such designation is listed for the i5-3470T. Release dates show the Xeon debuted in March 2009, over three years before the i5-3470T's May 2012 launch. The process node also differs, with the i5-3470T at 22 nm versus 45 nm for the Xeon.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data shows a clean sweep for the Intel Core i5-3470T, though the margins are consistently narrow. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i5-3470T scores 256 against the Xeon W3520's 252, a 1.6% advantage. This pattern repeats in Cinebench R20 multi-core, where the i5-3470T posts 1069 versus 1052, again a 1.6% lead.

Single-core performance follows the same trend. The i5-3470T scores 150 in Cinebench R20 single-core, beating the Xeon's 148 by 1.4%. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the i5-3470T reaches 359, while the Xeon manages 353, a 1.7% difference.

The largest margin comes in Cinebench R23 multi-core. Here, the i5-3470T scores 2547, and the Xeon W3520 trails at 2505, giving the i5-3470T a 1.7% win. This result is notable because the Xeon has twice as many cores and threads, yet the i5-3470T's architectural advantages—higher clocks and a newer process node—overcome that deficit.

Geekbench results are only available for the i5-3470T, which scores 1102 in multi-core and 560 in single-core. No corresponding Geekbench data exists for the Xeon W3520 in the fact pack, so a direct comparison is not possible for that test.

Both processors sit at the 23rd percentile among all CPUs, confirming they occupy the same performance class. The nearest rivals to each chip reinforce this picture: the Xeon X3460 scores 866 (a -0.4% delta from the i5-3470T), and the AMD A8-7650K scores 860 (a 0.3% delta). The i5-3470T and Xeon W3520 are essentially tied, with the i5-3470T holding a 0.1% average score advantage. The data indicates that workload type matters less than expected here; the i5-3470T wins across the board, but the Xeon W3520's 4-core, 8-thread configuration and ECC support make it a more robust choice for specific professional applications.