Core i7-960 vs Xeon W3565

Core i7-960

4 Cores8 Thrd130 WWMax: 3.46 GHz2009

Xeon W3565

4 Cores8 Thrd130 WWMax: 3.46 GHz2009

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i7-960

4 / 8

3,400

+0.3%

3,391

0.0%

Pentium Dual Core T2410

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 i7-960 is positioned at rank 979 and the Xeon W3565 is on rank 827, so the Xeon W3565 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 i7-960

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

28338%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

26776%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

19442%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

5857%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

4639%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

4059%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

2325%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

2294%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

2089%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

2089%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

2065%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

2010%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

1982%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

1974%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

1956%

#978

E1-1500

MSRP: $60|Avg: $10

100%

#979

Core i7-960

MSRP: $309|Avg: $110

100%

#980

Core i5-2405S

MSRP: $309|Avg: $120

100%

#981

Celeron 420

MSRP: $39|Avg: $15

99%

#982

Athlon II X4 615e

MSRP: $186|Avg: $30

99%

#983

Athlon X2 BE-2350

MSRP: $90|Avg: $10

98%

#984

Core 2 Quad Q8300

MSRP: $179|Avg: $10

97%

#985

Core i7-860

MSRP: $284|Avg: $30

96%

#986

Core i7-870

MSRP: $300|Avg: $80

96%

#987

Athlon 64 X2 5000+

MSRP: $136|Avg: $42

95%

#988

Core i3-6102E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $35

95%

#989

Pentium Dual-Core E2160

MSRP: $84|Avg: $5

95%

#990

Pentium Dual-Core E2210

MSRP: $98|Avg: $15

93%

#991

Core 2 Duo E7500

MSRP: $113|Avg: $10

93%

#992

Core 2 Quad Q9505

MSRP: $213|Avg: $150

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon W3565

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

18025%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

3403%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

3024%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

2336%

#469

EPYC 9554

MSRP: $9087|Avg: $2795

100%

#470

Xeon Gold 6338T

MSRP: $3139|Avg: $1795

99%

#471

Xeon E5-2650 v4

MSRP: $1166|Avg: $45

99%

#472

EPYC 9845

MSRP: $13564|Avg: $8670

98%

#473

EPYC 7F32

MSRP: $2100|Avg: $179

96%

#474

EPYC 9654P

MSRP: $10625|Avg: $5345

95%

#475

EPYC 9965

MSRP: $14813|Avg: $10000

94%

#827

Xeon W3565

MSRP: $294|Avg: $69

100%

#837

Xeon W3550

MSRP: $294|Avg: $30

96%

#839

Xeon E5-2450

MSRP: $694|Avg: $795

94%

#840

Xeon E5-2630L v2

MSRP: $612|Avg: $149

94%

#842

Xeon E3-1246 v3

MSRP: $667|Avg: $215

94%

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 ($69) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon W3565 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core i7-960	Xeon W3565
Gaming	Balanced gaming performance	Balanced gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($110)	✅ More affordable ($69)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Bloomfield (2008−2010) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Bloomfield (2008−2010) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-960 ($110), 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 ($41 less, 59% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core i7-960	Xeon W3565
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+59%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($110)	✅ More affordable ($69)

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 i7-960 Benchmark Check

Xeon W3565 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-960 and Xeon W3565

Core i7-960

The Core i7-960 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 20 October 2009 (16 years ago). It is based on the Bloomfield (2008−2010) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.46 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1366. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 3,400 points. Launch price was $316.

Xeon W3565

The Xeon W3565 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 November 2009 (16 years ago). It is based on the Bloomfield (2008−2010) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.46 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1366. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 3,391 points. Launch price was $70.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i7-960 and Xeon W3565 share an identical 4-core/8-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.46 GHz on the Core i7-960 versus 3.46 GHz on the Xeon W3565 — identical boost frequencies (base: 3.2 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). Both are built on the Bloomfield (2008−2010) architecture using a 45 nm process. In PassMark, the Core i7-960 scores 3,400 against the Xeon W3565's 3,391 — a 0.3% lead for the Core i7-960. Both processors carry 8 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Core i7-960	Xeon W3565
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	4 / 8
Boost Clock	3.46 GHz	3.46 GHz
Base Clock	3.2 GHz	3.2 GHz
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	45 nm	45 nm
Architecture	Bloomfield (2008−2010)	Bloomfield (2008−2010)
PassMark	3,400	3,391
Geekbench 6 Single	—	513
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,726

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the LGA1366 socket with PCIe 2.0.

Feature	Core i7-960	Xeon W3565
Socket	LGA1366	LGA1366
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 5.0+150%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3-1066
Max RAM Capacity	—	24 GB
RAM Channels	—	3
ECC Support	—	✅
PCIe Lanes	—	36

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core i7-960) / Yes (Xeon W3565).

Feature	Core i7-960	Xeon W3565
Integrated GPU	—	No
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	Yes

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-960 launched at $309 MSRP, while the Xeon W3565 debuted at $294. At current prices ($110 vs $69), the Xeon W3565 is $41 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-960 delivers 30.9 pts/$ vs 49.1 pts/$ for the Xeon W3565 — making the Xeon W3565 the 45.6% better value option.