Xeon E3-1220L v3 vs Core 2 Duo SU9300

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 v3 is positioned at rank 939 and the Core 2 Duo SU9300 is on rank 143, so the Core 2 Duo SU9300 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 v3

#1

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

28508%

#6

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

5383%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

4782%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

3694%

#527

Xeon Platinum 8592+

MSRP: $11600|Avg: $11600

99%

#528

Xeon E5-2687W v3

MSRP: $2141|Avg: $749

93%

#939

Xeon E3-1220L v3

MSRP: $193|Avg: $30

100%

#940

Xeon E5-2670 v2

MSRP: $1556|Avg: $189

100%

#941

Xeon E5-2637 v3

MSRP: $996|Avg: $75

100%

#943

Xeon E5-1680 v2

MSRP: $1723|Avg: $150

99%

#944

Opteron 144

MSRP: $65|Avg: $29

98%

#945

Opteron 4386

MSRP: $459|Avg: $459

98%

#946

Xeon E5-2640

MSRP: $885|Avg: N/A

98%

#947

Xeon E5-2643 v4

MSRP: $1552|Avg: $555

97%

#949

Xeon E5-2630 v2

MSRP: $1069|Avg: $1224

96%

#953

Xeon E5-1620

MSRP: $885|Avg: $70

91%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core 2 Duo SU9300

#36

Core i5-11500B

MSRP: $185|Avg: $185

99%

#131

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

316%

#132

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

312%

#133

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

286%

#134

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

285%

#135

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

282%

#137

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

272%

#138

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

261%

#139

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

261%

#140

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

254%

#143

Core 2 Duo SU9300

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#147

Atom N2800

MSRP: $47|Avg: $3

99%

#158

Core i5-3210M

MSRP: $225|Avg: $30

95%

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 ($30) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E3-1220L v3 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon E3-1220L v3	Core 2 Duo SU9300
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($30)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Haswell-WS (2013−2014) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Penryn (2008−2011) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core 2 Duo SU9300 ($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 ($30 less, 100% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Xeon E3-1220L v3	Core 2 Duo SU9300
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($30)	✅ More affordable ($0)

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.

Xeon E3-1220L v3 Benchmark Check

Core 2 Duo SU9300 Benchmark Check

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Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E3-1220L v3 and Core 2 Duo SU9300

Xeon E3-1220L v3

The Xeon E3-1220L v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-WS (2013−2014) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.1 GHz, with boost up to 1.5 GHz. L3 cache: 4096 kB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1150. Thermal design power (TDP): 13 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 1,407 points. Launch price was $800.

Core 2 Duo SU9300

The Core 2 Duo SU9300 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2008-01-01. It is based on the Penryn (2008−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.2 GHz, with boost up to 1.2 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB L2 Cache. L2 cache: 3 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: BGA956. Thermal design power (TDP): 10 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 1,392 points. Launch price was $249.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon E3-1220L v3 packs 2 cores / 4 threads, matching the Core 2 Duo SU9300's 2 cores. Boost clocks reach 1.5 GHz on the Xeon E3-1220L v3 versus 1.2 GHz on the Core 2 Duo SU9300 — a 22.2% clock advantage for the Xeon E3-1220L v3 (base: 1.1 GHz vs 1.2 GHz). The Xeon E3-1220L v3 uses the Haswell-WS (2013−2014) architecture (22 nm), while the Core 2 Duo SU9300 uses Penryn (2008−2011) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E3-1220L v3 scores 1,407 against the Core 2 Duo SU9300's 1,392 — a 1.1% lead for the Xeon E3-1220L v3. L3 cache: 4096 kB (total) on the Xeon E3-1220L v3 vs 3 MB L2 Cache on the Core 2 Duo SU9300.

Feature	Xeon E3-1220L v3	Core 2 Duo SU9300
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	2 / 2
Boost Clock	1.5 GHz+25%	1.2 GHz
Base Clock	1.1 GHz	1.2 GHz+9%
L3 Cache	4096 kB (total)+33%	3 MB L2 Cache
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	3 MB+1100%
Process	22 nm-51%	45 nm
Architecture	Haswell-WS (2013−2014)	Penryn (2008−2011)
PassMark	1,407+1%	1,392

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E3-1220L v3 uses the LGA1150 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core 2 Duo SU9300 uses BGA956 (PCIe 1.1) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Xeon E3-1220L v3	Core 2 Duo SU9300
Socket	LGA1150	BGA956
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0+173%	PCIe 1.1
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1600	—
Max RAM Capacity	32 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	✅	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—