Core i7-980 vs Xeon E3-1286L v3

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 i7-980 is positioned at rank 966 and the Xeon E3-1286L v3 is on rank 424, so the Xeon E3-1286L 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 i7-980

#1

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

26372%

#2

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

24919%

#3

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

18093%

#4

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

5451%

#5

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

4318%

#6

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

3777%

#7

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

2163%

#8

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

2135%

#9

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

1944%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

1944%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

1922%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

1870%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

1844%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

1837%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

1820%

#966

Core i7-980

MSRP: $583|Avg: $50

100%

#967

Pentium G3250

MSRP: $171|Avg: $25

99%

#968

Pentium E2200

MSRP: $84|Avg: $5

99%

#969

Core 2 Duo E7300

MSRP: $133|Avg: $133

99%

#970

Core i3-540

MSRP: $133|Avg: $5

99%

#972

Phenom II X3 700e

MSRP: $125|Avg: $40

98%

#973

Core i5-760

MSRP: $230|Avg: $61

98%

#974

Core i3-7102E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $80

98%

#975

Core 2 Quad Q8400

MSRP: $183|Avg: $128

96%

#976

Pentium Dual-Core E2180

MSRP: $84|Avg: $5

95%

#977

Pentium E2180

MSRP: $84|Avg: $15

95%

#978

Pentium Dual-Core E2140

MSRP: $74|Avg: $5

93%

#979

Core i7-960

MSRP: $309|Avg: $110

93%

#980

E1-1500

MSRP: $60|Avg: $10

93%

#981

Core i5-2405S

MSRP: $309|Avg: $120

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E3-1286L v3

#1

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

5998%

#4

Xeon W-11865MLE

MSRP: $467|Avg: $350

98%

#6

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

1132%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

1006%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

777%

#281

EPYC 7402P

MSRP: $1280|Avg: $1090

99%

#282

Xeon w5-3525

MSRP: $1339|Avg: $1392

98%

#283

Xeon W-1290T

MSRP: $546|Avg: $494

97%

#284

Xeon D-1581

MSRP: $400|Avg: $400

95%

#424

Xeon E3-1286L v3

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#425

Xeon E5-4620 v2

MSRP: $273|Avg: $30

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 ($0) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E3-1286L v3 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core i7-980	Xeon E3-1286L v3
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($50)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Gulftown (2010−2011) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Legacy / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-980 ($50), 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 ($50 less, Infinity% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core i7-980	Xeon E3-1286L v3
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($50)	✅ More affordable ($0)

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 i7-980 Benchmark Check

Xeon E3-1286L v3 Benchmark Check

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Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-980 and Xeon E3-1286L v3

Core i7-980

The Core i7-980 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 26 June 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Gulftown (2010−2011) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.33 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1366. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 6,890 points. Launch price was $1,109.

Xeon E3-1286L v3

The Xeon E3-1286L v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB Intel® Smart Cache. Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1150. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR3L-1333, DDR3L-1600. Passmark benchmark score: 6,929 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-980 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon E3-1286L v3 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i7-980 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.6 GHz on the Core i7-980 versus 4 GHz on the Xeon E3-1286L v3 — a 10.5% clock advantage for the Xeon E3-1286L v3 (base: 3.33 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Core i7-980 is built on the Gulftown (2010−2011) architecture. In PassMark, the Core i7-980 scores 6,890 against the Xeon E3-1286L v3's 6,929 — a 0.6% lead for the Xeon E3-1286L v3. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-980 vs 8 MB Intel® Smart Cache on the Xeon E3-1286L v3.

Feature	Core i7-980	Xeon E3-1286L v3
Cores / Threads	6 / 12+50%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	3.6 GHz	4 GHz+11%
Base Clock	3.33 GHz+4%	3.2 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+50%	8 MB Intel® Smart Cache
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	—
Process	32 nm	22 nm-31%
Architecture	Gulftown (2010−2011)	—
PassMark	6,890	6,929

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Memory & Platform

The Core i7-980 uses the LGA1366 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Xeon E3-1286L v3 uses LGA1150 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.