Atom Z520

Details and Benchmarks for Intel Atom Z520

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Please take all results with a big grain of salt. Sysbuilds is in alpha stage at the moment which can lead to wrong data, strange counting errors, silly results and more. This site is under active development.

Benchmark Results

Combined benchmark scores based on multiple data points, giving a quick overview of this processor's performance.

Overall Score

Overall score for Atom Z520 based on all benchmark results gathered. Look at this like a meta score, you will find more specific workload ratings below.

3,582 Rank: 2056
Rank Name Score Visual
2051 Atom 330 3,625
+1.2%
2052 Celeron N2805 3,621
+1.1%
2053 Atom Z670 3,600
+0.5%
2054 Atom N2800 3,598
+0.4%
2055 Atom 230 3,585
+0.1%
2056 Atom Z520 3,582
2057 Atom E3815 3,580
-0.1%
2058 A4-1200 3,554
-0.8%
2059 Sempron 3500+ 3,538
-1.2%
2060 Atom D2500 3,524
-1.6%

View full ranking →

Multicore Score

Multicore performance score for Atom Z520 based on multi-threaded benchmark results.

4,195 Rank: 2015
Rank Name Score Visual
2011 Pentium G620 4,200
+0.1%
2012 Pentium E5300 4,199
+0.1%
2013 Athlon X2 QL-62 4,198
+0.1%
2014 Core 2 Duo T7300 4,196
+0%
2015 Atom Z520 4,195
2016 A4-6300 4,192
-0.1%
2017 Athlon X2 QL-64 4,191
-0.1%
2018 Intel Celeron N3010 4,188
-0.2%
2019 Core 2 Duo E8400 4,188
-0.2%
2020 Atom 230 4,187
-0.2%

View full ranking →

Singlecore Score

Single-core performance score for Atom Z520 based on single-threaded benchmark results.

3,173 Rank: 2055
Rank Name Score Visual
2051 Atom 330 3,229
+1.8%
2052 Atom Z670 3,200
+0.9%
2053 Celeron N2805 3,198
+0.8%
2054 Atom 230 3,183
+0.3%
2055 Atom Z520 3,173
2056 Atom N2800 3,153
-0.6%
2057 Atom E3815 3,140
-1%
2058 A4-1200 3,089
-2.6%
2059 Sempron 3500+ 3,082
-2.9%
2060 Atom D2500 3,044
-4.1%

View full ranking →

Workload Scores

Performance scores grouped by workload type, normalized and aggregated from multiple raw benchmark results.

Number Crunching

Aggregated score for Atom Z520 based on integer math, floating point math, and prime number computation benchmarks.

4,424 Rank: 1771
Rank Name Score Visual
1762 Atom D2500 4,453
+0.7%
1763 Atom N450 4,452
+0.6%
1764 Atom N455 4,452
+0.6%
1765 Atom E3815 4,452
+0.6%
1766 Atom D425 4,451
+0.6%
1767 Sempron LE-1250 4,431
+0.2%
1768 Atom 230 4,429
+0.1%
1769 Atom N280 4,426
+0%
1770 Atom N270 4,424
+0%
1771 Atom Z520 4,424

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Data Processing

Aggregated score for Atom Z520 based on data encryption, data compression, and string sorting benchmarks.

4,413 Rank: 1771
Rank Name Score Visual
1762 Celeron 807UE 4,418
+0.1%
1763 Atom N450 4,418
+0.1%
1764 Atom N455 4,418
+0.1%
1765 Sempron 3200+ 4,418
+0.1%
1766 Atom N280 4,417
+0.1%
1767 Atom E3815 4,417
+0.1%
1768 Atom D425 4,417
+0.1%
1769 Atom N270 4,415
+0%
1770 Atom 230 4,414
+0%
1771 Atom Z520 4,413

View full ranking →

Physics & Compute

Aggregated score for Atom Z520 based on physics simulation and extended instruction set (SSE/AVX) benchmarks.

