Xeon E3-1220L vs Core i5-650

Xeon E3-1220L

2 Cores4 Thrd20 WWMax: 3.4 GHz2011

Core i5-650

2 Cores4 Thrd73 WWMax: 3.46 GHz2010

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon E3-1220L

2 / 4

2,263

+0.4%

2,254

0.0%

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 is positioned at rank 812 and the Core i5-650 is on rank 946, so the Xeon E3-1220L 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

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

17362%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

3278%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

2912%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

2250%

#464

Xeon W-3375

MSRP: $4951|Avg: $6000

100%

#466

Xeon Platinum 8358

MSRP: $4607|Avg: $3145

99%

#467

EPYC 7662

MSRP: $6150|Avg: $1266

98%

#467

EPYC 7713

MSRP: $7060|Avg: $1299

98%

#812

Xeon E3-1220L

MSRP: $189|Avg: $27

100%

#813

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%

#827

Xeon W3565

MSRP: $294|Avg: $69

96%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i5-650

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

24334%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

22993%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

16695%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

5029%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

3984%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

3485%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

1996%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

1970%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

1794%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

1794%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

1774%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

1726%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

1702%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

1695%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

1679%

#946

Core i5-650

MSRP: $176|Avg: $22

100%

#947

A10-6790B

MSRP: $122|Avg: $50

99%

#948

Phenom X3 8600

MSRP: $100|Avg: $20

99%

#949

Core i3-6100TE

MSRP: $250|Avg: $90

98%

#950

FX-4320

MSRP: $250|Avg: $100

98%

#951

Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition

MSRP: $990|Avg: $150

98%

#952

Celeron E1200

MSRP: $53|Avg: $98

98%

#954

Core i5-660

MSRP: $196|Avg: $150

97%

#955

Athlon II X2 250

MSRP: $87|Avg: $15

97%

#956

Core i3-2120T

MSRP: $127|Avg: $38

96%

#957

Phenom II X3 720

MSRP: $130|Avg: $64

96%

#958

Pentium E6300

MSRP: $84|Avg: $15

96%

#959

Core i5-661

MSRP: $196|Avg: $40

95%

#960

Core i3-4150

MSRP: $281|Avg: $70

95%

#961

Core i5-750

MSRP: $210|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 ($27) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E3-1220L is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon E3-1220L	Core i5-650
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($27)	✅ More affordable ($22)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Clarkdale (2010−2011) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i5-650 ($22), 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 ($5 less, 19% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Xeon E3-1220L	Core i5-650
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+22%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($27)	✅ More affordable ($22)

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 Benchmark Check

Core i5-650 Benchmark Check

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E3-1220L and Core i5-650

Xeon E3-1220L

The Xeon E3-1220L is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1155. Thermal design power (TDP): 20 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,263 points. Launch price was $800.

Core i5-650

The Core i5-650 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 7 January 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Clarkdale (2010−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.46 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1156. Thermal design power (TDP): 73 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,254 points. Launch price was $35.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Xeon E3-1220L and Core i5-650 share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.4 GHz on the Xeon E3-1220L versus 3.46 GHz on the Core i5-650 — a 1.7% clock advantage for the Core i5-650 (base: 2.2 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Xeon E3-1220L uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Core i5-650 uses Clarkdale (2010−2011) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E3-1220L scores 2,263 against the Core i5-650's 2,254 — a 0.4% lead for the Xeon E3-1220L. L3 cache: 3 MB (total) on the Xeon E3-1220L vs 4 MB (total) on the Core i5-650.

Feature	Xeon E3-1220L	Core i5-650
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	2 / 4
Boost Clock	3.4 GHz	3.46 GHz+2%
Base Clock	2.2 GHz	3.2 GHz+45%
L3 Cache	3 MB (total)	4 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	32 nm	32 nm
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Clarkdale (2010−2011)
PassMark	2,263	2,254

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E3-1220L uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i5-650 uses LGA1156 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Xeon E3-1220L	Core i5-650
Socket	LGA1155	LGA1156
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0

💰

Value Analysis

The Xeon E3-1220L launched at $189 MSRP, while the Core i5-650 debuted at $176. At current prices ($27 vs $22), the Core i5-650 is $5 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Xeon E3-1220L delivers 83.8 pts/$ vs 102.5 pts/$ for the Core i5-650 — making the Core i5-650 the 20% better value option.