Core i7-990X vs Xeon E3-1285 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 i7-990X is positioned at rank 1046 and the Xeon E3-1285 v3 is on rank 412, so the Xeon E3-1285 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 i7-990X

#1

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

43658%

#2

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

41252%

#3

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

29952%

#4

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

9023%

#5

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

7147%

#6

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

6253%

#7

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

3581%

#8

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

3534%

#9

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

3218%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

3218%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

3182%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

3096%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

3053%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

3040%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

3013%

#1046

Core i7-990X

MSRP: $999|Avg: $225

100%

#1047

Phenom X4 9750B

MSRP: $215|Avg: $34

99%

#1048

Core 2 Duo E8200

MSRP: $163|Avg: $20

98%

#1049

Core 2 Quad Q9450

MSRP: $316|Avg: $15

98%

#1050

Core 2 Duo E8600

MSRP: $200|Avg: $95

96%

#1051

Core 2 Duo E6320

MSRP: $163|Avg: $5

96%

#1052

Core i7-980X

MSRP: $999|Avg: $150

96%

#1053

Athlon 64 X2 3600+

MSRP: $150|Avg: $10

95%

#1054

Core 2 Duo E6420

MSRP: $183|Avg: $10

95%

#1055

Pentium D 940

MSRP: $132|Avg: $15

93%

#1056

Phenom X4 9600B

MSRP: $278|Avg: $20

93%

#1057

Phenom II X3 B77

MSRP: $281|Avg: $35

92%

#1058

Core 2 Duo E6300

MSRP: $163|Avg: $5

91%

#1059

Core 2 Duo E6400

MSRP: $183|Avg: $10

90%

#1060

Core 2 Duo E8300

MSRP: $163|Avg: $20

89%

#1061

Phenom X4 9500

MSRP: $247|Avg: $30

89%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E3-1285 v3

#1

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

5763%

#3

Xeon W-11955M

MSRP: $623|Avg: $450

97%

#6

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

1088%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

967%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

747%

#274

EPYC 7313

MSRP: $1083|Avg: $764

100%

#275

Xeon w5-2455X

MSRP: $1039|Avg: $1049

99%

#276

Xeon w3-2425

MSRP: $529|Avg: $529

98%

#278

Xeon Gold 5416S

MSRP: $1445|Avg: N/A

97%

#279

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX

MSRP: $1149|Avg: $1130

96%

#412

Xeon E3-1285 v3

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#416

Xeon E3-1276 v3

MSRP: $213|Avg: $244

98%

#425

Xeon E5-4620 v2

MSRP: $273|Avg: $30

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 E3-1285 v3 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core i7-990X	Xeon E3-1285 v3
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($225)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Gulftown (2010−2011) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Haswell-WS (2013−2014) / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-990X ($225), 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 ($225 less, Infinity% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core i7-990X	Xeon E3-1285 v3
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($225)	✅ 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 i7-990X Benchmark Check

Xeon E3-1285 v3 Benchmark Check

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Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-990X and Xeon E3-1285 v3

Core i7-990X

The Core i7-990X is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 February 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Gulftown (2010−2011) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.46 GHz, with boost up to 3.73 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: 7,135 points. Launch price was $1,104.

Xeon E3-1285 v3

The Xeon E3-1285 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-WS (2013−2014) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 8192 kB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1150. Thermal design power (TDP): 84 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 7,211 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-990X packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon E3-1285 v3 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i7-990X has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.73 GHz on the Core i7-990X versus 4 GHz on the Xeon E3-1285 v3 — a 7% clock advantage for the Xeon E3-1285 v3 (base: 3.46 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Core i7-990X uses the Gulftown (2010−2011) architecture (32 nm), while the Xeon E3-1285 v3 uses Haswell-WS (2013−2014) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-990X scores 7,135 against the Xeon E3-1285 v3's 7,211 — a 1.1% lead for the Xeon E3-1285 v3. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-990X vs 8192 kB (total) on the Xeon E3-1285 v3.

Feature	Core i7-990X	Xeon E3-1285 v3
Cores / Threads	6 / 12+50%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	3.73 GHz	4 GHz+7%
Base Clock	3.46 GHz	3.6 GHz+4%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+50%	8192 kB (total)
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	32 nm	22 nm-31%
Architecture	Gulftown (2010−2011)	Haswell-WS (2013−2014)
PassMark	7,135	7,211+1%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-990X uses the LGA1366 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Xeon E3-1285 v3 uses LGA1150 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.