4,430 Rank: 1767
Rank Name Score Visual
1762 Atom N455 4,433
+0.1%
1763 Sempron LE-1250 4,433
+0.1%
1764 Atom N280 4,432
+0%
1765 Atom D425 4,432
+0%
1766 Atom E3815 4,431
+0%
1767 Atom Z520 4,430
1768 Sempron 3200+ 4,430
+0%
1769 Atom N270 4,429
+-0%
1770 Sempron 2500+ 4,429
+-0%
1771 Atom 230 4,428
+-0%

View full ranking →

Atom Z520 Details

Ranking #2056 of 2060 in overall performance, the Intel Atom Z520 represents one of the earliest attempts to deliver x86 computing power in ultra-low-power mobile devices. Launched in April 2008 as part of Intel's Menlow platform, this processor is built on the Silverthorne microarchitecture, a design that prioritized power efficiency over raw computational performance. Despite its age, the Z520 remains notable for its extremely low TDP of just 2 watts, a testament to Intel's focus on energy conservation for early mobile and embedded applications.

The Atom Z520 features a single core with hyper-threading, allowing it to handle two threads simultaneously, and operates at a base frequency of 1.33 GHz. It is manufactured using a 45 nm process and includes 512 KiB of L2 cache, which was modest even for its time. The processor supports a 533 MHz front-side bus and is packaged in a BGA-441 format, requiring soldering to the motherboard, making it unsuitable for consumer upgrades. It lacks integrated graphics, relying instead on chipset-based solutions, and does not support modern instruction sets such as SSE4.1 or AVX2, limiting its compatibility with contemporary software.

In benchmark testing, the Atom Z520 scores 3,582 overall, with a single-core score of 3,173 and a multicore score of 4,195. These results place it near the bottom of the performance hierarchy, trailing behind many modern low-end CPUs and even older dual-core processors like the Core 2 Duo T7300. The multicore performance is particularly weak, as the processor struggles to scale beyond its single-core capabilities. While it outperforms some later low-power Atom variants in single-threaded tasks due to higher clock speeds, it is significantly outpaced by modern mobile processors in all categories.

Despite its limited performance, the Atom Z520 was a pioneering device in the evolution of mobile computing. It laid the groundwork for Intel's later Atom and Core Ultra lines, demonstrating the feasibility of low-power x86 processors in netbooks and handheld devices. As of March 2026, the Z520 has no practical use in modern computing environments due to its outdated architecture and lack of support for modern software features. However, it remains a historical benchmark for understanding the progression of mobile processor design and efficiency.
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Intel Atom Z520

Main Specifications

Designer: Intel
Name: Atom Z520
Family: Atom
Series: Z500
Model Number: Z520
Cores: 1
Threads: 2
Base Frequency: 1333.33 MHz
Clock Multiplier: 10x (locked)
Microarchitecture: Bonnell
Core Name: Silverthorne
Core Family: 6
Core Model: 28
Socket: BGA-441
Package: FCBGA-441
Chipset: Poulsbo
Target Segment: Mobile
Max CPUs: 1
TDP: 2 W
Release Price: $65.00

Cache Specifications

L1 Cache: 56.0128 KiB
L1 Instruction Cache: 32.0512 KiB (8-way set associative)
L1 Data Cache: 23.9616 KiB (6-way set associative)
L2 Cache: 0.5 MiB (8-way set associative)

Memory Specifications

Physical Specifications

Process: 45 nm
Die Area: 24.18 mm²
Transistor Count: 0.05 billion
Manufacturer: Intel
Technology: CMOS
Word Size: 32-bit
ISA: x86-32 (x86)

CPU Features

MMX EMMX SSE SSE2 SSE3 SSSE3 SSE4.1 SSE4.2 AVX2 AES x86-16 x86-32 x86-64 Real Protected SMM FPU NX HT EIST TXT vPro VT-x VT-d EPT Secure Key SMEP SIPP IPT TSX Flex Memory FMA
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