Core 2 Extreme X6800 vs Xeon 5120

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 Core 2 Extreme X6800 is positioned at rank 1042 and the Xeon 5120 is on rank 857, so the Xeon 5120 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 Core 2 Extreme X6800

#1

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

41841%

#2

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

39536%

#3

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

28706%

#4

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

8648%

#5

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

6850%

#6

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

5992%

#7

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

3432%

#8

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

3387%

#9

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

3084%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

3084%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

3050%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

2967%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

2926%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

2914%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

2888%

#1042

Core 2 Extreme X6800

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#1043

Phenom X3 8750

MSRP: $195|Avg: $20

99%

#1044

Pentium G4400TE

MSRP: $300|Avg: $250

98%

#1045

Celeron 2.60

MSRP: $53|Avg: $10

97%

#1046

Core i7-990X

MSRP: $999|Avg: $225

96%

#1047

Phenom X4 9750B

MSRP: $215|Avg: $34

95%

#1048

Core 2 Duo E8200

MSRP: $163|Avg: $20

94%

#1049

Core 2 Quad Q9450

MSRP: $316|Avg: $15

94%

#1050

Core 2 Duo E8600

MSRP: $200|Avg: $95

92%

#1051

Core 2 Duo E6320

MSRP: $163|Avg: $5

92%

#1052

Core i7-980X

MSRP: $999|Avg: $150

92%

#1053

Athlon 64 X2 3600+

MSRP: $150|Avg: $10

91%

#1054

Core 2 Duo E6420

MSRP: $183|Avg: $10

91%

#1055

Pentium D 940

MSRP: $132|Avg: $15

89%

#1056

Phenom X4 9600B

MSRP: $278|Avg: $20

89%

#1057

Phenom II X3 B77

MSRP: $281|Avg: $35

88%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon 5120

#1

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

19945%

#6

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

3766%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

3346%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

2585%

#484

EPYC 7773X

MSRP: $8800|Avg: $8800

100%

#485

Xeon Gold 6258R

MSRP: $3950|Avg: $1400

98%

#486

EPYC 9175F

MSRP: $4256|Avg: $3703

98%

#488

EPYC 9534

MSRP: $8803|Avg: $2999

97%

#489

EPYC 9654

MSRP: $11805|Avg: $5345

97%

#490

EPYC 7H12

MSRP: $6950|Avg: $1340

96%

#857

Xeon 5120

MSRP: $107|Avg: $15

100%

#859

Xeon W3530

MSRP: $294|Avg: $10

100%

#861

Xeon W3520

MSRP: $284|Avg: $15

99%

#862

Xeon E3-1271 v3

MSRP: $727|Avg: $831

99%

#863

Xeon E5603

MSRP: $188|Avg: N/A

99%

#871

Xeon 6315P

MSRP: $1166|Avg: $160

96%

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 ($15) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon 5120 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core 2 Extreme X6800	Xeon 5120
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($15)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Conroe XE (2006) / 65 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Woodcrest (2006) / 65 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core 2 Extreme X6800 ($0), 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 ($15 less, 100% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core 2 Extreme X6800	Xeon 5120
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($15)

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.

Core 2 Extreme X6800 Benchmark Check

Xeon 5120 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 2 Extreme X6800 and Xeon 5120

Core 2 Extreme X6800

The Core 2 Extreme X6800 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 27 July 2006 (19 years ago). It is based on the Conroe XE (2006) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.933 GHz, with boost up to 0.93 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 4 MB (total). Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: LGA775. Thermal design power (TDP): 75 Watt. Memory support: DDR1, DDR2, DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,118 points. Launch price was $999.

Xeon 5120

The Xeon 5120 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in Junho 2006 (19 years ago). It is based on the Woodcrest (2006) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.86 GHz, with boost up to 1.87 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 4 MB. Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: LGA771. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR2. Passmark benchmark score: 1,115 points. Launch price was $45.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core 2 Extreme X6800 and Xeon 5120 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 0.93 GHz on the Core 2 Extreme X6800 versus 1.87 GHz on the Xeon 5120 — a 67.1% clock advantage for the Xeon 5120 (base: 2.933 GHz vs 1.86 GHz). The Core 2 Extreme X6800 uses the Conroe XE (2006) architecture (65 nm), while the Xeon 5120 uses Woodcrest (2006) (65 nm). In PassMark, the Core 2 Extreme X6800 scores 1,118 against the Xeon 5120's 1,115 — a 0.3% lead for the Core 2 Extreme X6800. Both processors carry 0 kB of L3 cache.

Feature	Core 2 Extreme X6800	Xeon 5120
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	0.93 GHz	1.87 GHz+101%
Base Clock	2.933 GHz+58%	1.86 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	0 kB
L2 Cache	4 MB (total)	4 MB
Process	65 nm	65 nm
Architecture	Conroe XE (2006)	Woodcrest (2006)
PassMark	1,118	1,115

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core 2 Extreme X6800 uses the LGA775 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Xeon 5120 uses LGA771 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.