Xeon E3-1220L v2
VS
A12-9700P

Xeon E3-1220L v2 vs A12-9700P

Intel

Xeon E3-1220L v2

2 Cores4 Thrd17 WWMax: 3.5 GHz2012
VS
AMD

A12-9700P

4 Cores4 Thrd2 WWMax: 3.4 GHz2016

Performance Spectrum - CPU

About PassMark

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 Xeon E3-1220L v2 is positioned at rank 810 and the A12-9700P is on rank 553, so the A12-9700P 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 Xeon E3-1220L v2

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
17333%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
3273%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
2908%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
2246%
#463
EPYC 75F3
MSRP: $5383|Avg: $2799
100%
#464
Xeon W-3375
MSRP: $4951|Avg: $6000
100%
#466
Xeon Platinum 8358
MSRP: $4607|Avg: $3145
98%
#467
EPYC 7713
MSRP: $7060|Avg: $1299
98%
#467
EPYC 7662
MSRP: $6150|Avg: $1266
98%
#810
Xeon E3-1220L v2
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#812
Xeon E3-1220L
MSRP: $189|Avg: $27
100%
#814
Xeon X3450
MSRP: $241|Avg: $39
100%
#817
Xeon W3680
MSRP: $594|Avg: $26
99%
#819
Xeon E5-2640 v3
MSRP: $939|Avg: $189
98%
#824
Xeon E5-1660 v3
MSRP: $1080|Avg: $198
97%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar A12-9700P

#173
Core Ultra 5 238V
MSRP: $454|Avg: $454
100%
#176
Core i9-13900HK
MSRP: $697|Avg: N/A
97%
#541
Atom x5-Z8300
MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A
729%
#542
Atom Z3735G
MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A
718%
#543
Core i5-480M
MSRP: $81|Avg: $77
659%
#544
Core i5-460M
MSRP: $80|Avg: $129
656%
#545
Core i5-2540M
MSRP: $266|Avg: $10
650%
#547
Core i5-450M
MSRP: $32|Avg: $31
628%
#548
Core i3-380M
MSRP: $49|Avg: $25
602%
#549
Core i5-430M
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33
601%
#550
Core 2 Duo T6600
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4
585%
#553
A12-9700P
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#557
Pentium P6200
MSRP: $60|Avg: $25
99%
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 E3-1220L v2 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightXeon E3-1220L v2A12-9700P
Gaming
Superior gaming performance
Lower gaming performance
Workstation
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Better multi-core power
Price
Equivalent pricing
Equivalent pricing
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) / 22 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) / 28 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The A12-9700P ($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.
InsightXeon E3-1220L v2A12-9700P
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.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E3-1220L v2 and A12-9700P

Intel

Xeon E3-1220L v2

The Xeon E3-1220L v2 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1155. Thermal design power (TDP): 17 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,397 points. Launch price was $800.

AMD

A12-9700P

The A12-9700P is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2014-01-01. It is based on the Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L2 cache: 2048 kB. Built on 28 nm process technology. Socket: FP4. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 MB. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 2,415 points. Launch price was $130.

Processing Power

The Xeon E3-1220L v2 packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the A12-9700P offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the A12-9700P has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.5 GHz on the Xeon E3-1220L v2 versus 3.4 GHz on the A12-9700P — a 2.9% clock advantage for the Xeon E3-1220L v2 (base: 2.3 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Xeon E3-1220L v2 uses the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture (22 nm), while the A12-9700P uses Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) (28 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E3-1220L v2 scores 2,397 against the A12-9700P's 2,415 — a 0.7% lead for the A12-9700P.

FeatureXeon E3-1220L v2A12-9700P
Cores / Threads
2 / 4
4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock
3.5 GHz+3%
3.4 GHz
Base Clock
2.3 GHz
2.5 GHz+9%
L3 Cache
8 MB (total)
L2 Cache
256 kB (per core)
2048 kB+700%
Process
22 nm-21%
28 nm
Architecture
Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
Bristol Ridge (2016−2019)
PassMark
2,397
2,415
Geekbench 6 Single
481
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E3-1220L v2 uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the A12-9700P uses FP4 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureXeon E3-1220L v2A12-9700P
Socket
LGA1155
FP4
PCIe Generation
PCIe 3.0
PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed
DDR4-1866
Max RAM Capacity
16 GB
RAM Channels
2
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
8
🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Xeon E3-1220L v2) / AMD-V (A12-9700P). The A12-9700P includes integrated graphics (Radeon R7), while the Xeon E3-1220L v2 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: A12-9700P targets Laptop. Direct competitor: A12-9700P rivals Core i5-6200U.

FeatureXeon E3-1220L v2A12-9700P
Integrated GPU
Yes
IGPU Model
Radeon R7
Unlocked
No
AVX-512
No
Virtualization
AMD-V
Target Use
Laptop