Xeon E5-2643 vs Xeon E3-1230

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 E5-2643 is positioned at rank 1009 and the Xeon E3-1230 is on rank 542, so the Xeon E3-1230 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 E5-2643

#1

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

61669%

#6

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

11644%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

10345%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

7992%

#540

Xeon E7-8891 v3

MSRP: $6841|Avg: $418

94%

#541

Xeon E5-4669 v4

MSRP: $7007|Avg: $300

74%

#1009

Xeon E5-2643

MSRP: $1552|Avg: $50

100%

#1010

Xeon E5-2637

MSRP: $885|Avg: $40

100%

#1011

Xeon W3570

MSRP: $999|Avg: $15

97%

#1013

Xeon E5-4620

MSRP: $2141|Avg: $400

92%

#1014

Xeon E5-2680

MSRP: $3226|Avg: $40

85%

#1016

Xeon E5-4640

MSRP: $2725|Avg: N/A

76%

#1018

Xeon E5-4650

MSRP: $3616|Avg: $71

71%

#1019

Xeon E5-4655 v4

MSRP: $4616|Avg: N/A

70%

#1020

Xeon E5-4650L

MSRP: $3616|Avg: N/A

70%

#1021

Xeon E-2224

MSRP: $3226|Avg: $195

66%

#1022

Athlon MP 2400+

MSRP: $151|Avg: $20

60%

#1023

Xeon E5-2650L v2

MSRP: $4115|Avg: $1078

55%

#1024

Xeon E5-2640 v2

MSRP: $4115|Avg: $530

55%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E3-1230

#1

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

8080%

#6

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

1526%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

1355%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

1047%

#332

Xeon W-2235

MSRP: $555|Avg: $350

100%

#333

Xeon Gold 5317

MSRP: $1088|Avg: $1100

98%

#334

Xeon W-2275

MSRP: $1112|Avg: $500

98%

#335

Xeon Gold 6430

MSRP: $2128|Avg: $1850

97%

#542

Xeon E3-1230

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#543

Xeon W3670

MSRP: $250|Avg: $250

100%

#547

Xeon E3-1240 v2

MSRP: $250|Avg: $150

99%

#548

Xeon E3-1220 v3

MSRP: $203|Avg: $89

99%

#551

Xeon W-2102

MSRP: $202|Avg: $286

98%

#553

Xeon E3-1265L v2

MSRP: $265|Avg: N/A

98%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Xeon E5-2643 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Xeon E3-1230 in both compute-intensive tasks (1.6% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Xeon E5-2643	Xeon E3-1230
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($50)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge-EP (2012) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Xeon E5-2643	Xeon E3-1230
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($50)	✅ 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 E5-2643 Benchmark Check

Xeon E3-1230 Benchmark Check

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Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E5-2643 and Xeon E3-1230

Xeon E5-2643

The Xeon E5-2643 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 6 March 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge-EP (2012) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 10240 kB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 5,228 points. Launch price was $218.

Xeon E3-1230

The Xeon E3-1230 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 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1155. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 5,144 points. Launch price was $428.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Xeon E5-2643 and Xeon E3-1230 share an identical 4-core/8-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.5 GHz on the Xeon E5-2643 versus 3.6 GHz on the Xeon E3-1230 — a 2.8% clock advantage for the Xeon E3-1230 (base: 3.3 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Xeon E5-2643 uses the Sandy Bridge-EP (2012) architecture (32 nm), while the Xeon E3-1230 uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5-2643 scores 5,228 against the Xeon E3-1230's 5,144 — a 1.6% lead for the Xeon E5-2643. L3 cache: 10240 kB (total) on the Xeon E5-2643 vs 8 MB (total) on the Xeon E3-1230.

Feature	Xeon E5-2643	Xeon E3-1230
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	4 / 8
Boost Clock	3.5 GHz	3.6 GHz+3%
Base Clock	3.3 GHz+3%	3.2 GHz
L3 Cache	10240 kB (total)+25%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	32 nm	32 nm
Architecture	Sandy Bridge-EP (2012)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
PassMark	5,228+2%	5,144

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E5-2643 uses the LGA2011 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Xeon E3-1230 uses LGA1155 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.