Pentium M 725 vs Xeon E3120

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 M 725 is positioned at rank 141 and the Xeon E3120 is on rank 948, so the Pentium M 725 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 M 725

#36

Core i5-11500B

MSRP: $185|Avg: $185

99%

#129

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

314%

#130

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

310%

#131

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

284%

#132

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

283%

#133

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

280%

#135

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

271%

#136

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

260%

#137

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

259%

#138

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

252%

#141

Pentium M 725

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#147

Atom N2800

MSRP: $47|Avg: $3

98%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E3120

#1

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

29520%

#6

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

5574%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

4952%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

3826%

#528

Xeon E5-2687W v3

MSRP: $2141|Avg: $749

96%

#529

Xeon Max 9480

MSRP: $12980|Avg: $12980

91%

#530

Xeon E5-2689 v4

MSRP: $2723|Avg: $100

89%

#531

EPYC 7543

MSRP: $10257|Avg: $468

87%

#948

Xeon E3120

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#949

Xeon E5-2630 v2

MSRP: $1069|Avg: $1224

100%

#953

Xeon E5-1620

MSRP: $885|Avg: $70

94%

#955

Xeon E5462

MSRP: $342|Avg: $45

92%

#958

Xeon E5-4650 v2

MSRP: $1723|Avg: $48

90%

#959

Xeon E5-1620 v4

MSRP: $1166|Avg: $160

89%

#963

Xeon E5-2660

MSRP: $1329|Avg: $65

86%

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 E3120 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Pentium M 725	Xeon E3120
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Dothan (2004−2005) / 90 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Legacy / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Pentium M 725 ($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 ($0 less, NaN% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Pentium M 725	Xeon E3120
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing

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 M 725 Benchmark Check

Xeon E3120 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

No prediction data available

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

No prediction data available

Valorant

No prediction data available

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium M 725 and Xeon E3120

Pentium M 725

The Pentium M 725 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Dothan (2004−2005) architecture. It features 1 cores and 1 threads. Base frequency is 1.6 GHz, with boost up to 1.6 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 90 nm process technology. Socket: PGA478. Thermal design power (TDP): 7.5 Watt. Memory support: DDR2. Passmark benchmark score: 1,400 points. Launch price was $69.

Xeon E3120

The Xeon E3120 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. Base frequency: 3.16 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB L2 Cache. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA775. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 1,408 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Pentium M 725 is built on the Dothan (2004−2005) architecture. In PassMark, the Pentium M 725 scores 1,400 against the Xeon E3120's 1,408 — a 0.6% lead for the Xeon E3120. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Pentium M 725 vs 6 MB L2 Cache on the Xeon E3120.

Feature	Pentium M 725	Xeon E3120
Cores / Threads	1 / 1	—
Boost Clock	1.6 GHz	—
Base Clock	1.6 GHz	3.16 GHz+98%
L3 Cache	0 kB	6 MB L2 Cache
L2 Cache	2 MB	—
Process	90 nm	45 nm-50%
Architecture	Dothan (2004−2005)	—
PassMark	1,400	1,408
Geekbench 6 Single	150	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	150	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium M 725 uses the PGA478 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Xeon E3120 uses LGA775 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.