Celeron 1020E vs Xeon E3120

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Celeron 1020E is positioned at rank 951 and the Xeon E3120 is on rank 948, so the Xeon E3120 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Celeron 1020E

#939

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1794%

#940

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1768%

#941

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1623%

#942

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1616%

#943

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1601%

#945

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1546%

#946

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1483%

#947

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1480%

#948

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1440%

#951

Celeron 1020E

MSRP: $86|Avg: $20

100%

#954

Core i7-5850EQ

MSRP: $435|Avg: $370

99%

#956

Core i7-4810MQ

MSRP: $378|Avg: $378

98%

#959

Celeron Dual-Core T3500

MSRP: $80|Avg: $15

97%

#960

Celeron 4305UE

MSRP: $107|Avg: $107

97%

#963

Core i7-10510U

MSRP: $409|Avg: N/A

96%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E3120

#1

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

29520%

#6

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

5574%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

4952%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

3826%

#528

Xeon E5-2687W v3

MSRP: $2141|Avg: $749

96%

#529

Xeon Max 9480

MSRP: $12980|Avg: $12980

91%

#530

Xeon E5-2689 v4

MSRP: $2723|Avg: $100

89%

#531

EPYC 7543

MSRP: $10257|Avg: $468

87%

#948

Xeon E3120

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#949

Xeon E5-2630 v2

MSRP: $1069|Avg: $1224

100%

#953

Xeon E5-1620

MSRP: $885|Avg: $70

94%

#955

Xeon E5462

MSRP: $342|Avg: $45

92%

#958

Xeon E5-4650 v2

MSRP: $1723|Avg: $48

90%

#959

Xeon E5-1620 v4

MSRP: $1166|Avg: $160

89%

#963

Xeon E5-2660

MSRP: $1329|Avg: $65

86%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Use Case Distinction: This is a comparison between a Professional Workstation processor ($0) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E3120 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Celeron 1020E	Xeon E3120
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($20)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Legacy / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Celeron 1020E ($20), however, is optimized for mixed workloads and gaming. For most users, it offers superior single-thread performance and responsiveness at a fraction of the cost ($20 less, Infinity% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Celeron 1020E	Xeon E3120
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($20)	✅ More affordable ($0)

Performance Check

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Celeron 1020E Benchmark Check

Xeon E3120 Benchmark Check

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Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Celeron 1020E and Xeon E3120

Celeron 1020E

The Celeron 1020E is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 2.2 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: G2. Thermal design power (TDP): 512 kB + 2 MB. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,406 points. Launch price was $69.

Xeon E3120

The Xeon E3120 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. Base frequency: 3.16 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB L2 Cache. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA775. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 1,408 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Celeron 1020E is built on the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture. In PassMark, the Celeron 1020E scores 1,406 against the Xeon E3120's 1,408 — a 0.1% lead for the Xeon E3120. L3 cache: 2 MB (total) on the Celeron 1020E vs 6 MB L2 Cache on the Xeon E3120.

Feature	Celeron 1020E	Xeon E3120
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	—
Boost Clock	2.2 GHz	—
Base Clock	2.2 GHz	3.16 GHz+44%
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	6 MB L2 Cache+200%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	—
Process	22 nm-51%	45 nm
Architecture	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	—
PassMark	1,406	1,408

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Celeron 1020E uses the G2 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon E3120 uses LGA775 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Celeron 1020E	Xeon E3120
Socket	G2	LGA775
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0+50%	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1600	—
Max RAM Capacity	16 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	✅	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x (Celeron 1020E) / not specified (Xeon E3120). The Celeron 1020E includes integrated graphics (HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge)), while the Xeon E3120 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Celeron 1020E targets Budget. Direct competitor: Celeron 1020E rivals Pentium 2020M.