Core i3-7101E
VS
Xeon Bronze 3104

Core i3-7101E vs Xeon Bronze 3104

Intel

Core i3-7101E

2 Cores4 Thrd54 WWMax: 3.9 GHz2017
VS
Intel

Xeon Bronze 3104

6 Cores6 Thrd85 WWMax: 1.7 GHz2017

Performance Spectrum - CPU

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 i3-7101E is positioned at rank 520 and the Xeon Bronze 3104 is on rank 598, so the Core i3-7101E 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 i3-7101E

#1
Ryzen 9 7950X
MSRP: $194|Avg: $20
8233%
#2
Core i9-10900T
MSRP: $120|Avg: $5
7780%
#3
Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE
MSRP: $423|Avg: $5
5649%
#4
Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85
1702%
#5
Ryzen 9 9950X
MSRP: $649|Avg: $129
1348%
#6
Ryzen 5 8400F
MSRP: $303|Avg: $55
1179%
#7
Ryzen 7 PRO 2700
MSRP: $299|Avg: $60
675%
#8
Ryzen 5 2600X
MSRP: $229|Avg: $55
667%
#9
Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G
MSRP: $150|Avg: $60
607%
#10
Core Ultra 5 245KF
MSRP: $294|Avg: $189
607%
#11
Ryzen 5 5500
MSRP: $159|Avg: $85
600%
#12
Ryzen 5 3600
MSRP: $199|Avg: $80
584%
#13
Core i3-9100E
MSRP: $202|Avg: $30
576%
#14
Core Ultra 5 245K
MSRP: $319|Avg: $200
573%
#15
Core i3-8300T
MSRP: $138|Avg: $25
568%
#262
Core i7-8700K
MSRP: $359|Avg: $160
100%
#374
Core i9-13900TE
MSRP: $554|Avg: $554
98%
#375
Ryzen Embedded V2546
MSRP: $300|Avg: $300
96%
#520
Core i3-7101E
MSRP: $117|Avg: $50
100%
#522
Athlon II X4 740
MSRP: $71|Avg: $20
100%
#525
Celeron G1840T
MSRP: $42|Avg: $10
99%
#527
Pentium G4500
MSRP: $75|Avg: $34
99%
#528
Athlon X4 740
MSRP: $71|Avg: $71
98%
#529
Xeon E5-2608L v4
MSRP: $363|Avg: $174
98%
#531
Celeron G1610
MSRP: $42|Avg: $5
97%
#532
Core i3-7100
MSRP: $117|Avg: $40
97%
#533
Celeron G1620T
MSRP: $42|Avg: $15
96%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon Bronze 3104

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
9481%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
1790%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
1590%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
1229%
#357
Xeon w9-3575X
MSRP: $3789|Avg: $675
99%
#358
Xeon w7-3465X
MSRP: $2889|Avg: $468
99%
#359
Xeon Gold 6530
MSRP: $2128|Avg: $1846
99%
#359
EPYC 9354
MSRP: $3420|Avg: $2498
99%
#361
Xeon Silver 4114
MSRP: $612|Avg: $30
98%
#362
EPYC 7532
MSRP: $2380|Avg: $225
97%
#363
Xeon W-2191B
MSRP: $1333|Avg: $39
97%
#364
Xeon Gold 5320
MSRP: $1780|Avg: $1834
96%
#365
EPYC 7513
MSRP: $2840|Avg: $389
96%
#598
Xeon Bronze 3104
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#605
Xeon E3-1270 v3
MSRP: $339|Avg: $410
97%
#607
Xeon E3-1235
MSRP: $240|Avg: $270
97%
#610
Xeon E3-1265L v3
MSRP: $294|Avg: $398
96%
#612
Xeon E3-1280 v2
MSRP: $315|Avg: $50
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 ($0) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon Bronze 3104 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightCore i3-7101EXeon Bronze 3104
Gaming
Superior gaming performance
Lower gaming performance
Workstation
Better multi-core power
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price
⚠️ Higher cost ($50)
More affordable ($0)
Longevity
✨ Modern (Kaby Lake (2016−2019) / 14 nm)
✨ Modern (Skylake (server) (2017−2018) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i3-7101E ($50), 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 ($50 less, Infinity% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.
InsightCore i3-7101EXeon Bronze 3104
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
⚠️ Higher cost ($50)
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.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i3-7101E and Xeon Bronze 3104

Intel

Core i3-7101E

The Core i3-7101E is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 January 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Kaby Lake (2016−2019) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.9 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 54 Watt. Memory support: DDR3L-1600, DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 4,430 points. Launch price was $117.

Intel

Xeon Bronze 3104

The Xeon Bronze 3104 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 11 July 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 6 cores and 6 threads. Base frequency is 1.7 GHz, with boost up to 1.7 GHz. L3 cache: 8.25 MB. L2 cache: 6 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 85 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2133. Passmark benchmark score: 4,383 points. Launch price was $213.

Processing Power

The Core i3-7101E packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Xeon Bronze 3104 offers 6 cores / 6 threads — the Xeon Bronze 3104 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.9 GHz on the Core i3-7101E versus 1.7 GHz on the Xeon Bronze 3104 — a 78.6% clock advantage for the Core i3-7101E (base: 3.9 GHz vs 1.7 GHz). The Core i3-7101E uses the Kaby Lake (2016−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon Bronze 3104 uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i3-7101E scores 4,430 against the Xeon Bronze 3104's 4,383 — a 1.1% lead for the Core i3-7101E. L3 cache: 3 MB on the Core i3-7101E vs 8.25 MB on the Xeon Bronze 3104.

FeatureCore i3-7101EXeon Bronze 3104
Cores / Threads
2 / 4
6 / 6+200%
Boost Clock
3.9 GHz+129%
1.7 GHz
Base Clock
3.9 GHz+129%
1.7 GHz
L3 Cache
3 MB
8.25 MB+175%
L2 Cache
512 kB
6 MB+1100%
Process
14 nm
14 nm
Architecture
Kaby Lake (2016−2019)
Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark
4,430+1%
4,383
Geekbench 6 Single
1,250
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i3-7101E uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon Bronze 3104 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2400 on the Core i3-7101E versus 2133 on the Xeon Bronze 3104 — the Xeon Bronze 3104 supports 199.3% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon Bronze 3104 supports up to 768 of RAM compared to 64 GB 169.2% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i3-7101E) vs 6 (Xeon Bronze 3104). PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i3-7101E) vs 48 (Xeon Bronze 3104) — the Xeon Bronze 3104 offers 32 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: C236,C232,Q170,Q270 (Core i3-7101E) and C621 (Xeon Bronze 3104).

FeatureCore i3-7101EXeon Bronze 3104
Socket
LGA1151
LGA3647
PCIe Generation
PCIe 3.0
PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed
DDR4-2400
2133+53225%
Max RAM Capacity
64 GB+8738033%
768
RAM Channels
2
6+200%
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
16
48+200%
🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Only the Xeon Bronze 3104 supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i3-7101E) vs VT-x, VT-d (Xeon Bronze 3104). The Core i3-7101E includes integrated graphics (HD Graphics 630), while the Xeon Bronze 3104 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-7101E targets Embedded. Direct competitor: Core i3-7101E rivals Embedded Ryzen V1000.

FeatureCore i3-7101EXeon Bronze 3104
Integrated GPU
Yes
No
IGPU Model
HD Graphics 630
None
Unlocked
No
No
AVX-512
No
Yes
Virtualization
VT-x, VT-d, EPT
VT-x, VT-d
Target Use
Embedded