Xeon E3-1280 v6 vs Core i5-8400

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 E3-1280 v6 is positioned at rank 477 and the Core i5-8400 is on rank 421, so the Core i5-8400 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 E3-1280 v6

#1

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

6857%

#6

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

1295%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

1150%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

889%

#301

EPYC 8324P

MSRP: $1895|Avg: $3598

99%

#302

Xeon Gold 6414U

MSRP: $2296|Avg: $283

99%

#303

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5975WX

MSRP: $2495|Avg: $2495

99%

#304

EPYC 7352

MSRP: $1350|Avg: $725

99%

#305

Xeon w7-2475X

MSRP: $1789|Avg: $2544

98%

#307

Xeon W-3323

MSRP: $949|Avg: $500

97%

#477

Xeon E3-1280 v6

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#492

Xeon W-2223

MSRP: $294|Avg: $330

96%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i5-8400

#1

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

6147%

#2

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

5808%

#3

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

4217%

#4

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

1270%

#5

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

1006%

#6

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

880%

#7

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

504%

#8

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

498%

#9

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

453%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

453%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

448%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

436%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

430%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

428%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

424%

#342

Core i3-9350K

MSRP: $184|Avg: $150

100%

#343

Athlon Gold PRO 3150G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $150

98%

#344

Core i9-9900

MSRP: $423|Avg: $330

97%

#345

Core i9-9980XE

MSRP: $1979|Avg: $593

97%

#346

Core i7-10700K

MSRP: $387|Avg: $380

96%

#421

Core i5-8400

MSRP: $182|Avg: $95

100%

#423

Phenom II X3 705e

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $69

100%

#427

Core 2 Duo E8500

MSRP: $26|Avg: $26

98%

#429

Xeon E5-2618L v4

MSRP: $779|Avg: $33

98%

#434

Core i3-7320

MSRP: $99|Avg: $40

96%

#435

Celeron G3930T

MSRP: $42|Avg: $39

95%

#436

Ryzen 5 1500X

MSRP: $189|Avg: $67

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 E3-1280 v6 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon E3-1280 v6	Core i5-8400
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($95)
Longevity	✨ Modern (Kaby Lake (2016−2019) / 14 nm)	✨ Modern (Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i5-8400 ($95), 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 ($95 less, Infinity% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Xeon E3-1280 v6	Core i5-8400
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($95)

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 E3-1280 v6 Benchmark Check

Core i5-8400 Benchmark Check

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Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E3-1280 v6 and Core i5-8400

Xeon E3-1280 v6

The Xeon E3-1280 v6 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 28 March 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Kaby Lake (2016−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.9 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 72 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400, DDR3L-1866. Passmark benchmark score: 9,093 points. Launch price was $612.

Core i5-8400

The Core i5-8400 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 5 October 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018) architecture. It features 6 cores and 6 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 9 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 9,229 points. Launch price was $182.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon E3-1280 v6 packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Core i5-8400 offers 6 cores / 6 threads — the Core i5-8400 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the Xeon E3-1280 v6 versus 4 GHz on the Core i5-8400 — a 4.9% clock advantage for the Xeon E3-1280 v6 (base: 3.9 GHz vs 2.8 GHz). The Xeon E3-1280 v6 uses the Kaby Lake (2016−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i5-8400 uses Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E3-1280 v6 scores 9,093 against the Core i5-8400's 9,229 — a 1.5% lead for the Core i5-8400. L3 cache: 8 MB on the Xeon E3-1280 v6 vs 9 MB (total) on the Core i5-8400.

Feature	Xeon E3-1280 v6	Core i5-8400
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	6 / 6+50%
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz+5%	4 GHz
Base Clock	3.9 GHz+39%	2.8 GHz
L3 Cache	8 MB	9 MB (total)+13%
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	256K (per core)
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Kaby Lake (2016−2019)	Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018)
PassMark	9,093	9,229+1%

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the LGA1151 socket with PCIe 3.0.

Feature	Xeon E3-1280 v6	Core i5-8400
Socket	LGA1151	LGA1151
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-2666
Max RAM Capacity	—	128 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Xeon E3-1280 v6) / VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-8400). The Core i5-8400 includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Xeon E3-1280 v6 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-8400 targets Desktop.