Xeon E3-1245 v3
VS
Core i7-6820EQ

Xeon E3-1245 v3 vs Core i7-6820EQ

Intel

Xeon E3-1245 v3

4 Cores8 Thrd84 WWMax: 3.8 GHz2013
VS
Intel

Core i7-6820EQ

4 Cores8 Thrd45 WWMax: 2.8 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 E3-1245 v3 is positioned at rank 737 and the Core i7-6820EQ is on rank 822, so the Xeon E3-1245 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 E3-1245 v3

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
14472%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
2733%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
2428%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
1875%
#428
Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX
MSRP: $9999|Avg: $9879.97
100%
#429
EPYC 7552
MSRP: $4025|Avg: $1650
99%
#431
Xeon Platinum 8360Y
MSRP: $5383|Avg: N/A
99%
#432
Xeon W-3245
MSRP: $2199|Avg: $1200
98%
#433
Xeon Gold 6346
MSRP: $2708|Avg: $2195
97%
#434
Xeon W-3225
MSRP: $1319|Avg: $850
96%
#737
Xeon E3-1245 v3
MSRP: $490|Avg: $490
100%
#747
Xeon E5-2403 v2
MSRP: $192|Avg: $61
97%
#748
Xeon E3-1285 v4
MSRP: $556|Avg: $200
97%
#750
Xeon E3-1260L
MSRP: $294|Avg: $270
97%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i7-6820EQ

#1
Ryzen 9 7950X
MSRP: $194|Avg: $20
16777%
#2
Core i9-10900T
MSRP: $120|Avg: $5
15853%
#3
Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE
MSRP: $423|Avg: $5
11510%
#4
Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85
3468%
#5
Ryzen 9 9950X
MSRP: $649|Avg: $129
2747%
#6
Ryzen 5 8400F
MSRP: $303|Avg: $55
2403%
#7
Ryzen 7 PRO 2700
MSRP: $299|Avg: $60
1376%
#8
Ryzen 5 2600X
MSRP: $229|Avg: $55
1358%
#9
Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G
MSRP: $150|Avg: $60
1237%
#10
Core Ultra 5 245KF
MSRP: $294|Avg: $189
1237%
#11
Ryzen 5 5500
MSRP: $159|Avg: $85
1223%
#12
Ryzen 5 3600
MSRP: $199|Avg: $80
1190%
#13
Core i3-9100E
MSRP: $202|Avg: $30
1173%
#14
Core Ultra 5 245K
MSRP: $319|Avg: $200
1168%
#15
Core i3-8300T
MSRP: $138|Avg: $25
1158%
#295
Core i9-7940X
MSRP: $1399|Avg: $275
98%
#822
Core i7-6820EQ
MSRP: $378|Avg: $344
100%
#823
A6-9500
MSRP: $101|Avg: $25
100%
#824
Pentium G2120T
MSRP: $87|Avg: $10
100%
#825
Athlon II X2 270
MSRP: $72|Avg: $15
100%
#827
Core i7-6850K
MSRP: $617|Avg: $80
99%
#828
Core i5-2500K
MSRP: $225|Avg: $35
99%
#829
Pentium G3430
MSRP: $116|Avg: $30
99%
#830
Pentium E5400
MSRP: $55|Avg: $49
99%
#831
Core i5-4570R
MSRP: $250|Avg: $20
99%
#832
A6-3650
MSRP: $115|Avg: $20
98%
#833
Core i7-4770R
MSRP: $360|Avg: $89
98%
#835
Core i7-2600
MSRP: $294|Avg: $50
98%
#836
Pentium G870
MSRP: $86|Avg: $15
98%
#837
Athlon II X2 210e
MSRP: $60|Avg: $28
98%
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 ($490) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E3-1245 v3 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightXeon E3-1245 v3Core i7-6820EQ
Gaming
Superior gaming performance
Lower gaming performance
Workstation
Better multi-core power
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price
⚠️ Higher cost ($490)
More affordable ($344)
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Haswell-WS (2013−2014) / 22 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Skylake (2015−2016) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-6820EQ ($344), 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 ($146 less, 30% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.
InsightXeon E3-1245 v3Core i7-6820EQ
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Better overall value (+42%)
Upfront Cost
⚠️ Higher cost ($490)
More affordable ($344)

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 E3-1245 v3 and Core i7-6820EQ

Intel

Xeon E3-1245 v3

The Xeon E3-1245 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 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 8192 kB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1150. Thermal design power (TDP): 84 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 7,036 points. Launch price was $320.

Intel

Core i7-6820EQ

The Core i7-6820EQ is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 12 October 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Max frequency: 2.8 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: LPDDR3-1866. Passmark benchmark score: 7,025 points. Launch price was $378.

Processing Power

Both the Xeon E3-1245 v3 and Core i7-6820EQ share an identical 4-core/8-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.8 GHz on the Xeon E3-1245 v3 versus 2.8 GHz on the Core i7-6820EQ — a 30.3% clock advantage for the Xeon E3-1245 v3. The Xeon E3-1245 v3 uses the Haswell-WS (2013−2014) architecture (22 nm), while the Core i7-6820EQ uses Skylake (2015−2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E3-1245 v3 scores 7,036 against the Core i7-6820EQ's 7,025 — a 0.2% lead for the Xeon E3-1245 v3. L3 cache: 8192 kB (total) on the Xeon E3-1245 v3 vs 8 MB on the Core i7-6820EQ.

FeatureXeon E3-1245 v3Core i7-6820EQ
Cores / Threads
4 / 8
4 / 8
Boost Clock
3.8 GHz+36%
2.8 GHz
Base Clock
3.4 GHz
L3 Cache
8192 kB (total)
8 MB
L2 Cache
256 kB (per core)
1 MB+300%
Process
22 nm
14 nm-36%
Architecture
Haswell-WS (2013−2014)
Skylake (2015−2016)
PassMark
7,036
7,025
Geekbench 6 Single
1,203
Geekbench 6 Multi
3,820
🧠

Memory & Platform

Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1600 on the Xeon E3-1245 v3 versus DDR4-2133 on the Core i7-6820EQ — the Core i7-6820EQ supports 28.6% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i7-6820EQ 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.

FeatureXeon E3-1245 v3Core i7-6820EQ
Socket
LGA1150
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. Both support VT-x, VT-d virtualization. Both include integrated graphics HD Graphics P4600 (Xeon E3-1245 v3) and HD Graphics 530 (Core i7-6820EQ) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-6820EQ targets Embedded.

FeatureXeon E3-1245 v3Core i7-6820EQ
Integrated GPU
Yes
Yes
IGPU Model
HD Graphics P4600
HD Graphics 530
Unlocked
No
No
AVX-512
No
No
Virtualization
VT-x, VT-d
VT-x, VT-d
Target Use
Embedded
💰

Value Analysis

The Xeon E3-1245 v3 launched at $490 MSRP, while the Core i7-6820EQ debuted at $378. At current prices ($490 vs $344), the Core i7-6820EQ is $146 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Xeon E3-1245 v3 delivers 14.4 pts/$ vs 20.4 pts/$ for the Core i7-6820EQ — making the Core i7-6820EQ the 34.9% better value option.

FeatureXeon E3-1245 v3Core i7-6820EQ
MSRP
$490
$378-23%
Avg Price (30d)
$490
$344-30%
Performance per Dollar
14.4
20.4+42%
Release Date
2013
2015