Pentium Extreme Edition 965 vs Xeon 5130

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 Pentium Extreme Edition 965 is positioned at rank 1119 and the Xeon 5130 is on rank 1005, so the Xeon 5130 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 Pentium Extreme Edition 965

#1

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

266423%

#2

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

251744%

#3

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

182786%

#4

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

55066%

#5

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

43618%

#6

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

38157%

#7

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

21855%

#8

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

21569%

#9

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

19639%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

19638%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

19418%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

18894%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

18630%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

18555%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

18386%

#1119

Pentium Extreme Edition 965

MSRP: $999|Avg: $100

100%

#1120

Athlon 64 FX-60

MSRP: $1031|Avg: $1000

100%

#1121

Athlon XP 2200+

MSRP: $241|Avg: $30

99%

#1122

Athlon XP 1700+

MSRP: $190|Avg: $15

96%

#1123

Pentium Extreme Edition 955

MSRP: $999|Avg: $50

94%

#1124

Athlon XP 2700+

MSRP: $349|Avg: $20

88%

#1125

Athlon XP 2800+

MSRP: $375|Avg: $35

86%

#1126

Pentium III 1200

MSRP: $200|Avg: $10

84%

#1127

Athlon XP 3200+

MSRP: $464|Avg: $40

82%

#1128

Pentium III 1400

MSRP: $250|Avg: $20

78%

#1129

Pentium III 1400S

MSRP: $250|Avg: $250

78%

#1130

Pentium 4 2.60

MSRP: $401|Avg: $25

78%

#1131

Athlon XP 1800+

MSRP: $252|Avg: $30

76%

#1132

Athlon XP 1900+

MSRP: $269|Avg: $20

75%

#1133

Athlon 64 FX-51

MSRP: $733|Avg: $733

72%

#1134

Athlon 64 FX-55

MSRP: $827|Avg: $50

71%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon 5130

#1

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

55866%

#6

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

10548%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

9372%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

7240%

#539

Xeon Platinum 8280

MSRP: $10009|Avg: $2940

99%

#540

Xeon E7-8891 v3

MSRP: $6841|Avg: $418

85%

#541

Xeon E5-4669 v4

MSRP: $7007|Avg: $300

67%

#1005

Xeon 5130

MSRP: $316|Avg: $10

100%

#1007

Xeon E5-4640 v3

MSRP: $2859|Avg: $300

98%

#1008

Xeon E5440

MSRP: $690|Avg: $37

92%

#1009

Xeon E5-2643

MSRP: $1552|Avg: $50

91%

#1010

Xeon E5-2637

MSRP: $885|Avg: $40

90%

#1011

Xeon W3570

MSRP: $999|Avg: $15

88%

#1013

Xeon E5-4620

MSRP: $2141|Avg: $400

83%

#1014

Xeon E5-2680

MSRP: $3226|Avg: $40

77%

#1016

Xeon E5-4640

MSRP: $2725|Avg: N/A

69%

#1018

Xeon E5-4650

MSRP: $3616|Avg: $71

64%

#1019

Xeon E5-4655 v4

MSRP: $4616|Avg: N/A

63%

#1020

Xeon E5-4650L

MSRP: $3616|Avg: N/A

63%

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 ($10) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon 5130 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Pentium Extreme Edition 965	Xeon 5130
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($100)	✅ More affordable ($10)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Presler (2005−2007) / 65 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Woodcrest (2006) / 65 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Pentium Extreme Edition 965 ($100), 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 ($90 less, 900% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Pentium Extreme Edition 965	Xeon 5130
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+909%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($100)	✅ More affordable ($10)

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.

Pentium Extreme Edition 965 Benchmark Check

Xeon 5130 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium Extreme Edition 965 and Xeon 5130

Pentium Extreme Edition 965

The Pentium Extreme Edition 965 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 26 March 2006 (19 years ago). It is based on the Presler (2005−2007) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.733 GHz, with boost up to 0.73 GHz. L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: LGA775. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR1, DDR2, DDR3 Depends on motherboard. Passmark benchmark score: 1,165 points. Launch price was $999.

Xeon 5130

The Xeon 5130 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in Junho 2006 (19 years ago). It is based on the Woodcrest (2006) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 2 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 4 MB. Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: LGA771. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR2. Passmark benchmark score: 1,175 points. Launch price was $16.

⚡

Processing Power

The Pentium Extreme Edition 965 packs 2 cores / 4 threads, matching the Xeon 5130's 2 cores. Boost clocks reach 0.73 GHz on the Pentium Extreme Edition 965 versus 2 GHz on the Xeon 5130 — a 93% clock advantage for the Xeon 5130 (base: 3.733 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Pentium Extreme Edition 965 uses the Presler (2005−2007) architecture (65 nm), while the Xeon 5130 uses Woodcrest (2006) (65 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium Extreme Edition 965 scores 1,165 against the Xeon 5130's 1,175 — a 0.9% lead for the Xeon 5130.

Feature	Pentium Extreme Edition 965	Xeon 5130
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	2 / 2
Boost Clock	0.73 GHz	2 GHz+174%
Base Clock	3.733 GHz+87%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	—	0 kB
L2 Cache	2 MB (per core)	4 MB+100%
Process	65 nm	65 nm
Architecture	Presler (2005−2007)	Woodcrest (2006)
PassMark	1,165	1,175

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium Extreme Edition 965 uses the LGA775 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Xeon 5130 uses LGA771 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium Extreme Edition 965	Xeon 5130
Socket	LGA775	LGA771
PCIe Generation	PCIe 1.1	PCIe 2.0+82%

💰

Value Analysis

The Pentium Extreme Edition 965 launched at $999 MSRP, while the Xeon 5130 debuted at $316. At current prices ($100 vs $10), the Xeon 5130 is $90 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Pentium Extreme Edition 965 delivers 11.7 pts/$ vs 117.5 pts/$ for the Xeon 5130 — making the Xeon 5130 the 163.9% better value option.