Xeon E5-2689 vs Core i7-4960X

Xeon E5-2689

8 Cores16 Thrd115 WWMax: 3.6 GHz2012

Core i7-4960X

6 Cores12 Thrd130 WWMax: 4 GHz2013

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon E5-2689

8 / 16

9,922

0.0%

9,935

+0.1%

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 E5-2689 is positioned at rank 979 and the Core i7-4960X is on rank 998, so the Xeon E5-2689 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 E5-2689

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

37717%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

7121%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

6327%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

4888%

#979

Xeon E5-2689

MSRP: $1800|Avg: $18

100%

#980

Xeon E5-2450L

MSRP: $1106|Avg: $78

99%

#981

Xeon X3480

MSRP: $612|Avg: $48

99%

#982

Xeon E5-2687W

MSRP: $1885|Avg: $70

97%

#983

Xeon E5-4610

MSRP: $1219|Avg: $50

96%

#985

Xeon X7550

MSRP: $1500|Avg: $1400

95%

#986

Xeon E7540

MSRP: $1980|Avg: $146

95%

#987

Xeon E7530

MSRP: $1391|Avg: $146

94%

#988

Xeon E5-4627 v4

MSRP: $2500|Avg: $200

94%

#989

Xeon E5-4627 v3

MSRP: $2225|Avg: $200

93%

#990

Xeon X5660

MSRP: $1219|Avg: $10

89%

#991

Xeon E5-2667

MSRP: $1552|Avg: $31

87%

#992

Xeon E5-2690

MSRP: $2057|Avg: $150

86%

#993

Xeon E3-1565L v5

MSRP: $1552|Avg: $120

86%

#994

Xeon L5640

MSRP: $996|Avg: N/A

85%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i7-4960X

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

31047%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

29337%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

21301%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

6417%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

5083%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

4447%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

2547%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

2514%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

2289%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

2288%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

2263%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

2202%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

2171%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

2162%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

2143%

#998

Core i7-4960X

MSRP: $990|Avg: $136

100%

#999

Pentium Dual-Core E2200

MSRP: $100|Avg: $25

98%

#1001

Core 2 Duo E4400

MSRP: $113|Avg: $20

97%

#1002

Pentium D 915

MSRP: $74|Avg: $10

95%

#1003

Core 2 Quad Q9400

MSRP: $229|Avg: $25

94%

#1004

Core i5-655K

MSRP: $216|Avg: $55

93%

#1005

Celeron 450

MSRP: $53|Avg: $5

93%

#1006

Core 2 Duo E4600

MSRP: $133|Avg: $9.6

93%

#1008

Core i7-870S

MSRP: $300|Avg: $80

92%

#1009

Core 2 Duo E6540

MSRP: $163|Avg: $15

91%

#1010

Celeron 430

MSRP: $49|Avg: $10

91%

#1011

Athlon X2 BE-2300

MSRP: $100|Avg: $80

90%

#1012

Core i7-875K

MSRP: $353|Avg: $175

90%

#1013

Core i5-670

MSRP: $284|Avg: $100

90%

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 ($18) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E5-2689 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon E5-2689	Core i7-4960X
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($18)	⚠️ Higher cost ($136)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge-EP (2012) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Ivy Bridge-E (2013) / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-4960X ($136), 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 ($118 less, 656% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Xeon E5-2689	Core i7-4960X
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+655%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($18)	⚠️ Higher cost ($136)

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 E5-2689 Benchmark Check

Core i7-4960X Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E5-2689 and Core i7-4960X

Xeon E5-2689

The Xeon E5-2689 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Sandy Bridge-EP (2012) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 115 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 9,922 points. Launch price was $800.

Core i7-4960X

The Core i7-4960X is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 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 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 15 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 9,935 points. Launch price was $999.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon E5-2689 packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Core i7-4960X offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Xeon E5-2689 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.6 GHz on the Xeon E5-2689 versus 4 GHz on the Core i7-4960X — a 10.5% clock advantage for the Core i7-4960X (base: 2.6 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Xeon E5-2689 uses the Sandy Bridge-EP (2012) architecture (32 nm), while the Core i7-4960X uses Ivy Bridge-E (2013) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5-2689 scores 9,922 against the Core i7-4960X's 9,935 — a 0.1% lead for the Core i7-4960X. L3 cache: 20 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-2689 vs 15 MB (total) on the Core i7-4960X.

Feature	Xeon E5-2689	Core i7-4960X
Cores / Threads	8 / 16+33%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	3.6 GHz	4 GHz+11%
Base Clock	2.6 GHz	3.6 GHz+38%
L3 Cache	20 MB (total)+33%	15 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	256K (per core)
Process	32 nm	22 nm-31%
Architecture	Sandy Bridge-EP (2012)	Ivy Bridge-E (2013)
PassMark	9,922	9,935

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the LGA2011 socket with PCIe 2.0.

Feature	Xeon E5-2689	Core i7-4960X
Socket	LGA2011	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3-1866
Max RAM Capacity	—	64 GB
RAM Channels	—	4
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	40

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Xeon E5-2689) / VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-4960X). Primary use case: Core i7-4960X targets Desktop.

Feature	Xeon E5-2689	Core i7-4960X
Integrated GPU	—	No
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	—	Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

The Xeon E5-2689 launched at $1800 MSRP, while the Core i7-4960X debuted at $990. At current prices ($18 vs $136), the Xeon E5-2689 is $118 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Xeon E5-2689 delivers 551.2 pts/$ vs 73.1 pts/$ for the Core i7-4960X — making the Xeon E5-2689 the 153.2% better value option.