Xeon E3-1230 v3 vs Core i7-4940MX

Xeon E3-1230 v3

4 Cores8 Thrd80 WWMax: 3.7 GHz2013

Core i7-4940MX

4 Cores8 Thrd57 WWMax: 4 GHz2014

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon E3-1230 v3

4 / 8

6,837

+0.8%

6,783

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 E3-1230 v3 is positioned at rank 430 and the Core i7-4940MX is on rank 1184, so the Xeon E3-1230 v3 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 v3

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

6078%

Xeon W-11865MLE

MSRP: $467|Avg: $350

100%

Xeon W-11865MRE

MSRP: $600|Avg: $600

95%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

1148%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

1020%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

788%

#281

EPYC 7402P

MSRP: $1280|Avg: $1090

100%

#282

Xeon w5-3525

MSRP: $1339|Avg: $1392

99%

#283

Xeon W-1290T

MSRP: $546|Avg: $494

99%

#284

Xeon D-1581

MSRP: $400|Avg: $400

96%

#285

Xeon w5-3535X

MSRP: $1699|Avg: N/A

96%

#286

Xeon w5-2465X

MSRP: $1389|Avg: $1499

95%

#430

Xeon E3-1230 v3

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i7-4940MX

#1172

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

4740%

#1173

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

4670%

#1174

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

4288%

#1175

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

4268%

#1176

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

4229%

#1178

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

4084%

#1179

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

3916%

#1180

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

3910%

#1181

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

3805%

#1184

Core i7-4940MX

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#1185

Athlon Neo X2 L325

MSRP: $100|Avg: $5

99%

#1186

Core i3-2370M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

98%

#1187

Core i3-3217UE

MSRP: $225|Avg: $35

98%

#1188

Celeron T3000

MSRP: $150|Avg: $54

97%

#1189

Core m7-6Y75

MSRP: $393|Avg: $393

97%

#1190

Core M-5Y10

MSRP: $281|Avg: $20

95%

#1193

Celeron 900

MSRP: $86|Avg: $5

91%

#1194

Pentium T3400

MSRP: $150|Avg: $90

91%

#1195

Core 2 Solo SU3500

MSRP: $262|Avg: $15

90%

#1196

Core 2 Duo E8335

MSRP: $200|Avg: $50

88%

#1199

Celeron 560

MSRP: $89|Avg: $5

86%

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 E3-1230 v3 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon E3-1230 v3	Core i7-4940MX
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Haswell-WS (2013−2014) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Haswell (2013−2015) / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-4940MX ($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 ($0 less, NaN% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Xeon E3-1230 v3	Core i7-4940MX
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing

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 v3 Benchmark Check

Core i7-4940MX Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E3-1230 v3 and Core i7-4940MX

Xeon E3-1230 v3

The Xeon E3-1230 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 June 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Haswell-WS (2013−2014) 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: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1150. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 6,837 points. Launch price was $240.

Core i7-4940MX

The Core i7-4940MX is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 20 January 2014 (11 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.1 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: PGA946. Thermal design power (TDP): 57 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 6,783 points. Launch price was $1,096.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Xeon E3-1230 v3 and Core i7-4940MX share an identical 4-core/8-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.7 GHz on the Xeon E3-1230 v3 versus 4 GHz on the Core i7-4940MX — a 7.8% clock advantage for the Core i7-4940MX (base: 3.3 GHz vs 3.1 GHz). The Xeon E3-1230 v3 uses the Haswell-WS (2013−2014) architecture (22 nm), while the Core i7-4940MX uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E3-1230 v3 scores 6,837 against the Core i7-4940MX's 6,783 — a 0.8% lead for the Xeon E3-1230 v3. Both processors carry 8 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Xeon E3-1230 v3	Core i7-4940MX
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	4 / 8
Boost Clock	3.7 GHz	4 GHz+8%
Base Clock	3.3 GHz+6%	3.1 GHz
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256K (per core)
Process	22 nm	22 nm
Architecture	Haswell-WS (2013−2014)	Haswell (2013−2015)
PassMark	6,837	6,783

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E3-1230 v3 uses the LGA1150 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i7-4940MX uses PGA946 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.