Xeon E3-1235L v5 vs Core i5-6440HQ

Xeon E3-1235L v5

4 Cores4 Thrd25 WWMax: 3 GHz2015

Core i5-6440HQ

4 Cores4 Thrd45 WWMax: 3.5 GHz2015

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon E3-1235L v5

4 / 4

5,013

0.0%

5,021

+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 E3-1235L v5 is positioned at rank 555 and the Core i5-6440HQ is on rank 879, so the Xeon E3-1235L v5 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 E3-1235L v5

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

8290%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

1565%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

1391%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

1074%

#335

Xeon Gold 6430

MSRP: $2128|Avg: $1850

99%

#336

Xeon Gold 6421N

MSRP: $2368|Avg: $2427

99%

#337

EPYC 7F72

MSRP: $2131|Avg: $2131

99%

#338

Xeon W-2265

MSRP: $1039|Avg: $663

99%

#339

Xeon w7-3555

MSRP: $2749|Avg: $2199

98%

#340

Xeon w7-3445

MSRP: $1989|Avg: $2596

98%

#341

EPYC 9275F

MSRP: $3439|Avg: $3439

98%

#342

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7975WX

MSRP: $3899|Avg: $3971.7

98%

#343

EPYC 7543P

MSRP: $2730|Avg: $115

97%

#344

EPYC 9455P

MSRP: $4819|Avg: $4366

97%

#345

EPYC 9274F

MSRP: $3060|Avg: $2490

96%

#346

Xeon Gold 6438Y+

MSRP: $2607|Avg: $389

96%

#555

Xeon E3-1235L v5

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i5-6440HQ

#867

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1461%

#868

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1440%

#869

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1322%

#870

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1316%

#871

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1304%

#873

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1259%

#874

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1207%

#875

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1205%

#876

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1173%

#879

Core i5-6440HQ

MSRP: $250|Avg: N/A

100%

#882

Celeron Dual-Core T1600

MSRP: $150|Avg: $150

100%

#884

Athlon II N330

MSRP: $100|Avg: $50

100%

#889

Core i7-7820EQ

MSRP: $378|Avg: $378

98%

#890

Celeron 7305

MSRP: $128|Avg: $107

98%

#891

E-300

MSRP: $60|Avg: $20

98%

#892

Core i7-7820HK

MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A

97%

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 E3-1235L v5 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon E3-1235L v5	Core i5-6440HQ
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($250)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Skylake-DT (2015) / 14 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Skylake (2015−2016) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i5-6440HQ ($250), 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 ($250 less, Infinity% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Xeon E3-1235L v5	Core i5-6440HQ
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($250)

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 E3-1235L v5 Benchmark Check

Core i5-6440HQ Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E3-1235L v5 and Core i5-6440HQ

Xeon E3-1235L v5

The Xeon E3-1235L v5 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Skylake-DT (2015) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 25 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600. Passmark benchmark score: 5,013 points. Launch price was $250.

Core i5-6440HQ

The Core i5-6440HQ is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 5,021 points. Launch price was $250.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Xeon E3-1235L v5 and Core i5-6440HQ share an identical 4-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3 GHz on the Xeon E3-1235L v5 versus 3.5 GHz on the Core i5-6440HQ — a 15.4% clock advantage for the Core i5-6440HQ (base: 2 GHz vs 2.6 GHz). The Xeon E3-1235L v5 uses the Skylake-DT (2015) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i5-6440HQ uses Skylake (2015−2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E3-1235L v5 scores 5,013 against the Core i5-6440HQ's 5,021 — a 0.2% lead for the Core i5-6440HQ. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Xeon E3-1235L v5 vs 6 MB on the Core i5-6440HQ.

Feature	Xeon E3-1235L v5	Core i5-6440HQ
Cores / Threads	4 / 4	4 / 4
Boost Clock	3 GHz	3.5 GHz+17%
Base Clock	2 GHz	2.6 GHz+30%
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)+33%	6 MB
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	1 MB+300%
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Skylake-DT (2015)	Skylake (2015−2016)
PassMark	5,013	5,021

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E3-1235L v5 uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-6440HQ uses BGA1440 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Xeon E3-1235L v5	Core i5-6440HQ
Socket	LGA1151	BGA1440
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-2133
Max RAM Capacity	—	64 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Xeon E3-1235L v5) / VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-6440HQ). The Core i5-6440HQ includes integrated graphics (HD Graphics 530), while the Xeon E3-1235L v5 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-6440HQ targets Mobile.