Xeon E5-1603 v3 vs Steam Deck OLED APU

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon E5-1603 v3

4 / 4

4,460

+0.1%

4,457

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX

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 E5-1603 v3 is positioned at rank 683 and the Steam Deck OLED APU is on rank 827, so the Xeon E5-1603 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 E5-1603 v3

#1

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

12719%

#6

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

2401%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

2134%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

1648%

#400

EPYC 7713P

MSRP: $5010|Avg: $2443

100%

#401

Xeon W-2145

MSRP: $1113|Avg: $145

99%

#402

EPYC 9475F

MSRP: $7592|Avg: $7592

99%

#403

Xeon Gold 6554S

MSRP: $3157|Avg: $2836

98%

#405

Xeon 6737P

MSRP: $4995|Avg: $4995

98%

#406

Xeon Gold 6342

MSRP: $2977|Avg: $3000

97%

#407

Xeon Gold 6438N

MSRP: $3351|Avg: $3351

96%

#408

Xeon 6747P

MSRP: $6497|Avg: $6497

96%

#683

Xeon E5-1603 v3

MSRP: $273|Avg: $40

100%

#684

Xeon E3-1270

MSRP: $330|Avg: $178

100%

#691

Xeon E5-1650 v2

MSRP: $583|Avg: $60

98%

#697

Xeon E3-1275 v2

MSRP: $426|Avg: $426

95%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Steam Deck OLED APU

#815

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1316%

#816

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1297%

#817

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1191%

#818

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1185%

#819

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1174%

#821

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1134%

#822

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1087%

#823

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1086%

#824

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1057%

#827

Steam Deck OLED APU

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#828

Celeron M 575

MSRP: $86|Avg: $12

100%

#829

Core i7-10710U

MSRP: $415|Avg: N/A

100%

#835

FX-9830P

MSRP: $150|Avg: $45

99%

#836

Celeron M P4600

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

98%

#837

Celeron 887

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

98%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Generational Difference: This comparison involves processors from different technological eras. The Steam Deck OLED APU (2023) utilizes 6 nm technology and DDR4, providing a fundamental performance advantage.

Insight	Xeon E5-1603 v3	Steam Deck OLED APU
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($40)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Haswell-EP (2014−2015) / 22 nm)	✨ Modern (Van Gogh (Custom) (2023) / 6 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Xeon E5-1603 v3 (2014) relies on 22 nm technology and DDR4-1333, DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, placing it in a different performance category relative to modern standards.

Insight	Xeon E5-1603 v3	Steam Deck OLED APU
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($40)	✅ More affordable ($0)

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 E5-1603 v3 Benchmark Check

Steam Deck OLED APU Benchmark Check

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Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E5-1603 v3 and Steam Deck OLED APU

Xeon E5-1603 v3

The Xeon E5-1603 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 2.8 GHz. L3 cache: 10 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011-3. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1333, DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866. Passmark benchmark score: 4,460 points. Launch price was $800.

Steam Deck OLED APU

The Steam Deck OLED APU is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 9 November 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Van Gogh (Custom) (2023) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 6 nm process technology. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 MB + 4 MB. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 4,457 points. Launch price was $69.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon E5-1603 v3 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, matching the Steam Deck OLED APU's 4 cores. Boost clocks reach 2.8 GHz on the Xeon E5-1603 v3 versus 3.5 GHz on the Steam Deck OLED APU — a 22.2% clock advantage for the Steam Deck OLED APU (base: 2.8 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Xeon E5-1603 v3 uses the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Steam Deck OLED APU uses Van Gogh (Custom) (2023) (6 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5-1603 v3 scores 4,460 against the Steam Deck OLED APU's 4,457 — a 0.1% lead for the Xeon E5-1603 v3. L3 cache: 10 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-1603 v3 vs 4 MB on the Steam Deck OLED APU.

Feature	Xeon E5-1603 v3	Steam Deck OLED APU
Cores / Threads	4 / 4	4 / 8
Boost Clock	2.8 GHz	3.5 GHz+25%
Base Clock	2.8 GHz+17%	2.4 GHz
L3 Cache	10 MB (total)+150%	4 MB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	2 MB+700%
Process	22 nm	6 nm-73%
Architecture	Haswell-EP (2014−2015)	Van Gogh (Custom) (2023)
PassMark	4,460	4,457