Core i7-4600U vs Xeon E5530

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 i7-4600U is positioned at rank 753 and the Xeon E5530 is on rank 754, so the Core i7-4600U 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 i7-4600U

#741

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1079%

#742

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1063%

#743

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

976%

#744

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

971%

#745

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

962%

#747

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

929%

#748

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

891%

#749

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

890%

#750

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

866%

#753

Core i7-4600U

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#757

Core i7-11370H

MSRP: $426|Avg: N/A

100%

#761

Core i3-N300

MSRP: $309|Avg: $309

99%

#767

Core i7-1250U

MSRP: $426|Avg: N/A

98%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E5530

#1

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

15170%

#6

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

2864%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

2545%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

1966%

#435

Xeon Gold 6354

MSRP: $2878|Avg: $2898

100%

#436

Xeon Gold 5218T

MSRP: $1572|Avg: $1349

99%

#437

Xeon 6960P

MSRP: $9625|Avg: $9625

99%

#438

EPYC 9555

MSRP: $9826|Avg: $7973

99%

#439

Xeon Gold 6338

MSRP: $2990|Avg: $1604

98%

#440

Xeon Gold 6538N

MSRP: $3351|Avg: $170

98%

#441

EPYC 7F52

MSRP: $3100|Avg: $1826

97%

#442

EPYC 7542

MSRP: $3400|Avg: $899

97%

#443

EPYC 9655

MSRP: $11852|Avg: $11852

96%

#754

Xeon E5530

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#758

Xeon E3-1281 v3

MSRP: $555|Avg: $636

100%

#768

Xeon E3-1270L v4

MSRP: $581|Avg: $636

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 E5530 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core i7-4600U	Xeon E5530
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Haswell-ULT (2013) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Gainestown (2009−2010) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-4600U ($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 i7-4600U	Xeon E5530
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 i7-4600U Benchmark Check

Xeon E5530 Benchmark Check

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Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-4600U and Xeon E5530

Core i7-4600U

The Core i7-4600U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Haswell-ULT (2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1168. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,720 points. Launch price was $398.

Xeon E5530

The Xeon E5530 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 30 March 2009 (16 years ago). It is based on the Gainestown (2009−2010) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 2.66 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1366. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,739 points. Launch price was $340.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-4600U packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Xeon E5530 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Xeon E5530 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Core i7-4600U versus 2.66 GHz on the Xeon E5530 — a 21.5% clock advantage for the Core i7-4600U (base: 2.1 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Core i7-4600U uses the Haswell-ULT (2013) architecture (22 nm), while the Xeon E5530 uses Gainestown (2009−2010) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-4600U scores 2,720 against the Xeon E5530's 2,739 — a 0.7% lead for the Xeon E5530. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Core i7-4600U vs 8 MB (total) on the Xeon E5530.

Feature	Core i7-4600U	Xeon E5530
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	4 / 8+100%
Boost Clock	3.3 GHz+24%	2.66 GHz
Base Clock	2.1 GHz	2.4 GHz+14%
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	8 MB (total)+100%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	22 nm-51%	45 nm
Architecture	Haswell-ULT (2013)	Gainestown (2009−2010)
PassMark	2,720	2,739

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-4600U uses the FCBGA1168 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon E5530 uses LGA1366 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.