Xeon E3-1280
VS
Opteron 6274

Xeon E3-1280 vs Opteron 6274

Intel

Xeon E3-1280

4 Cores8 Thrd95 WWMax: 3.9 GHz2011
VS
AMD

Opteron 6274

16 Cores16 Thrd115 WWMax: 3.1 GHz2011

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 E3-1280 is positioned at rank 517 and the Opteron 6274 is on rank 60, so the Opteron 6274 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

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
7406%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
1398%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
1242%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
960%
#318
EPYC 7343
MSRP: $1565|Avg: $1350
99%
#319
Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX
MSRP: $2399|Avg: $225
99%
#320
EPYC 7413
MSRP: $1825|Avg: $450
99%
#321
Xeon W-3335
MSRP: $1430|Avg: $1200
98%
#322
EPYC 9354P
MSRP: $2730|Avg: $2205
98%
#323
EPYC 9224
MSRP: $1825|Avg: $1199
95%
#324
Xeon Gold 6423N
MSRP: $2161|Avg: $2161
95%
#325
Xeon w7-3565X
MSRP: $2689|Avg: $2850
94%
#517
Xeon E3-1280
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Opteron 6274

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
1473%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
278%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
247%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
191%
#54
EPYC 4465P
MSRP: $399|Avg: $399
89%
#55
Ryzen 5 PRO 7645
MSRP: $229|Avg: $192
85%
#56
Xeon E5-4667 v3
MSRP: $128|Avg: $128
85%
#59
Ryzen 9 PRO 7945
MSRP: $409|Avg: $450
81%
#60
Opteron 6274
MSRP: $639|Avg: $80
100%
#60
Xeon Platinum 8571N
MSRP: $599|Avg: $418
81%
#61
Opteron 6238
MSRP: $455|Avg: $118
100%
#63
Opteron 6376
MSRP: $703|Avg: N/A
99%
#64
Opteron 6328
MSRP: $575|Avg: $42
94%
#65
Opteron 6272
MSRP: $523|Avg: $50
93%
#71
Opteron 6220
MSRP: $523|Avg: $239
84%
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 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightXeon E3-1280Opteron 6274
Gaming
Superior gaming performance
Lower gaming performance
Workstation
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Better multi-core power
Price
More affordable ($0)
⚠️ Higher cost ($80)
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Interlagos (2011−2012) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Opteron 6274 ($80), 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 ($80 less, Infinity% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.
InsightXeon E3-1280Opteron 6274
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
More affordable ($0)
⚠️ Higher cost ($80)

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 E3-1280 and Opteron 6274

Intel

Xeon E3-1280

The Xeon E3-1280 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 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1155. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 5,612 points. Launch price was $450.

AMD

Opteron 6274

The Opteron 6274 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 14 November 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Interlagos (2011−2012) architecture. It features 16 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.1 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 8.00391 MB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: G34. Thermal design power (TDP): 115 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 5,643 points. Launch price was $909.

Processing Power

The Xeon E3-1280 packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Opteron 6274 offers 16 cores / 16 threads — the Opteron 6274 has 12 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.9 GHz on the Xeon E3-1280 versus 3.1 GHz on the Opteron 6274 — a 22.9% clock advantage for the Xeon E3-1280 (base: 3.5 GHz vs 2.2 GHz). The Xeon E3-1280 uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Opteron 6274 uses Interlagos (2011−2012) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E3-1280 scores 5,612 against the Opteron 6274's 5,643 — a 0.6% lead for the Opteron 6274. Both processors carry 8 MB (total) of L3 cache.

FeatureXeon E3-1280Opteron 6274
Cores / Threads
4 / 8
16 / 16+300%
Boost Clock
3.9 GHz+26%
3.1 GHz
Base Clock
3.5 GHz+59%
2.2 GHz
L3 Cache
8 MB (total)
8 MB (total)
L2 Cache
256 kB (per core)
8.00391 MB (per core)+3102%
Process
32 nm
32 nm
Architecture
Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Interlagos (2011−2012)
PassMark
5,612
5,643
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E3-1280 uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Opteron 6274 uses G34 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureXeon E3-1280Opteron 6274
Socket
LGA1155
G34
PCIe Generation
PCIe 2.0
PCIe 2.0