Xeon E5-1650 v3 vs Xeon E5-1660 v2

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Xeon E5-1650 v3

2014

Why buy it

✅+0.5% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $583 MSRP, while Xeon E5-1660 v2 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon E5-1660 v2

2013

Why buy it

✅Draws 130W instead of 140W, a 10W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (10,332 vs 10,387).

Xeon E5-1650 v3

2014

Xeon E5-1660 v2

2013

Why buy it

✅+0.5% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Draws 130W instead of 140W, a 10W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $583 MSRP, while Xeon E5-1660 v2 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (10,332 vs 10,387).

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon E5-1650 v3 better than Xeon E5-1660 v2?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Xeon E5-1660 v2 is ahead with a 0.8% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Xeon E5-1650 v3 pulls ahead with 0.5% better PassMark.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon E5-1650 v3 is the better fit. You are getting 0.5% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Xeon E5-1650 v3 is the smarter buy today. Xeon E5-1650 v3 is at an unclear MSRP at $583 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 0.5% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Xeon E5-1660 v2 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 0.8% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (17.8 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Xeon E5-1650 v3 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2014 vs 2013) and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 6/12. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

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 E5-1650 v3 Benchmark Check

Xeon E5-1660 v2 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Xeon E5-1650 v3	Xeon E5-1660 v2
1080p
low	172 FPS	177 FPS
medium	146 FPS	147 FPS
high	119 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	96 FPS
1440p
low	143 FPS	149 FPS
medium	120 FPS	122 FPS
high	95 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	78 FPS
4K
low	65 FPS	68 FPS
medium	58 FPS	59 FPS
high	45 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	37 FPS

Open Xeon E5-1650 v3 Open Xeon E5-1660 v2

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Xeon E5-1650 v3	Xeon E5-1660 v2
1080p
low	242 FPS	238 FPS
medium	210 FPS	208 FPS
high	190 FPS	188 FPS
ultra	153 FPS	148 FPS
1440p
low	213 FPS	210 FPS
medium	185 FPS	187 FPS
high	168 FPS	168 FPS
ultra	139 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	167 FPS	167 FPS
medium	147 FPS	151 FPS
high	131 FPS	136 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	103 FPS

Open Xeon E5-1650 v3 Open Xeon E5-1660 v2

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Xeon E5-1650 v3	Xeon E5-1660 v2
1080p
low	260 FPS	258 FPS
medium	260 FPS	258 FPS
high	260 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	260 FPS	258 FPS
1440p
low	260 FPS	258 FPS
medium	260 FPS	258 FPS
high	260 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	260 FPS	258 FPS
4K
low	260 FPS	258 FPS
medium	260 FPS	258 FPS
high	260 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	249 FPS	258 FPS

Open Xeon E5-1650 v3 Open Xeon E5-1660 v2

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Xeon E5-1650 v3	Xeon E5-1660 v2
1080p
low	260 FPS	258 FPS
medium	260 FPS	258 FPS
high	260 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	260 FPS	258 FPS
1440p
low	260 FPS	258 FPS
medium	260 FPS	258 FPS
high	260 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	260 FPS	258 FPS
4K
low	260 FPS	258 FPS
medium	260 FPS	258 FPS
high	260 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	260 FPS	258 FPS

Open Xeon E5-1650 v3 Open Xeon E5-1660 v2

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E5-1650 v3 and Xeon E5-1660 v2

Xeon E5-1650 v3

The Xeon E5-1650 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 15 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1333, DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133. Passmark benchmark score: 10,387 points. Launch price was $800.

Xeon E5-1660 v2

The Xeon E5-1660 v2 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Ivy Bridge-E (2013) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 15 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 10,332 points. Launch price was $1,809.

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Processing Power

Both the Xeon E5-1650 v3 and Xeon E5-1660 v2 share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.8 GHz on the Xeon E5-1650 v3 versus 4 GHz on the Xeon E5-1660 v2 — a 5.1% clock advantage for the Xeon E5-1660 v2 (base: 3.5 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The Xeon E5-1650 v3 uses the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Xeon E5-1660 v2 uses Ivy Bridge-E (2013) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5-1650 v3 scores 10,387 against the Xeon E5-1660 v2's 10,332 — a 0.5% lead for the Xeon E5-1650 v3. Both processors carry 15 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Xeon E5-1650 v3	Xeon E5-1660 v2
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	3.8 GHz	4 GHz+5%
Base Clock	3.5 GHz	3.7 GHz+6%
L3 Cache	15 MB (total)	15 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	22 nm	22 nm
Architecture	Haswell-EP (2014−2015)	Ivy Bridge-E (2013)
PassMark	10,387	10,332

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Memory & Platform

Both processors use the LGA2011 socket with PCIe 5.0.

Feature	Xeon E5-1650 v3	Xeon E5-1660 v2
Socket	LGA2011	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2133	—
Max RAM Capacity	768 GB	—
RAM Channels	4	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	40	—