Xeon E3-1240 vs Core i7-4700MQ

Xeon E3-1240

4 Cores8 Thrd80 WWMax: 3.7 GHz2011

Core i7-4700MQ

4 Cores8 Thrd47 WWMax: 3.4 GHz2013

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon E3-1240

4 / 8

5,361

+0.2%

5,349

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 E3-1240 is positioned at rank 627 and the Core i7-4700MQ is on rank 1000, so the Xeon E3-1240 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 E3-1240

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

10582%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

1998%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

1775%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

1371%

#374

Xeon Gold 6448H

MSRP: $3658|Avg: N/A

100%

#375

Xeon D-2766NT

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $212

100%

#376

Xeon Gold 6442Y

MSRP: $2878|Avg: N/A

99%

#377

Xeon 6740P

MSRP: $4650|Avg: $4650

99%

#378

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9985WX

MSRP: $7999|Avg: $7999

98%

#379

Xeon W-3345

MSRP: $2499|Avg: $3319

98%

#380

Xeon Gold 6526Y

MSRP: $2878|Avg: N/A

97%

#382

Xeon Platinum 8352Y

MSRP: $3995|Avg: N/A

95%

#627

Xeon E3-1240

MSRP: $273|Avg: $39

100%

#636

Xeon E5-2680 v2

MSRP: $667|Avg: $462

97%

#640

Xeon W-2104

MSRP: $294|Avg: $309

96%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i7-4700MQ

#988

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

2100%

#989

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

2069%

#990

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1900%

#991

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1891%

#992

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1874%

#994

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1810%

#995

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1735%

#996

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1732%

#997

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1686%

#1000

Core i7-4700MQ

MSRP: $383|Avg: $50

100%

#1001

Athlon II M340

MSRP: $80|Avg: $15

100%

#1005

Pentium P6000

MSRP: $150|Avg: $90

98%

#1007

Core i7-3630QM

MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A

97%

#1008

Core i7-3610QM

MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A

97%

#1009

Core i3-1115GRE

MSRP: $338|Avg: $480

97%

#1010

Pentium A1020

MSRP: $86|Avg: $86

97%

#1011

Core i7-4702MQ

MSRP: $383|Avg: $50

97%

#1012

Pentium N4200

MSRP: $161|Avg: $30.89

96%

#1013

Pentium J2900

MSRP: $94|Avg: $20

95%

#1014

Celeron T1700

MSRP: $80|Avg: $5

95%

#1015

Celeron T3500

MSRP: $80|Avg: $10

94%

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 ($39) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E3-1240 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon E3-1240	Core i7-4700MQ
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	✅ More affordable ($39)	⚠️ Higher cost ($50)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Haswell (2013−2015) / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-4700MQ ($50), 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 ($11 less, 28% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Xeon E3-1240	Core i7-4700MQ
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+28%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($39)	⚠️ Higher cost ($50)

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 E3-1240 Benchmark Check

Core i7-4700MQ Benchmark Check

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E3-1240 and Core i7-4700MQ

Xeon E3-1240

The Xeon E3-1240 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 April 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) 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 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1155. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 5,361 points. Launch price was $209.

Core i7-4700MQ

The Core i7-4700MQ is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 27 May 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: PGA946. Thermal design power (TDP): 47 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 5,349 points. Launch price was $288.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Xeon E3-1240 and Core i7-4700MQ share an identical 4-core/8-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.7 GHz on the Xeon E3-1240 versus 3.4 GHz on the Core i7-4700MQ — a 8.5% clock advantage for the Xeon E3-1240 (base: 3.3 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Xeon E3-1240 uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Core i7-4700MQ uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E3-1240 scores 5,361 against the Core i7-4700MQ's 5,349 — a 0.2% lead for the Xeon E3-1240. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Xeon E3-1240 vs 6 MB (total) on the Core i7-4700MQ.

Feature	Xeon E3-1240	Core i7-4700MQ
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)+33%	6 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	256K (per core)
Process	32 nm	22 nm-31%
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Haswell (2013−2015)
PassMark	5,361	5,349

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E3-1240 uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i7-4700MQ uses PGA946 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Xeon E3-1240	Core i7-4700MQ
Socket	LGA1155	PGA946
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 3.0+50%

💰

Value Analysis

The Xeon E3-1240 launched at $273 MSRP, while the Core i7-4700MQ debuted at $383. At current prices ($39 vs $50), the Xeon E3-1240 is $11 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Xeon E3-1240 delivers 137.5 pts/$ vs 107.0 pts/$ for the Core i7-4700MQ — making the Xeon E3-1240 the 24.9% better value option.