Xeon E5-1603
VS
A10-7870K

Xeon E5-1603 vs A10-7870K

Intel

Xeon E5-1603

4 Cores4 Thrd130 WW2012
VS
AMD

A10-7870K

4 Cores4 Thrd95 WWMax: 4.1 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 E5-1603 is positioned at rank 655 and the A10-7870K is on rank 368, so the A10-7870K 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

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
11937%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
2254%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
2002%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
1547%
#386
Xeon w9-3475X
MSRP: $3739|Avg: $3930
100%
#388
EPYC 9254
MSRP: $3761|Avg: $1099
98%
#389
Xeon Gold 5220R
MSRP: $1780|Avg: $1015
98%
#390
EPYC 9555P
MSRP: $7983|Avg: $6130
97%
#391
Xeon Gold 5218
MSRP: $1273|Avg: $500
97%
#392
EPYC 9374F
MSRP: $4850|Avg: $3466
97%
#393
Xeon Gold 6448Y
MSRP: $3583|Avg: N/A
97%
#394
EPYC 9454
MSRP: $5225|Avg: $576
97%
#655
Xeon E5-1603
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#669
Xeon E5645
MSRP: $294|Avg: N/A
97%
#670
Xeon X5672
MSRP: $300|Avg: $44
96%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar A10-7870K

#1
Ryzen 9 7950X
MSRP: $194|Avg: $20
5335%
#2
Core i9-10900T
MSRP: $120|Avg: $5
5041%
#3
Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE
MSRP: $423|Avg: $5
3660%
#4
Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85
1103%
#5
Ryzen 9 9950X
MSRP: $649|Avg: $129
873%
#6
Ryzen 5 8400F
MSRP: $303|Avg: $55
764%
#7
Ryzen 7 PRO 2700
MSRP: $299|Avg: $60
438%
#8
Ryzen 5 2600X
MSRP: $229|Avg: $55
432%
#9
Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G
MSRP: $150|Avg: $60
393%
#10
Core Ultra 5 245KF
MSRP: $294|Avg: $189
393%
#11
Ryzen 5 5500
MSRP: $159|Avg: $85
389%
#12
Ryzen 5 3600
MSRP: $199|Avg: $80
378%
#13
Core i3-9100E
MSRP: $202|Avg: $30
373%
#14
Core Ultra 5 245K
MSRP: $319|Avg: $200
372%
#15
Core i3-8300T
MSRP: $138|Avg: $25
368%
#320
Core i3-10100
MSRP: $122|Avg: $146
100%
#321
Ryzen 5 PRO 5650GE
MSRP: $311|Avg: $311
100%
#322
Celeron G6900
MSRP: $52|Avg: $77
99%
#323
Core i9-11900K
MSRP: $539|Avg: $435
98%
#324
Core i7-12700TE
MSRP: $378|Avg: $350
97%
#325
Core i9-12900E
MSRP: $500|Avg: $500
96%
#326
Celeron G4900T
MSRP: $42|Avg: $40
96%
#327
Ryzen Threadripper 2920X
MSRP: $649|Avg: $452
95%
#328
Core i9-9900KS
MSRP: $513|Avg: $350
95%
#368
A10-7870K
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#378
Ryzen 5 1600
MSRP: $219|Avg: $144
96%
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 E5-1603 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightXeon E5-1603A10-7870K
Gaming
Lower gaming performance
Superior gaming performance
Workstation
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Better multi-core power
Price
Equivalent pricing
Equivalent pricing
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Legacy / 32 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Godaveri (2014−2016) / 28 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The A10-7870K ($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 E5-1603A10-7870K
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 E5-1603 and A10-7870K

Intel

Xeon E5-1603

The Xeon E5-1603 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency: 2.8 GHz. L3 cache: 10 MB. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR3-800, DDR3-1066. Passmark benchmark score: 3,482 points. Launch price was $800.

AMD

A10-7870K

The A10-7870K is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 28 May 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Godaveri (2014−2016) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.9 GHz, with boost up to 4.1 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 4096 kB. Built on 28 nm process technology. Socket: FM2+. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR3-2133. Passmark benchmark score: 3,506 points. Launch price was $120.

Processing Power

Both the Xeon E5-1603 and A10-7870K share an identical 4-core/4-thread configuration. The A10-7870K is built on the Godaveri (2014−2016) architecture. In PassMark, the Xeon E5-1603 scores 3,482 against the A10-7870K's 3,506 — a 0.7% lead for the A10-7870K. L3 cache: 10 MB on the Xeon E5-1603 vs 0 kB on the A10-7870K.

FeatureXeon E5-1603A10-7870K
Cores / Threads
4 / 4
4 / 4
Boost Clock
4.1 GHz
Base Clock
2.8 GHz
3.9 GHz+39%
L3 Cache
10 MB
0 kB
L2 Cache
4096 kB
Process
32 nm
28 nm-13%
Architecture
Godaveri (2014−2016)
PassMark
3,482
3,506
Geekbench 6 Single
550
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E5-1603 uses the LGA2011 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the A10-7870K uses FM2+ (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureXeon E5-1603A10-7870K
Socket
LGA2011
FM2+
PCIe Generation
PCIe 2.0
PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed
DDR3-2133
Max RAM Capacity
32 GB
RAM Channels
2
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
16
🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Xeon E5-1603) / AMD-V (A10-7870K). The A10-7870K includes integrated graphics (Radeon R7), while the Xeon E5-1603 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: A10-7870K targets Budget. Direct competitor: A10-7870K rivals Core i3-4370.

FeatureXeon E5-1603A10-7870K
Integrated GPU
Yes
IGPU Model
Radeon R7
Unlocked
Yes
AVX-512
No
Virtualization
AMD-V
Target Use
Budget