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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core 5 120UL

2024

Why buy it

✅Costs $306 less on MSRP ($277 MSRP vs $583 MSRP).
✅Delivers 113.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 38.1 vs 17.8 PassMark/$ ($277 MSRP vs $583 MSRP).
✅Draws 15W instead of 140W, a 125W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA2011 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 15 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-1650 v3, which brings 6 cores / 12 threads and 40 PCIe lanes.

Xeon E5-1650 v3

2014

Why buy it

✅+25% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 6 cores / 12 threads, plus 40 PCIe lanes vs 0.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (10,387 vs 10,558).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 17.8 vs 38.1 PassMark/$ ($583 MSRP vs $277 MSRP).
❌833.3% higher power demand at 140W vs 15W.
❌Older platform position on LGA2011 with DDR4, while Core 5 120UL moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Core 5 120UL

2024

Xeon E5-1650 v3

2014

Why buy it

✅Costs $306 less on MSRP ($277 MSRP vs $583 MSRP).
✅Delivers 113.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 38.1 vs 17.8 PassMark/$ ($277 MSRP vs $583 MSRP).
✅Draws 15W instead of 140W, a 125W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA2011 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅+25% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 6 cores / 12 threads, plus 40 PCIe lanes vs 0.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 15 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-1650 v3, which brings 6 cores / 12 threads and 40 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (10,387 vs 10,558).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 17.8 vs 38.1 PassMark/$ ($583 MSRP vs $277 MSRP).
❌833.3% higher power demand at 140W vs 15W.
❌Older platform position on LGA2011 with DDR4, while Core 5 120UL moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Core 5 120UL better than Xeon E5-1650 v3?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E5-1650 v3 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core 5 120UL is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core 5 120UL is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 1.4% more average FPS across 3 shared CPU game tests.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core 5 120UL is the better fit. You are getting 1.6% better PassMark, backed by 10 cores and 12 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Core 5 120UL is the smarter buy today. Core 5 120UL is $306 cheaper on MSRP at $277 MSRP versus $583 MSRP, and it gives you a 1.4% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 113.9% better value on MSRP (38.1 vs 17.8 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Core 5 120UL is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2014), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of LGA2011, and more multi-core headroom with 10 cores / 12 threads instead of 6/12. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

Games Benchmarks

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 5 120UL Benchmark Check

Xeon E5-1650 v3 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core 5 120UL	Xeon E5-1650 v3
1080p
low	173 FPS	172 FPS
medium	141 FPS	146 FPS
high	117 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	97 FPS
1440p
low	144 FPS	143 FPS
medium	114 FPS	120 FPS
high	94 FPS	95 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	77 FPS
4K
low	79 FPS	65 FPS
medium	68 FPS	58 FPS
high	54 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	36 FPS

Open Core 5 120UL Open Xeon E5-1650 v3

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core 5 120UL	Xeon E5-1650 v3
1080p
low	201 FPS	242 FPS
medium	171 FPS	210 FPS
high	155 FPS	190 FPS
ultra	136 FPS	153 FPS
1440p
low	177 FPS	213 FPS
medium	155 FPS	185 FPS
high	143 FPS	168 FPS
ultra	123 FPS	139 FPS
4K
low	138 FPS	167 FPS
medium	125 FPS	147 FPS
high	118 FPS	131 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	97 FPS

Open Core 5 120UL Open Xeon E5-1650 v3

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core 5 120UL	Xeon E5-1650 v3
1080p
low	264 FPS	260 FPS
medium	264 FPS	260 FPS
high	264 FPS	260 FPS
ultra	264 FPS	260 FPS
1440p
low	264 FPS	260 FPS
medium	264 FPS	260 FPS
high	264 FPS	260 FPS
ultra	264 FPS	260 FPS
4K
low	264 FPS	260 FPS
medium	264 FPS	260 FPS
high	264 FPS	260 FPS
ultra	249 FPS	249 FPS

Open Core 5 120UL Open Xeon E5-1650 v3

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core 5 120UL	Xeon E5-1650 v3
1080p
low	264 FPS	260 FPS
medium	264 FPS	260 FPS
high	264 FPS	260 FPS
ultra	264 FPS	260 FPS
1440p
low	264 FPS	260 FPS
medium	264 FPS	260 FPS
high	264 FPS	260 FPS
ultra	264 FPS	260 FPS
4K
low	264 FPS	260 FPS
medium	264 FPS	260 FPS
high	264 FPS	260 FPS
ultra	264 FPS	260 FPS

Open Core 5 120UL Open Xeon E5-1650 v3

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 5 120UL and Xeon E5-1650 v3

Core 5 120UL

The Core 5 120UL is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 8 April 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake-PS (2024) architecture. It features 10 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 1.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 10,558 points. Launch price was $149.

Xeon E5-1650 v3

The Xeon E5-1650 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 15 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1333, DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133. Passmark benchmark score: 10,387 points. Launch price was $800.

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Processing Power

The Core 5 120UL packs 10 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon E5-1650 v3 offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core 5 120UL has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Core 5 120UL versus 3.8 GHz on the Xeon E5-1650 v3 — a 19% clock advantage for the Core 5 120UL (base: 1.3 GHz vs 3.5 GHz). The Core 5 120UL uses the Raptor Lake-PS (2024) architecture (10 nm), while the Xeon E5-1650 v3 uses Haswell-EP (2014−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Core 5 120UL scores 10,558 against the Xeon E5-1650 v3's 10,387 — a 1.6% lead for the Core 5 120UL. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core 5 120UL vs 15 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-1650 v3.

Feature	Core 5 120UL	Xeon E5-1650 v3
Cores / Threads	10 / 12+67%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz+21%	3.8 GHz
Base Clock	1.3 GHz	3.5 GHz+169%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	15 MB (total)+25%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+400%	256K (per core)
Process	10 nm-55%	22 nm
Architecture	Raptor Lake-PS (2024)	Haswell-EP (2014−2015)
PassMark	10,558+2%	10,387

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Memory & Platform

The Core 5 120UL uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Xeon E5-1650 v3 uses LGA2011 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core 5 120UL	Xeon E5-1650 v3
Socket	LGA1700	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0	PCIe 5.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-2133
Max RAM Capacity	—	768 GB
RAM Channels	—	4
ECC Support	—	Yes
PCIe Lanes	—	40

💰

Value Analysis

The Core 5 120UL launched at $277 MSRP, while the Xeon E5-1650 v3 debuted at $583. On MSRP ($277 vs $583), the Core 5 120UL is $306 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core 5 120UL delivers 38.1 pts/$ vs 17.8 pts/$ for the Xeon E5-1650 v3 — making the Core 5 120UL the 72.6% better value option.