Xeon E3-1220L v3 vs Phenom II X4 P920
Xeon E3-1220L v3
Phenom II X4 P920
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 v3 is positioned at rank 939 and the Phenom II X4 P920 is on rank 483, so the Phenom II X4 P920 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Xeon E3-1220L v3
Performance Per Dollar Phenom II X4 P920
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Xeon E3-1220L v3 | Phenom II X4 P920 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 (Champlain (2010−2011) / 45 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Xeon E3-1220L v3 | Phenom II X4 P920 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ⚠️ Higher cost ($30) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
Performance Check
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 v3 and Phenom II X4 P920
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.
Phenom II X4 P920
The Phenom II X4 P920 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Max frequency: 1.6 GHz. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1g4. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 MB. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,395 points. Launch price was $149.
Processing Power
The Xeon E3-1220L v3 packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Phenom II X4 P920 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Phenom II X4 P920 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 1.5 GHz on the Xeon E3-1220L v3 versus 1.6 GHz on the Phenom II X4 P920 — a 6.5% clock advantage for the Phenom II X4 P920. The Xeon E3-1220L v3 uses the Haswell-WS (2013−2014) architecture (22 nm), while the Phenom II X4 P920 uses Champlain (2010−2011) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E3-1220L v3 scores 1,407 against the Phenom II X4 P920's 1,395 — a 0.9% lead for the Xeon E3-1220L v3.
| Feature | Xeon E3-1220L v3 | Phenom II X4 P920 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 4 | 4 / 4+100% |
| Boost Clock | 1.5 GHz | 1.6 GHz+7% |
| Base Clock | 1.1 GHz | — |
| L3 Cache | 4096 kB (total) | — |
| L2 Cache | 256 kB (per core) | 2 MB+700% |
| Process | 22 nm-51% | 45 nm |
| Architecture | Haswell-WS (2013−2014) | Champlain (2010−2011) |
| PassMark | 1,407 | 1,395 |
Memory & Platform
The Xeon E3-1220L v3 uses the LGA1150 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Phenom II X4 P920 uses S1g4 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Xeon E3-1220L v3 | Phenom II X4 P920 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | LGA1150 | S1g4 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0+50% | PCIe 2.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR3-1600 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 32 GB | — |
| RAM Channels | 2 | — |
| ECC Support | ✅ | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 16 | — |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: VT-P (Xeon E3-1220L v3) / not specified (Phenom II X4 P920).
| Feature | Xeon E3-1220L v3 | Phenom II X4 P920 |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | No | — |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | VT-P | — |
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