Xeon E3-1220L v2
VS
Athlon II X4 645

Xeon E3-1220L v2 vs Athlon II X4 645

Intel

Xeon E3-1220L v2

2 Cores4 Thrd17 WWMax: 3.5 GHz2012
VS
AMD

Athlon II X4 645

4 Cores4 Thrd95 WWMax: 3.1 GHz2010

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 Athlon II X4 645 is on rank 819, so the Xeon E3-1220L v2 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 Athlon II X4 645

#1
Ryzen 9 7950X
MSRP: $194|Avg: $20
16537%
#2
Core i9-10900T
MSRP: $120|Avg: $5
15625%
#3
Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE
MSRP: $423|Avg: $5
11345%
#4
Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85
3418%
#5
Ryzen 9 9950X
MSRP: $649|Avg: $129
2707%
#6
Ryzen 5 8400F
MSRP: $303|Avg: $55
2368%
#7
Ryzen 7 PRO 2700
MSRP: $299|Avg: $60
1356%
#8
Ryzen 5 2600X
MSRP: $229|Avg: $55
1339%
#9
Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G
MSRP: $150|Avg: $60
1219%
#10
Core Ultra 5 245KF
MSRP: $294|Avg: $189
1219%
#11
Ryzen 5 5500
MSRP: $159|Avg: $85
1205%
#12
Ryzen 5 3600
MSRP: $199|Avg: $80
1173%
#13
Core i3-9100E
MSRP: $202|Avg: $30
1156%
#14
Core Ultra 5 245K
MSRP: $319|Avg: $200
1152%
#15
Core i3-8300T
MSRP: $138|Avg: $25
1141%
#295
Core i9-7940X
MSRP: $1399|Avg: $275
96%
#819
Athlon II X4 645
MSRP: $126|Avg: $20
100%
#820
Core i5-7400
MSRP: $294|Avg: $70
99%
#821
Pentium E5800
MSRP: $64|Avg: $15
99%
#822
Core i7-6820EQ
MSRP: $378|Avg: $344
99%
#823
A6-9500
MSRP: $101|Avg: $25
99%
#824
Pentium G2120T
MSRP: $87|Avg: $10
98%
#825
Athlon II X2 270
MSRP: $72|Avg: $15
98%
#827
Core i7-6850K
MSRP: $617|Avg: $80
98%
#828
Core i5-2500K
MSRP: $225|Avg: $35
98%
#829
Pentium G3430
MSRP: $116|Avg: $30
97%
#830
Pentium E5400
MSRP: $55|Avg: $49
97%
#831
Core i5-4570R
MSRP: $250|Avg: $20
97%
#832
A6-3650
MSRP: $115|Avg: $20
97%
#833
Core i7-4770R
MSRP: $360|Avg: $89
97%
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 v2Athlon II X4 645
Gaming
Superior gaming performance
Lower gaming performance
Workstation
Better multi-core power
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price
More affordable ($0)
⚠️ Higher cost ($20)
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) / 22 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Propus (2009−2011) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Athlon II X4 645 ($20), 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 ($20 less, Infinity% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.
InsightXeon E3-1220L v2Athlon II X4 645
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
More affordable ($0)
⚠️ Higher cost ($20)

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 Athlon II X4 645

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

Athlon II X4 645

The Athlon II X4 645 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 21 September 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Propus (2009−2011) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.1 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: AM3. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,375 points. Launch price was $80.

Processing Power

The Xeon E3-1220L v2 packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Athlon II X4 645 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Athlon II X4 645 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.5 GHz on the Xeon E3-1220L v2 versus 3.1 GHz on the Athlon II X4 645 — a 12.1% clock advantage for the Xeon E3-1220L v2 (base: 2.3 GHz vs 3.1 GHz). The Xeon E3-1220L v2 uses the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture (22 nm), while the Athlon II X4 645 uses Propus (2009−2011) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E3-1220L v2 scores 2,397 against the Athlon II X4 645's 2,375 — a 0.9% lead for the Xeon E3-1220L v2. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Xeon E3-1220L v2 vs 0 kB on the Athlon II X4 645.

FeatureXeon E3-1220L v2Athlon II X4 645
Cores / Threads
2 / 4
4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock
3.5 GHz+13%
3.1 GHz
Base Clock
2.3 GHz
3.1 GHz+35%
L3 Cache
8 MB (total)
0 kB
L2 Cache
256 kB (per core)
512 kB (per core)+100%
Process
22 nm-51%
45 nm
Architecture
Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
Propus (2009−2011)
PassMark
2,397
2,375
Cinebench R23 Multi
1,374
Geekbench 6 Single
399
Geekbench 6 Multi
1,374
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E3-1220L v2 uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Athlon II X4 645 uses AM3 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureXeon E3-1220L v2Athlon II X4 645
Socket
LGA1155
AM3
PCIe Generation
PCIe 3.0+50%
PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed
DDR3-1333
Max RAM Capacity
16 GB
RAM Channels
2
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
16
🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Xeon E3-1220L v2) / Yes (Athlon II X4 645). Primary use case: Athlon II X4 645 targets Desktop.

FeatureXeon E3-1220L v2Athlon II X4 645
Integrated GPU
No
AVX-512
No
Virtualization
Yes
Target Use
Desktop