Core i3-3240 vs Xeon E5440

Core i3-3240

2 Cores4 Thrd55 WWMax: 3.4 GHz2012

Xeon E5440

4 Cores4 Thrd80 WWMax: 0.83 GHz2007

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i3-3240

2 / 4

2,352

0.0%

2,367

+0.6%

About PassMark

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 i3-3240 is positioned at rank 847 and the Xeon E5440 is on rank 1008, so the Core i3-3240 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 i3-3240

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

17492%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

16529%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

12001%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

3615%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

2864%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

2505%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

1435%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

1416%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

1289%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

1289%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

1275%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

1241%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

1223%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

1218%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

1207%

#847

Core i3-3240

MSRP: $132|Avg: $15

100%

#848

Pentium G640T

MSRP: $64|Avg: $69

100%

#849

Core i7-5930K

MSRP: $583|Avg: $410

100%

#851

Core i3-3240T

MSRP: $117|Avg: $8

100%

#852

Athlon II X2 240

MSRP: $60|Avg: $10

99%

#854

Core i5-2500S

MSRP: $192|Avg: $61

99%

#856

Athlon X2 BE-2400

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

98%

#857

Core i3-2102

MSRP: $117|Avg: $15

97%

#858

Pentium G850

MSRP: $86|Avg: $75

97%

#859

Core i5-3475S

MSRP: $249|Avg: $42

97%

#860

Core i7-2600K

MSRP: $317|Avg: $109

97%

#861

Pentium G860

MSRP: $86|Avg: $36

97%

#862

Athlon II X2 245

MSRP: $66|Avg: $15

96%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E5440

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

60590%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

11440%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

10164%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

7852%

#540

Xeon E7-8891 v3

MSRP: $6841|Avg: $418

92%

#541

Xeon E5-4669 v4

MSRP: $7007|Avg: $300

73%

#1008

Xeon E5440

MSRP: $690|Avg: $37

100%

#1009

Xeon E5-2643

MSRP: $1552|Avg: $50

98%

#1010

Xeon E5-2637

MSRP: $885|Avg: $40

98%

#1011

Xeon W3570

MSRP: $999|Avg: $15

95%

#1013

Xeon E5-4620

MSRP: $2141|Avg: $400

90%

#1014

Xeon E5-2680

MSRP: $3226|Avg: $40

84%

#1016

Xeon E5-4640

MSRP: $2725|Avg: N/A

75%

#1018

Xeon E5-4650

MSRP: $3616|Avg: $71

69%

#1019

Xeon E5-4655 v4

MSRP: $4616|Avg: N/A

69%

#1020

Xeon E5-4650L

MSRP: $3616|Avg: N/A

69%

#1021

Xeon E-2224

MSRP: $3226|Avg: $195

65%

#1022

Athlon MP 2400+

MSRP: $151|Avg: $20

59%

#1023

Xeon E5-2650L v2

MSRP: $4115|Avg: $1078

54%

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 ($37) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E5440 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core i3-3240	Xeon E5440
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($15)	⚠️ Higher cost ($37)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Harpertown (2007−2008) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i3-3240 ($15), 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 ($22 less, 59% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core i3-3240	Xeon E5440
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+145%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($15)	⚠️ Higher cost ($37)

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 i3-3240 Benchmark Check

Xeon E5440 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i3-3240 and Xeon E5440

Core i3-3240

The Core i3-3240 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 September 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1155. Thermal design power (TDP): 55 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,352 points. Launch price was $75.

Xeon E5440

The Xeon E5440 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 11 November 2007 (18 years ago). It is based on the Harpertown (2007−2008) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.83 GHz, with boost up to 0.83 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB L2 Cache. L2 cache: 6 MB (total). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA771. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR2, DDR3 Depends on motherboard. Passmark benchmark score: 2,367 points. Launch price was $690.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i3-3240 packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Xeon E5440 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Xeon E5440 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.4 GHz on the Core i3-3240 versus 0.83 GHz on the Xeon E5440 — a 121.5% clock advantage for the Core i3-3240 (base: 3.4 GHz vs 2.83 GHz). The Core i3-3240 uses the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture (22 nm), while the Xeon E5440 uses Harpertown (2007−2008) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Core i3-3240 scores 2,352 against the Xeon E5440's 2,367 — a 0.6% lead for the Xeon E5440. L3 cache: 3 MB (total) on the Core i3-3240 vs 12 MB L2 Cache on the Xeon E5440.

Feature	Core i3-3240	Xeon E5440
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	3.4 GHz+310%	0.83 GHz
Base Clock	3.4 GHz+20%	2.83 GHz
L3 Cache	3 MB (total)	12 MB L2 Cache+300%
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	6 MB (total)+2300%
Process	22 nm-51%	45 nm
Architecture	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Harpertown (2007−2008)
PassMark	2,352	2,367

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i3-3240 uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon E5440 uses LGA771 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i3-3240	Xeon E5440
Socket	LGA1155	LGA771
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0+50%	PCIe 2.0

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i3-3240 launched at $132 MSRP, while the Xeon E5440 debuted at $690. At current prices ($15 vs $37), the Core i3-3240 is $22 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i3-3240 delivers 156.8 pts/$ vs 64.0 pts/$ for the Xeon E5440 — making the Core i3-3240 the 84.1% better value option.