Core i5-661 vs Xeon E5-2403

Core i5-661

2 Cores4 Thrd87 WWMax: 3.6 GHz2010

Xeon E5-2403

4 Cores4 Thrd80 WWMax: 1.8 GHz2012

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i5-661

2 / 4

2,387

+0.8%

Pentium Dual Core T4500

2,367

0.0%

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 i5-661 is positioned at rank 959 and the Xeon E5-2403 is on rank 816, so the Xeon E5-2403 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 i5-661

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

25592%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

24182%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

17558%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

5290%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

4190%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

3665%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

2099%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

2072%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

1887%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

1886%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

1865%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

1815%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

1790%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

1782%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

1766%

#959

Core i5-661

MSRP: $196|Avg: $40

100%

#960

Core i5-750

MSRP: $210|Avg: $30

100%

#961

Core i3-4150

MSRP: $281|Avg: $70

100%

#962

Core i3-2100T

MSRP: $127|Avg: $127

99%

#963

Pentium E2210

MSRP: $84|Avg: $15

98%

#964

Core i3-560

MSRP: $138|Avg: $10

98%

#965

Core i3-550

MSRP: $138|Avg: $5

97%

#966

Core i7-980

MSRP: $583|Avg: $50

97%

#967

Pentium G3250

MSRP: $171|Avg: $25

96%

#968

Pentium E2200

MSRP: $84|Avg: $5

96%

#969

Core 2 Duo E7300

MSRP: $133|Avg: $133

96%

#970

Core i3-540

MSRP: $133|Avg: $5

96%

#972

Phenom II X3 700e

MSRP: $125|Avg: $40

95%

#973

Core i5-760

MSRP: $230|Avg: $61

95%

#974

Core i3-7102E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $80

95%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E5-2403

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

17553%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

3314%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

2944%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

2275%

#466

Xeon Platinum 8358

MSRP: $4607|Avg: $3145

100%

#467

EPYC 7713

MSRP: $7060|Avg: $1299

99%

#467

EPYC 7662

MSRP: $6150|Avg: $1266

99%

#469

EPYC 9554

MSRP: $9087|Avg: $2795

97%

#470

Xeon Gold 6338T

MSRP: $3139|Avg: $1795

96%

#471

Xeon E5-2650 v4

MSRP: $1166|Avg: $45

96%

#816

Xeon E5-2403

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#817

Xeon W3680

MSRP: $594|Avg: $26

100%

#819

Xeon E5-2640 v3

MSRP: $939|Avg: $189

99%

#824

Xeon E5-1660 v3

MSRP: $1080|Avg: $198

98%

#827

Xeon W3565

MSRP: $294|Avg: $69

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 ($0) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E5-2403 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core i5-661	Xeon E5-2403
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($40)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Clarkdale (2010−2011) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge-EN (2012) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i5-661 ($40), 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 ($40 less, Infinity% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core i5-661	Xeon E5-2403
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($40)	✅ 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.

Core i5-661 Benchmark Check

Xeon E5-2403 Benchmark Check

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-661 and Xeon E5-2403

Core i5-661

The Core i5-661 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 7 January 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Clarkdale (2010−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.33 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1156. Thermal design power (TDP): 87 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,387 points. Launch price was $252.

Xeon E5-2403

The Xeon E5-2403 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 14 May 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge-EN (2012) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.8 GHz, with boost up to 1.8 GHz. L3 cache: 10240 kB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1356. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,367 points. Launch price was $230.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-661 packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Xeon E5-2403 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Xeon E5-2403 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.6 GHz on the Core i5-661 versus 1.8 GHz on the Xeon E5-2403 — a 66.7% clock advantage for the Core i5-661 (base: 3.33 GHz vs 1.8 GHz). The Core i5-661 uses the Clarkdale (2010−2011) architecture (32 nm), while the Xeon E5-2403 uses Sandy Bridge-EN (2012) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-661 scores 2,387 against the Xeon E5-2403's 2,367 — a 0.8% lead for the Core i5-661. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Core i5-661 vs 10240 kB (total) on the Xeon E5-2403.

Feature	Core i5-661	Xeon E5-2403
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	3.6 GHz+100%	1.8 GHz
Base Clock	3.33 GHz+85%	1.8 GHz
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	10240 kB (total)+150%
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	32 nm	32 nm
Architecture	Clarkdale (2010−2011)	Sandy Bridge-EN (2012)
PassMark	2,387	2,367

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-661 uses the LGA1156 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Xeon E5-2403 uses LGA1356 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.