Core i7-4700HQ vs Xeon E3-1226 v3

Core i7-4700HQ

4 Cores8 Thrd47 WWMax: 3.4 GHz2013

Xeon E3-1226 v3

4 Cores4 Thrd84 WWMax: 3.7 GHz2014

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i7-4700HQ

4 / 8

5,579

+0.9%

5,529

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 i7-4700HQ is positioned at rank 989 and the Xeon E3-1226 v3 is on rank 521, so the Xeon E3-1226 v3 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 i7-4700HQ

#977

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

2014%

#978

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1984%

#979

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1822%

#980

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1813%

#981

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1797%

#983

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1735%

#984

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1664%

#985

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1661%

#986

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1616%

#989

Core i7-4700HQ

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#991

Pentium 8500

MSRP: $200|Avg: $200

100%

#992

A6-8500P

MSRP: $100|Avg: $16

99%

#994

Core i7-4700EQ

MSRP: $378|Avg: $180

98%

#995

Core i3-8145UE

MSRP: $281|Avg: $50

98%

#996

Core i7-4712MQ

MSRP: $378|Avg: $60

96%

#997

Core i7-3615QE

MSRP: $400|Avg: $100

96%

#998

Celeron M U3400

MSRP: $86|Avg: $5

96%

#999

3015Ce

MSRP: $150|Avg: $40

96%

#1000

Core i7-4700MQ

MSRP: $383|Avg: $50

96%

#1001

Athlon II M340

MSRP: $80|Avg: $15

96%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E3-1226 v3

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

7516%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

1419%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

1261%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

974%

#321

Xeon W-3335

MSRP: $1430|Avg: $1200

99%

#322

EPYC 9354P

MSRP: $2730|Avg: $2205

99%

#323

EPYC 9224

MSRP: $1825|Avg: $1199

96%

#324

Xeon Gold 6423N

MSRP: $2161|Avg: $2161

96%

#325

Xeon w7-3565X

MSRP: $2689|Avg: $2850

95%

#326

Xeon W-1290TE

MSRP: $552|Avg: $552

95%

#521

Xeon E3-1226 v3

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#535

Xeon E3-1241 v3

MSRP: $273|Avg: $27

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 E3-1226 v3 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core i7-4700HQ	Xeon E3-1226 v3
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Crystalwell (2013−2014) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Haswell-WS (2013−2014) / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-4700HQ ($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 i7-4700HQ	Xeon E3-1226 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 i7-4700HQ Benchmark Check

Xeon E3-1226 v3 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-4700HQ and Xeon E3-1226 v3

Core i7-4700HQ

The Core i7-4700HQ is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 27 May 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Crystalwell (2013−2014) 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: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1364. Thermal design power (TDP): 47 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 5,579 points. Launch price was $378.

Xeon E3-1226 v3

The Xeon E3-1226 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 11 May 2014 (11 years ago). It is based on the Haswell-WS (2013−2014) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1150. Thermal design power (TDP): 84 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 5,529 points. Launch price was $213.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-4700HQ packs 4 cores / 8 threads, matching the Xeon E3-1226 v3's 4 cores. Boost clocks reach 3.4 GHz on the Core i7-4700HQ versus 3.7 GHz on the Xeon E3-1226 v3 — a 8.5% clock advantage for the Xeon E3-1226 v3 (base: 2.4 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Core i7-4700HQ uses the Crystalwell (2013−2014) architecture (22 nm), while the Xeon E3-1226 v3 uses Haswell-WS (2013−2014) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-4700HQ scores 5,579 against the Xeon E3-1226 v3's 5,529 — a 0.9% lead for the Core i7-4700HQ. Both processors carry 8 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Core i7-4700HQ	Xeon E3-1226 v3
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	4 / 4
Boost Clock	3.4 GHz	3.7 GHz+9%
Base Clock	2.4 GHz	3.3 GHz+38%
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256K (per core)
Process	22 nm	22 nm
Architecture	Crystalwell (2013−2014)	Haswell-WS (2013−2014)
PassMark	5,579	5,529

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-4700HQ uses the BGA1364 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon E3-1226 v3 uses LGA1150 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.