Xeon E5-1660 v3 vs Ryzen 5 5500U
Xeon E5-1660 v3
Ryzen 5 5500U
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 E5-1660 v3 is positioned at rank 824 and the Ryzen 5 5500U is on rank 73, so the Ryzen 5 5500U offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Xeon E5-1660 v3
Performance Per Dollar Ryzen 5 5500U
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Xeon E5-1660 v3 | Ryzen 5 5500U |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | ⚠️ Higher cost ($198) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Haswell-EP (2014−2015) / 22 nm) | ✨ Modern (Lucienne-U (Zen 2) (2021) / 7 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Xeon E5-1660 v3 | Ryzen 5 5500U |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ⚠️ Higher cost ($198) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
Performance Check
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 E5-1660 v3 and Ryzen 5 5500U
Xeon E5-1660 v3
The Xeon E5-1660 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 20 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: 12,582 points. Launch price was $800.
Ryzen 5 5500U
The Ryzen 5 5500U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Lucienne-U (Zen 2) (2021) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 25 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 12,736 points. Launch price was $149.
Processing Power
The Xeon E5-1660 v3 packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Ryzen 5 5500U offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Xeon E5-1660 v3 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.5 GHz on the Xeon E5-1660 v3 versus 4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5500U — a 13.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5500U (base: 3 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Xeon E5-1660 v3 uses the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Ryzen 5 5500U uses Lucienne-U (Zen 2) (2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5-1660 v3 scores 12,582 against the Ryzen 5 5500U's 12,736 — a 1.2% lead for the Ryzen 5 5500U. L3 cache: 20 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-1660 v3 vs 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 5500U.
| Feature | Xeon E5-1660 v3 | Ryzen 5 5500U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 8 / 16+33% | 6 / 12 |
| Boost Clock | 3.5 GHz | 4 GHz+14% |
| Base Clock | 3 GHz+43% | 2.1 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 20 MB (total)+150% | 8 MB (total) |
| L2 Cache | 256K (per core) | 512K (per core)+100% |
| Process | 22 nm | 7 nm-68% |
| Architecture | Haswell-EP (2014−2015) | Lucienne-U (Zen 2) (2021) |
| PassMark | 12,582 | 12,736+1% |
| Cinebench R23 Multi | — | 6,900 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | — | 1,100 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | — | 5,200 |
Memory & Platform
The Xeon E5-1660 v3 uses the LGA2011 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 5 5500U uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Xeon E5-1660 v3 | Ryzen 5 5500U |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | LGA2011 | FP6 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | — | DDR4 3200 MHz |
| Max RAM Capacity | — | 64 GB |
| RAM Channels | — | 2 |
| ECC Support | — | ❌ |
| PCIe Lanes | — | 12 |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: not specified (Xeon E5-1660 v3) / true (Ryzen 5 5500U). The Ryzen 5 5500U includes integrated graphics (AMD Radeon Graphics (Vega 7)), while the Xeon E5-1660 v3 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5500U targets Mobile.
| Feature | Xeon E5-1660 v3 | Ryzen 5 5500U |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | — | Yes |
| IGPU Model | — | AMD Radeon Graphics (Vega 7) |
| Unlocked | — | No |
| AVX-512 | — | No |
| Virtualization | — | true |
| Target Use | — | Mobile |
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