Core i7-3940XM vs Xeon E5-2450L

Core i7-3940XM

4 Cores8 Thrd55 WWMax: 3.9 GHz2012

Xeon E5-2450L

8 Cores16 Thrd70 WWMax: 2.3 GHz2012

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i7-3940XM

4 / 8

5,957

0.0%

6,047

+1.5%

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 i7-3940XM is positioned at rank 936 and the Xeon E5-2450L is on rank 980, so the Core i7-3940XM 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 i7-3940XM

#924

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1694%

#925

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1669%

#926

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1532%

#927

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1525%

#928

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1511%

#930

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1460%

#931

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1400%

#932

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1397%

#933

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1360%

#936

Core i7-3940XM

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#939

FX-7600P

MSRP: $150|Avg: $45

98%

#940

Athlon II M300

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

98%

#944

Athlon Neo X2 L335

MSRP: $80|Avg: $15

96%

#945

Core i7-3610QE

MSRP: $315|Avg: $105

96%

#948

A8-8600P

MSRP: $150|Avg: $30

95%

#950

FX-9800P

MSRP: $150|Avg: $45

95%

#951

Celeron 1020E

MSRP: $86|Avg: $20

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E5-2450L

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

37993%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

7173%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

6373%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

4924%

#980

Xeon E5-2450L

MSRP: $1106|Avg: $78

100%

#981

Xeon X3480

MSRP: $612|Avg: $48

99%

#982

Xeon E5-2687W

MSRP: $1885|Avg: $70

97%

#983

Xeon E5-4610

MSRP: $1219|Avg: $50

97%

#985

Xeon X7550

MSRP: $1500|Avg: $1400

96%

#986

Xeon E7540

MSRP: $1980|Avg: $146

96%

#987

Xeon E7530

MSRP: $1391|Avg: $146

95%

#988

Xeon E5-4627 v4

MSRP: $2500|Avg: $200

95%

#989

Xeon E5-4627 v3

MSRP: $2225|Avg: $200

93%

#990

Xeon X5660

MSRP: $1219|Avg: $10

90%

#991

Xeon E5-2667

MSRP: $1552|Avg: $31

88%

#992

Xeon E5-2690

MSRP: $2057|Avg: $150

87%

#993

Xeon E3-1565L v5

MSRP: $1552|Avg: $120

86%

#994

Xeon L5640

MSRP: $996|Avg: N/A

86%

#995

Xeon L5335

MSRP: $380|Avg: $18

84%

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 ($78) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E5-2450L is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core i7-3940XM	Xeon E5-2450L
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($78)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge-EN (2012) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-3940XM ($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 ($78 less, 100% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core i7-3940XM	Xeon E5-2450L
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($78)

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 i7-3940XM Benchmark Check

Xeon E5-2450L Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-3940XM and Xeon E5-2450L

Core i7-3940XM

The Core i7-3940XM 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 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: PGA988. Thermal design power (TDP): 55 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 5,957 points. Launch price was $1,096.

Xeon E5-2450L

The Xeon E5-2450L 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 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 1.8 GHz, with boost up to 2.3 GHz. L3 cache: 20480 kB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1356. Thermal design power (TDP): 70 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 6,047 points. Launch price was $72.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-3940XM packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Xeon E5-2450L offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Xeon E5-2450L has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.9 GHz on the Core i7-3940XM versus 2.3 GHz on the Xeon E5-2450L — a 51.6% clock advantage for the Core i7-3940XM (base: 3 GHz vs 1.8 GHz). The Core i7-3940XM uses the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture (22 nm), while the Xeon E5-2450L uses Sandy Bridge-EN (2012) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-3940XM scores 5,957 against the Xeon E5-2450L's 6,047 — a 1.5% lead for the Xeon E5-2450L. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Core i7-3940XM vs 20480 kB (total) on the Xeon E5-2450L.

Feature	Core i7-3940XM	Xeon E5-2450L
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	8 / 16+100%
Boost Clock	3.9 GHz+70%	2.3 GHz
Base Clock	3 GHz+67%	1.8 GHz
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)	20480 kB (total)+150%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	22 nm-31%	32 nm
Architecture	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Sandy Bridge-EN (2012)
PassMark	5,957	6,047+2%
Geekbench 6 Single	720	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-3940XM uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon E5-2450L uses LGA1356 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-3940XM	Xeon E5-2450L
Socket	PGA988	LGA1356
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0+50%	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1600	—
Max RAM Capacity	32 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	❌	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i7-3940XM) / not specified (Xeon E5-2450L). The Core i7-3940XM includes integrated graphics (HD Graphics 4000), while the Xeon E5-2450L requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-3940XM targets Extreme Performance Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i7-3940XM rivals A10-5750M.