Ryzen 7 3700X vs Xeon E3-1240

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +242.6% higher average FPS across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+300% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Delivers 247.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 68.2 vs 19.6 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $273 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 80W, a 15W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌
20.5% HIGHER MSRP
$329 MSRPvs$273 MSRP

Xeon E3-1240

2011

Why buy it

✅Costs $56 less on MSRP ($273 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (5,361 vs 22,430).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 19.6 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($273 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌23.1% higher power demand at 80W vs 65W.

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Xeon E3-1240

2011

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +242.6% higher average FPS across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+300% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Delivers 247.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 68.2 vs 19.6 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $273 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 80W, a 15W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Costs $56 less on MSRP ($273 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌
20.5% HIGHER MSRP
$329 MSRPvs$273 MSRP

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (5,361 vs 22,430).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 19.6 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($273 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌23.1% higher power demand at 80W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 3700X better than Xeon E3-1240?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E3-1240 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 7 3700X is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 7 3700X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 242.6% more average FPS across 5 shared CPU game tests.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 3700X is the better fit. You are getting 318.4% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 300% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 8 MB).

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Ryzen 7 3700X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 3700X is 20.5% more expensive on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $273 MSRP, and it gives you a 242.6% average FPS lead across 5 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 247.2% better value on MSRP (68.2 vs 19.6 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Ryzen 7 3700X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2019 vs 2011), 300% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 8 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 4/8. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

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.

Ryzen 7 3700X Benchmark Check

Xeon E3-1240 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon E3-1240
1080p
low	200 FPS	134 FPS
medium	163 FPS	134 FPS
high	137 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	89 FPS
1440p
low	156 FPS	134 FPS
medium	121 FPS	115 FPS
high	100 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	73 FPS
4K
low	84 FPS	63 FPS
medium	71 FPS	56 FPS
high	56 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	35 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Xeon E3-1240

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon E3-1240
1080p
low	561 FPS	134 FPS
medium	525 FPS	134 FPS
high	428 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	383 FPS	122 FPS
1440p
low	545 FPS	134 FPS
medium	471 FPS	134 FPS
high	394 FPS	133 FPS
ultra	337 FPS	109 FPS
4K
low	350 FPS	129 FPS
medium	304 FPS	114 FPS
high	274 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	67 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Xeon E3-1240

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon E3-1240
1080p
low	561 FPS	134 FPS
medium	561 FPS	134 FPS
high	561 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	134 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	134 FPS
medium	561 FPS	134 FPS
high	538 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	470 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	499 FPS	134 FPS
medium	394 FPS	134 FPS
high	343 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	275 FPS	134 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Xeon E3-1240

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon E3-1240
1080p
low	561 FPS	134 FPS
medium	561 FPS	134 FPS
high	561 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	134 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	134 FPS
medium	561 FPS	134 FPS
high	561 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	555 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	561 FPS	134 FPS
medium	501 FPS	134 FPS
high	447 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	396 FPS	134 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Xeon E3-1240

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 3700X and Xeon E3-1240

Ryzen 7 3700X

The Ryzen 7 3700X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 July 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 22,430 points. Launch price was $329.

Xeon E3-1240

The Xeon E3-1240 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 April 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1155. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 5,361 points. Launch price was $209.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 7 3700X packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Xeon E3-1240 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Ryzen 7 3700X has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3700X versus 3.7 GHz on the Xeon E3-1240 — a 17.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 3700X (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon E3-1240 uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 3700X scores 22,430 against the Xeon E3-1240's 5,361 — a 122.8% lead for the Ryzen 7 3700X. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 3700X vs 8 MB (total) on the Xeon E3-1240.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon E3-1240
Cores / Threads	8 / 16+100%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+19%	3.7 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+9%	3.3 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB+300%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)+100%	256 kB (per core)
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-78%	32 nm
Architecture	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
PassMark	22,430+318%	5,361

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon E3-1240 uses LGA1155 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon E3-1240
Socket	AM4	LGA1155
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+100%	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	24	—

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Value Analysis

The Ryzen 7 3700X launched at $329 MSRP, while the Xeon E3-1240 debuted at $273. On MSRP ($329 vs $273), the Xeon E3-1240 is $56 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 7 3700X delivers 68.2 pts/$ vs 19.6 pts/$ for the Xeon E3-1240 — making the Ryzen 7 3700X the 110.5% better value option.