Intel Atom x7-E3950 vs Raspberry Pi 5 B (Broadcom BCM2712)

The Intel Atom x7-E3950, architectural name Cherry Trail, was introduced by Intel in the fourth quarter of 2016.

It is designed for embedded systems, industrial applications, and thin clients. It is manufactured using a 14-nm process. This processor has four cores and four threads with 2 MB L3 cache. Its single-core and multi-core performance is comparatively lower. The integrated Intel HD Graphics 505 offers very limited gaming performance, suitable for simple 2D applications.

The maximum memory bandwidth is 38 GB/s via PCIe 2.0. The processor is designed for low power consumption and is typically offered as part of complete systems. The Raspberry Pi 5 B (Broadcom BCM2712), based on the Cortex-A76 architecture, was introduced by Broadcom in the fourth quarter of 2023.

It is aimed at hobbyists, educational purposes, and light desktop usage applications. Manufactured using a 16-nm process, it has four cores and four threads with 2 MB L2 and 2 MB L3 cache. Its single-core and multi-core performance is significantly higher. The integrated Broadcom VideoCore VII graphics enable improved graphical performance, even for light 3D games at lower resolutions.

The maximum memory bandwidth is 17 GB/s via PCIe 2.0. This processor is also designed for low power consumption and offers a very good price-performance ratio as a single-board computer. For gaming, the Raspberry Pi 5 B (Broadcom BCM2712) is better suited due to its more modern GPU architecture and higher CPU performance, although neither is designed for demanding games.

Both systems are designed for efficiency. Regarding the price-performance ratio, the Raspberry Pi 5 B (Broadcom BCM2712) offers a clear advantage as a full-fledged, inexpensive single-board computer. The Intel Atom x7-E3950 is recommended for specialized industrial or embedded applications requiring long-term availability and robustness.

The Raspberry Pi 5 B (Broadcom BCM2712) is the better choice for projects requiring higher computing power, flexibility, and a complete, cost-effective system.