Xeon D-2733NT vs Xeon E5-2690 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.

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.

Xeon D-2733NT

2022

Why buy it

✅+1.1% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 80W instead of 135W, a 55W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E5-2690 v3 across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (15 MB vs 30 MB).

Xeon E5-2690 v3

2014

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +18.6% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 15 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,027 vs 16,206).
❌Launch MSRP is still $2,090 MSRP, while Xeon D-2733NT mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌68.8% higher power demand at 135W vs 80W.

Xeon D-2733NT

2022

Xeon E5-2690 v3

2014

Why buy it

✅+1.1% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 80W instead of 135W, a 55W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +18.6% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 15 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E5-2690 v3 across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (15 MB vs 30 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,027 vs 16,206).
❌Launch MSRP is still $2,090 MSRP, while Xeon D-2733NT mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌68.8% higher power demand at 135W vs 80W.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon D-2733NT better than Xeon E5-2690 v3?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Xeon E5-2690 v3 is ahead with a 18.6% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Xeon D-2733NT pulls ahead with 1.1% better PassMark. Xeon E5-2690 v3 also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 15 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon D-2733NT is the better fit. You are getting 1.1% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Xeon D-2733NT is still the faster CPU overall, but Xeon E5-2690 v3 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Xeon D-2733NT is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $2,090 MSRP, and it gives you 1.1% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Xeon E5-2690 v3 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 18.6% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. Xeon E5-2690 v3 is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (7.7 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

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

Xeon D-2733NT is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2014) and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 12/24. 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.

Xeon D-2733NT Benchmark Check

Xeon E5-2690 v3 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Xeon D-2733NT	Xeon E5-2690 v3
1080p
low	173 FPS	161 FPS
medium	141 FPS	141 FPS
high	114 FPS	114 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	143 FPS	135 FPS
medium	114 FPS	115 FPS
high	89 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	63 FPS
medium	57 FPS	57 FPS
high	45 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	35 FPS

Open Xeon D-2733NT Open Xeon E5-2690 v3

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Xeon D-2733NT	Xeon E5-2690 v3
1080p
low	154 FPS	331 FPS
medium	135 FPS	299 FPS
high	120 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	213 FPS
1440p
low	135 FPS	286 FPS
medium	122 FPS	262 FPS
high	109 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	185 FPS
4K
low	98 FPS	185 FPS
medium	91 FPS	169 FPS
high	81 FPS	147 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	116 FPS

Open Xeon D-2733NT Open Xeon E5-2690 v3

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Xeon D-2733NT	Xeon E5-2690 v3
1080p
low	405 FPS	401 FPS
medium	405 FPS	401 FPS
high	405 FPS	401 FPS
ultra	405 FPS	380 FPS
1440p
low	405 FPS	401 FPS
medium	405 FPS	401 FPS
high	394 FPS	388 FPS
ultra	344 FPS	342 FPS
4K
low	405 FPS	396 FPS
medium	321 FPS	319 FPS
high	273 FPS	290 FPS
ultra	220 FPS	240 FPS

Open Xeon D-2733NT Open Xeon E5-2690 v3

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Xeon D-2733NT	Xeon E5-2690 v3
1080p
low	405 FPS	401 FPS
medium	405 FPS	401 FPS
high	405 FPS	401 FPS
ultra	405 FPS	401 FPS
1440p
low	405 FPS	401 FPS
medium	405 FPS	401 FPS
high	405 FPS	401 FPS
ultra	405 FPS	401 FPS
4K
low	405 FPS	401 FPS
medium	405 FPS	401 FPS
high	361 FPS	387 FPS
ultra	312 FPS	332 FPS

Open Xeon D-2733NT Open Xeon E5-2690 v3

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon D-2733NT and Xeon E5-2690 v3

Xeon D-2733NT

The Xeon D-2733NT is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Ice Lake-D (2022−2023) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 15 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA2579. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 16,206 points. Launch price was $800.

Xeon E5-2690 v3

The Xeon E5-2690 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 30 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 135 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133. Passmark benchmark score: 16,027 points. Launch price was $800.

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Processing Power

The Xeon D-2733NT packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Xeon E5-2690 v3 offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the Xeon E5-2690 v3 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.2 GHz on the Xeon D-2733NT versus 3.5 GHz on the Xeon E5-2690 v3 — a 9% clock advantage for the Xeon E5-2690 v3 (base: 2.1 GHz vs 2.6 GHz). The Xeon D-2733NT uses the Ice Lake-D (2022−2023) architecture (10 nm), while the Xeon E5-2690 v3 uses Haswell-EP (2014−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon D-2733NT scores 16,206 against the Xeon E5-2690 v3's 16,027 — a 1.1% lead for the Xeon D-2733NT. L3 cache: 15 MB (total) on the Xeon D-2733NT vs 30 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-2690 v3.

Feature	Xeon D-2733NT	Xeon E5-2690 v3
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	12 / 24+50%
Boost Clock	3.2 GHz	3.5 GHz+9%
Base Clock	2.1 GHz	2.6 GHz+24%
L3 Cache	15 MB (total)	30 MB (total)+100%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+400%	256K (per core)
Process	10 nm-55%	22 nm
Architecture	Ice Lake-D (2022−2023)	Haswell-EP (2014−2015)
PassMark	16,206+1%	16,027

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Memory & Platform

The Xeon D-2733NT uses the FCBGA2579 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon E5-2690 v3 uses LGA2011 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Xeon D-2733NT	Xeon E5-2690 v3
Socket	FCBGA2579	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-2133
Max RAM Capacity	—	768 GB
RAM Channels	—	4
ECC Support	—	Yes
PCIe Lanes	—	40