Xeon E3-1230 v2 vs Core i7-6700TE

Xeon E3-1230 v2

4 Cores8 Thrd69 WWMax: 3.7 GHz2012

Core i7-6700TE

4 Cores8 Thrd35 WWMax: 3.4 GHz2015

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon E3-1230 v2

4 / 8

6,191

0.0%

6,203

+0.2%

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 E3-1230 v2 is positioned at rank 500 and the Core i7-6700TE is on rank 788, so the Xeon E3-1230 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 E3-1230 v2

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

7216%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

1362%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

1210%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

935%

#311

Xeon w7-3545

MSRP: $2039|Avg: $2039

100%

#312

EPYC 7643P

MSRP: $2722|Avg: $2722

99%

#313

Xeon w5-3435X

MSRP: $1589|Avg: $163

99%

#314

Xeon Gold 6312U

MSRP: $1645|Avg: N/A

98%

#315

EPYC 7443

MSRP: $2010|Avg: $1800

98%

#316

Xeon Gold 6416H

MSRP: $1845|Avg: N/A

98%

#500

Xeon E3-1230 v2

MSRP: $215|Avg: $268

100%

#505

Xeon D-1521

MSRP: $199|Avg: $241

100%

#513

Xeon E3-1220 v5

MSRP: $203|Avg: $100

98%

#515

Xeon X5690

MSRP: $250|Avg: $250

98%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i7-6700TE

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

15228%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

14389%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

10447%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

3147%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

2493%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

2181%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

1249%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

1233%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

1123%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

1122%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

1110%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

1080%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

1065%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

1061%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

1051%

#294

Core i9-7920X

MSRP: $1199|Avg: $236

96%

#393

Core i3-9300T

MSRP: $309|Avg: $309

100%

#394

Ryzen 3 2200GE

MSRP: $300|Avg: $300

97%

#788

Core i7-6700TE

MSRP: $303|Avg: $175

100%

#790

Athlon II X4 620

MSRP: $99|Avg: $15

100%

#791

Core i7-3820

MSRP: $286|Avg: $30

99%

#792

Athlon II X3 425

MSRP: $79|Avg: $5

99%

#793

Athlon II X2 255

MSRP: $60|Avg: $10

99%

#794

Core i3-3245

MSRP: $120|Avg: $50

98%

#796

FX-4170

MSRP: $157|Avg: $23

97%

#798

Athlon II X3 415e

MSRP: $75|Avg: $15

96%

#799

Core i5-2300

MSRP: $177|Avg: $17

96%

#800

Core i7-4820K

MSRP: $332|Avg: $40

96%

#802

Core i7-3770K

MSRP: $332|Avg: $75

96%

#803

Core i5-4460T

MSRP: $187|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 ($268) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E3-1230 v2 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon E3-1230 v2	Core i7-6700TE
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($268)	✅ More affordable ($175)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Skylake (2015−2016) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-6700TE ($175), 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 ($93 less, 35% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Xeon E3-1230 v2	Core i7-6700TE
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+53%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($268)	✅ More affordable ($175)

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 E3-1230 v2 Benchmark Check

Core i7-6700TE Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E3-1230 v2 and Core i7-6700TE

Xeon E3-1230 v2

The Xeon E3-1230 v2 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 14 May 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1155. Thermal design power (TDP): 69 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 6,191 points. Launch price was $360.

Core i7-6700TE

The Core i7-6700TE is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 6,203 points. Launch price was $303.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Xeon E3-1230 v2 and Core i7-6700TE share an identical 4-core/8-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.7 GHz on the Xeon E3-1230 v2 versus 3.4 GHz on the Core i7-6700TE — a 8.5% clock advantage for the Xeon E3-1230 v2 (base: 3.3 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Xeon E3-1230 v2 uses the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture (22 nm), while the Core i7-6700TE uses Skylake (2015−2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E3-1230 v2 scores 6,191 against the Core i7-6700TE's 6,203 — a 0.2% lead for the Core i7-6700TE. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 821 vs 914, a 10.7% lead for the Core i7-6700TE that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 3,223 vs 3,244 (0.6% advantage for the Core i7-6700TE). Both processors carry 8 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Xeon E3-1230 v2	Core i7-6700TE
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	4 / 8
Boost Clock	3.7 GHz+9%	3.4 GHz
Base Clock	3.3 GHz+38%	2.4 GHz
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	256K (per core)
Process	22 nm	14 nm-36%
Architecture	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Skylake (2015−2016)
PassMark	6,191	6,203
Geekbench 6 Single	821	914+11%
Geekbench 6 Multi	3,223	3,244

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E3-1230 v2 uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i7-6700TE uses LGA1151 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1600 on the Xeon E3-1230 v2 versus DDR4-2133 on the Core i7-6700TE — the Core i7-6700TE supports 28.6% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i7-6700TE supports up to 64 GB of RAM compared to 32 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 16 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: C216,C206,C204,C202 (Xeon E3-1230 v2) and 100-series (Core i7-6700TE).

Feature	Xeon E3-1230 v2	Core i7-6700TE
Socket	LGA1155	LGA1151
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1600	DDR4-2133+33%
Max RAM Capacity	32 GB	64 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	✅	❌
PCIe Lanes	16	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Xeon E3-1230 v2) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i7-6700TE). The Core i7-6700TE includes integrated graphics (HD Graphics 530), while the Xeon E3-1230 v2 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Xeon E3-1230 v2 targets Server, Core i7-6700TE targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i7-6700TE rivals Ryzen 5 3600.

Feature	Xeon E3-1230 v2	Core i7-6700TE
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	None	HD Graphics 530
Unlocked	No	No
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use	Server	Gaming

💰

Value Analysis

The Xeon E3-1230 v2 launched at $215 MSRP, while the Core i7-6700TE debuted at $303. At current prices ($268 vs $175), the Core i7-6700TE is $93 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Xeon E3-1230 v2 delivers 23.1 pts/$ vs 35.4 pts/$ for the Core i7-6700TE — making the Core i7-6700TE the 42.2% better value option.