Core i7-4720HQ vs Xeon E3-1220 v5

Core i7-4720HQ

4 Cores8 Thrd1 WWMax: 3.6 GHz2015

Xeon E3-1220 v5

4 Cores4 Thrd80 WWMax: 3.5 GHz2015

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i7-4720HQ

4 / 8

5,714

0.0%

5,713

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 i7-4720HQ is positioned at rank 974 and the Xeon E3-1220 v5 is on rank 513, so the Xeon E3-1220 v5 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 i7-4720HQ

#962

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1940%

#963

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1912%

#964

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1755%

#965

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1747%

#966

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1731%

#968

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1672%

#969

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1603%

#970

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1601%

#971

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1558%

#974

Core i7-4720HQ

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#977

Phenom II X2 N640

MSRP: $100|Avg: $55

100%

#978

A10-8700P

MSRP: $150|Avg: $40

99%

#982

Athlon II Neo K125

MSRP: $100|Avg: $100

99%

#986

Pro A8-8600B

MSRP: $150|Avg: $25

97%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E3-1220 v5

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

7385%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

1394%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

1239%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

957%

#316

Xeon Gold 6416H

MSRP: $1845|Avg: N/A

100%

#318

EPYC 7343

MSRP: $1565|Avg: $1350

99%

#319

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX

MSRP: $2399|Avg: $225

99%

#320

EPYC 7413

MSRP: $1825|Avg: $450

99%

#321

Xeon W-3335

MSRP: $1430|Avg: $1200

98%

#322

EPYC 9354P

MSRP: $2730|Avg: $2205

97%

#323

EPYC 9224

MSRP: $1825|Avg: $1199

95%

#513

Xeon E3-1220 v5

MSRP: $203|Avg: $100

100%

#514

Xeon X5690

MSRP: $250|Avg: $250

100%

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 ($100) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E3-1220 v5 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core i7-4720HQ	Xeon E3-1220 v5
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($100)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Haswell (2013−2015) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Skylake-DT (2015) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-4720HQ ($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 ($100 less, 100% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core i7-4720HQ	Xeon E3-1220 v5
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($100)

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 i7-4720HQ Benchmark Check

Xeon E3-1220 v5 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-4720HQ and Xeon E3-1220 v5

Core i7-4720HQ

The Core i7-4720HQ is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 January 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1364. Thermal design power (TDP): 47 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 5,714 points. Launch price was $378.

Xeon E3-1220 v5

The Xeon E3-1220 v5 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Skylake-DT (2015) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600. Passmark benchmark score: 5,713 points. Launch price was $203.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-4720HQ packs 4 cores / 8 threads, matching the Xeon E3-1220 v5's 4 cores. Boost clocks reach 3.6 GHz on the Core i7-4720HQ versus 3.5 GHz on the Xeon E3-1220 v5 — a 2.8% clock advantage for the Core i7-4720HQ (base: 2.6 GHz vs 3 GHz). The Core i7-4720HQ uses the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Xeon E3-1220 v5 uses Skylake-DT (2015) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-4720HQ scores 5,714 against the Xeon E3-1220 v5's 5,713 — a 0% lead for the Core i7-4720HQ. L3 cache: 6 MB on the Core i7-4720HQ vs 8 MB (total) on the Xeon E3-1220 v5.

Feature	Core i7-4720HQ	Xeon E3-1220 v5
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	4 / 4
Boost Clock	3.6 GHz+3%	3.5 GHz
Base Clock	2.6 GHz	3 GHz+15%
L3 Cache	6 MB	8 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	256 kB (per core)
Process	22 nm	14 nm-36%
Architecture	Haswell (2013−2015)	Skylake-DT (2015)
PassMark	5,714	5,713

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-4720HQ uses the BGA1364 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon E3-1220 v5 uses LGA1151 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.