Core i5-6600K vs Xeon E3-1268L v5

Core i5-6600K

4 Cores4 Thrd91 WWMax: 3.9 GHz2015

Xeon E3-1268L v5

4 Cores8 Thrd35 WWMax: 3.4 GHz2015

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i5-6600K

4 / 4

6,301

0.0%

6,334

+0.5%

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 i5-6600K is positioned at rank 662 and the Xeon E3-1268L v5 is on rank 455, so the Xeon E3-1268L v5 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 i5-6600K

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

11971%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

11311%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

8213%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

2474%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

1960%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

1714%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

982%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

969%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

882%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

882%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

872%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

849%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

837%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

834%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

826%

#390

Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX

MSRP: $1799|Avg: $1247

98%

#662

Core i5-6600K

MSRP: $242|Avg: $105

100%

#663

Core i5-4440

MSRP: $184|Avg: $101

100%

#664

Core i3-4370

MSRP: $149|Avg: $41

99%

#665

Core i5-7500T

MSRP: $202|Avg: $130

99%

#666

Core i5-7400T

MSRP: $182|Avg: $78

99%

#667

Core i5-4670

MSRP: $213|Avg: $65

99%

#668

Core i5-4570S

MSRP: $195|Avg: $40

99%

#669

Pentium G2010

MSRP: $64|Avg: $5

98%

#671

Core i5-6500TE

MSRP: $192|Avg: $60

98%

#673

Celeron G550T

MSRP: $42|Avg: $5

98%

#674

Core i5-4430

MSRP: $182|Avg: $60

98%

#675

Pentium G2130

MSRP: $75|Avg: $8

98%

#677

Core i5-4460S

MSRP: $182|Avg: $50

98%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E3-1268L v5

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

6562%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

1239%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

1101%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

850%

#290

Xeon Gold 5420+

MSRP: $1848|Avg: $1848

99%

#292

Xeon w7-2575X

MSRP: $1689|Avg: $1860

99%

#294

Xeon Gold 6444Y

MSRP: $3622|Avg: N/A

98%

#295

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX

MSRP: $2649|Avg: $2782

98%

#296

Xeon Platinum 8380

MSRP: $2010|Avg: $965

98%

#297

EPYC 7453

MSRP: $1570|Avg: $1253

97%

#454

Xeon E3-1285 v6

MSRP: $450|Avg: N/A

100%

#455

Xeon E3-1268L v5

MSRP: $377|Avg: $93

100%

#459

Xeon E5-1428L V2

MSRP: $494|Avg: $83

99%

#460

Xeon E5-1428L

MSRP: $480|Avg: N/A

99%

#462

Xeon E5-2620 v2

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $54

99%

#468

Xeon X5670

MSRP: $67|Avg: $30

97%

#469

Xeon E7340

MSRP: $213|Avg: $132

97%

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 ($93) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E3-1268L v5 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core i5-6600K	Xeon E3-1268L v5
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($105)	✅ More affordable ($93)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Skylake (2015−2016) / 14 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Skylake-DT (2015) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i5-6600K ($105), 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 ($12 less, 13% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core i5-6600K	Xeon E3-1268L v5
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+13%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($105)	✅ More affordable ($93)

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 i5-6600K Benchmark Check

Xeon E3-1268L v5 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-6600K and Xeon E3-1268L v5

Core i5-6600K

The Core i5-6600K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 5 August 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 91 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 6,301 points. Launch price was $242.

Xeon E3-1268L v5

The Xeon E3-1268L v5 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Skylake-DT (2015) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 6,334 points. Launch price was $377.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-6600K packs 4 cores / 4 threads, matching the Xeon E3-1268L v5's 4 cores. Boost clocks reach 3.9 GHz on the Core i5-6600K versus 3.4 GHz on the Xeon E3-1268L v5 — a 13.7% clock advantage for the Core i5-6600K (base: 3.5 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Core i5-6600K uses the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon E3-1268L v5 uses Skylake-DT (2015) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-6600K scores 6,301 against the Xeon E3-1268L v5's 6,334 — a 0.5% lead for the Xeon E3-1268L v5. L3 cache: 6 MB (total) on the Core i5-6600K vs 8 MB (total) on the Xeon E3-1268L v5.

Feature	Core i5-6600K	Xeon E3-1268L v5
Cores / Threads	4 / 4	4 / 8
Boost Clock	3.9 GHz+15%	3.4 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+46%	2.4 GHz
L3 Cache	6 MB (total)	8 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Skylake (2015−2016)	Skylake-DT (2015)
PassMark	6,301	6,334

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the LGA1151 socket with PCIe 3.0.

Feature	Core i5-6600K	Xeon E3-1268L v5
Socket	LGA1151	LGA1151
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-6600K launched at $242 MSRP, while the Xeon E3-1268L v5 debuted at $377. At current prices ($105 vs $93), the Xeon E3-1268L v5 is $12 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-6600K delivers 60.0 pts/$ vs 68.1 pts/$ for the Xeon E3-1268L v5 — making the Xeon E3-1268L v5 the 12.6% better value option.