Xeon E3-1240L v5
VS
Core i7-6700HQ

Xeon E3-1240L v5 vs Core i7-6700HQ

Intel

Xeon E3-1240L v5

4 Cores8 Thrd25 WWMax: 3.2 GHz2015
VS
Intel

Core i7-6700HQ

4 Cores8 Thrd45 WWMax: 3.5 GHz2015

Performance Spectrum - CPU

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 E3-1240L v5 is positioned at rank 440 and the Core i7-6700HQ is on rank 937, so the Xeon E3-1240L 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 E3-1240L v5

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
6348%
#5
Xeon W-11865MRE
MSRP: $600|Avg: $600
100%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
1199%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
1065%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
823%
#285
Xeon w5-3535X
MSRP: $1699|Avg: N/A
100%
#286
Xeon w5-2465X
MSRP: $1389|Avg: $1499
99%
#287
EPYC 9355P
MSRP: $2998|Avg: $3026
99%
#288
Xeon w7-2595X
MSRP: $2039|Avg: $1600
99%
#289
Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9965WX
MSRP: $2899|Avg: $2699.99
99%
#440
Xeon E3-1240L v5
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#451
Xeon D-1718T
MSRP: $302|Avg: $302
98%
#452
Xeon D-1622
MSRP: $195|Avg: $170
97%
#453
Xeon E3-1290 v2
MSRP: $885|Avg: $125
97%
#454
Xeon E5-2420 v2
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $112
97%
#455
Xeon E3-1285 v6
MSRP: $450|Avg: N/A
97%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i7-6700HQ

#925
Atom x5-Z8300
MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A
1701%
#926
Atom Z3735G
MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A
1676%
#927
Core i5-480M
MSRP: $81|Avg: $77
1539%
#928
Core i5-460M
MSRP: $80|Avg: $129
1532%
#929
Core i5-2540M
MSRP: $266|Avg: $10
1518%
#931
Core i5-450M
MSRP: $32|Avg: $31
1466%
#932
Core i3-380M
MSRP: $49|Avg: $25
1405%
#933
Core i5-430M
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33
1403%
#934
Core 2 Duo T6600
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4
1365%
#937
Core i7-6700HQ
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#939
FX-7600P
MSRP: $150|Avg: $45
99%
#940
Athlon II M300
MSRP: $100|Avg: $10
99%
#944
Athlon Neo X2 L335
MSRP: $80|Avg: $15
96%
#945
Core i7-3610QE
MSRP: $315|Avg: $105
96%
#948
A8-8600P
MSRP: $150|Avg: $30
95%
#950
FX-9800P
MSRP: $150|Avg: $45
95%
#951
Celeron 1020E
MSRP: $86|Avg: $20
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 ($0) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E3-1240L v5 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightXeon E3-1240L v5Core i7-6700HQ
Gaming
Lower gaming performance
Superior gaming performance
Workstation
Better multi-core power
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price
Equivalent pricing
Equivalent pricing
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Skylake-DT (2015) / 14 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Skylake (2015−2016) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-6700HQ ($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.
InsightXeon E3-1240L v5Core i7-6700HQ
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.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E3-1240L v5 and Core i7-6700HQ

Intel

Xeon E3-1240L v5

The Xeon E3-1240L 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 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 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: 6,547 points. Launch price was $278.

Intel

Core i7-6700HQ

The Core i7-6700HQ 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 8 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: 6,522 points. Launch price was $378.

Processing Power

Both the Xeon E3-1240L v5 and Core i7-6700HQ share an identical 4-core/8-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.2 GHz on the Xeon E3-1240L v5 versus 3.5 GHz on the Core i7-6700HQ — a 9% clock advantage for the Core i7-6700HQ (base: 2.1 GHz vs 2.6 GHz). The Xeon E3-1240L v5 uses the Skylake-DT (2015) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i7-6700HQ uses Skylake (2015−2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E3-1240L v5 scores 6,547 against the Core i7-6700HQ's 6,522 — a 0.4% lead for the Xeon E3-1240L v5. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Xeon E3-1240L v5 vs 6 MB on the Core i7-6700HQ.

FeatureXeon E3-1240L v5Core i7-6700HQ
Cores / Threads
4 / 8
4 / 8
Boost Clock
3.2 GHz
3.5 GHz+9%
Base Clock
2.1 GHz
2.6 GHz+24%
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
6,547
6,522
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E3-1240L v5 uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i7-6700HQ uses BGA1440 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureXeon E3-1240L v5Core i7-6700HQ
Socket
LGA1151
BGA1440
PCIe Generation
PCIe 3.0
PCIe 3.0