Core i7-2840QM vs Xeon E5-2603 v3

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 i7-2840QM is positioned at rank 311 and the Xeon E5-2603 v3 is on rank 635, so the Core i7-2840QM 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 i7-2840QM

#299

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

458%

#300

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

452%

#301

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

414%

#302

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

413%

#303

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

409%

#305

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

395%

#306

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

379%

#307

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

378%

#308

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

368%

#311

Core i7-2840QM

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E5-2603 v3

#1

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

10864%

#6

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

2051%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

1822%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

1408%

#380

Xeon Gold 6526Y

MSRP: $2878|Avg: N/A

99%

#382

Xeon Platinum 8352Y

MSRP: $3995|Avg: N/A

98%

#383

EPYC 7551P

MSRP: $2100|Avg: $329

95%

#384

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7985WX

MSRP: $7349|Avg: $7999

95%

#635

Xeon E5-2603 v3

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#636

Xeon E5-2680 v2

MSRP: $667|Avg: $462

100%

#640

Xeon W-2104

MSRP: $294|Avg: $309

98%

#643

Xeon E5-2620 v3

MSRP: $417|Avg: $80

97%

#650

Xeon E3-1275L v3

MSRP: $350|Avg: $29

95%

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 E5-2603 v3 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core i7-2840QM	Xeon E5-2603 v3
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Haswell-EP (2014−2015) / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-2840QM ($0), 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 ($0 less, NaN% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core i7-2840QM	Xeon E5-2603 v3
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing

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 i7-2840QM Benchmark Check

Xeon E5-2603 v3 Benchmark Check

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Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-2840QM and Xeon E5-2603 v3

Core i7-2840QM

The Core i7-2840QM is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 4 September 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Max frequency: 2.4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: G2. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 3,842 points. Launch price was $69.

Xeon E5-2603 v3

The Xeon E5-2603 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 6 threads. Base frequency is 1.6 GHz, with boost up to 1.6 GHz. L3 cache: 15 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 85 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1600. Passmark benchmark score: 3,825 points. Launch price was $800.

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Processing Power

The Core i7-2840QM packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Xeon E5-2603 v3 offers 6 cores / 6 threads — the Xeon E5-2603 v3 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.4 GHz on the Core i7-2840QM versus 1.6 GHz on the Xeon E5-2603 v3 — a 40% clock advantage for the Core i7-2840QM. The Core i7-2840QM uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Xeon E5-2603 v3 uses Haswell-EP (2014−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-2840QM scores 3,842 against the Xeon E5-2603 v3's 3,825 — a 0.4% lead for the Core i7-2840QM. L3 cache: 8 MB on the Core i7-2840QM vs 15 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-2603 v3.

Feature	Core i7-2840QM	Xeon E5-2603 v3
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	6 / 6+50%
Boost Clock	2.4 GHz+50%	1.6 GHz
Base Clock	—	1.6 GHz
L3 Cache	8 MB	15 MB (total)+88%
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	256K (per core)
Process	32 nm	22 nm-31%
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Haswell-EP (2014−2015)
PassMark	3,842	3,825

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Memory & Platform

The Core i7-2840QM uses the G2 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Xeon E5-2603 v3 uses LGA2011 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.