Xeon E5-4603 vs Core i7-880

Xeon E5-4603

4 Cores8 Thrd95 WWMax: 2 GHz2012

Core i7-880

4 Cores8 Thrd95 WWMax: 3.73 GHz2010

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon E5-4603

4 / 8

3,391

0.0%

Pentium Dual Core T2410

3,429

+1.1%

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 E5-4603 is positioned at rank 670 and the Core i7-880 is on rank 1064, so the Xeon E5-4603 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 E5-4603

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

12378%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

2337%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

2076%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

1604%

#395

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5945WX

MSRP: $2399|Avg: $1000

100%

#396

Xeon Platinum 8461V

MSRP: $4491|Avg: $4491

99%

#397

Xeon W-3235

MSRP: $1538|Avg: $1538

99%

#398

Xeon w9-3595X

MSRP: $5889|Avg: $6000

99%

#399

Xeon W-3365

MSRP: $3499|Avg: $3499

98%

#400

EPYC 7713P

MSRP: $5010|Avg: $2443

97%

#670

Xeon E5-4603

MSRP: $202|Avg: $80

100%

#671

Xeon X5672

MSRP: $300|Avg: $44

100%

#674

Xeon E3-1265L v4

MSRP: $417|Avg: $80

99%

#677

Xeon E5-1607 v2

MSRP: $250|Avg: $68

99%

#678

Xeon W5590

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

99%

#683

Xeon E5-1603 v3

MSRP: $273|Avg: $40

97%

#684

Xeon E3-1270

MSRP: $330|Avg: $178

97%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i7-880

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

53013%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

50092%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

36371%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

10957%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

8679%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

7593%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

4349%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

4292%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

3908%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

3907%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

3864%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

3760%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

3707%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

3692%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

3659%

#1064

Core i7-880

MSRP: $583|Avg: $40

100%

#1065

Pentium D 820

MSRP: $241|Avg: $20

100%

#1066

Celeron 2.10

MSRP: $49|Avg: $49

99%

#1067

Core i7-950

MSRP: $562|Avg: $15

98%

#1068

Sempron 3100+

MSRP: $65|Avg: $15

97%

#1069

Core 2 Duo E6750

MSRP: $183|Avg: $15

96%

#1070

Athlon II X4 635

MSRP: $400|Avg: $250

96%

#1071

Core i7-940

MSRP: $562|Avg: $90

92%

#1072

Celeron 2.40

MSRP: $69|Avg: $13

85%

#1073

Sempron 2800+

MSRP: $65|Avg: $29

84%

#1074

Athlon 64 3100+

MSRP: $100|Avg: $15

81%

#1075

Sempron 3600+

MSRP: $105|Avg: $20

79%

#1076

Celeron 2.80

MSRP: $100|Avg: $15

73%

#1077

Athlon 64 X2 6000+

MSRP: $450|Avg: $20

69%

#1078

Athlon 64 3600+

MSRP: $149|Avg: $15

68%

#1079

Core 2 Quad Q6700

MSRP: $530|Avg: $50

67%

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 ($80) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E5-4603 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon E5-4603	Core i7-880
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($80)	✅ More affordable ($40)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge-EP (2012) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Lynnfield (2009−2010) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-880 ($40), 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 ($40 less, 50% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Xeon E5-4603	Core i7-880
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+102%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($80)	✅ More affordable ($40)

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 E5-4603 Benchmark Check

Core i7-880 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E5-4603 and Core i7-880

Xeon E5-4603

The Xeon E5-4603 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 14 May 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge-EP (2012) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 2 GHz. L3 cache: 10240 kB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 3,391 points. Launch price was $712.

Core i7-880

The Core i7-880 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 30 May 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Lynnfield (2009−2010) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.06 GHz, with boost up to 3.73 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1156. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 3,429 points. Launch price was $583.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Xeon E5-4603 and Core i7-880 share an identical 4-core/8-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2 GHz on the Xeon E5-4603 versus 3.73 GHz on the Core i7-880 — a 60.4% clock advantage for the Core i7-880 (base: 2 GHz vs 3.06 GHz). The Xeon E5-4603 uses the Sandy Bridge-EP (2012) architecture (32 nm), while the Core i7-880 uses Lynnfield (2009−2010) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5-4603 scores 3,391 against the Core i7-880's 3,429 — a 1.1% lead for the Core i7-880. L3 cache: 10240 kB (total) on the Xeon E5-4603 vs 8 MB (total) on the Core i7-880.

Feature	Xeon E5-4603	Core i7-880
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	4 / 8
Boost Clock	2 GHz	3.73 GHz+87%
Base Clock	2 GHz	3.06 GHz+53%
L3 Cache	10240 kB (total)+25%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	32 nm-29%	45 nm
Architecture	Sandy Bridge-EP (2012)	Lynnfield (2009−2010)
PassMark	3,391	3,429+1%
Geekbench 6 Single	—	507
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,478

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E5-4603 uses the LGA2011 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i7-880 uses LGA1156 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Xeon E5-4603	Core i7-880
Socket	LGA2011	LGA1156
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3-1333
Max RAM Capacity	—	16 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Xeon E5-4603) / Yes (Core i7-880).

Feature	Xeon E5-4603	Core i7-880
Integrated GPU	—	No
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	Yes

💰

Value Analysis

The Xeon E5-4603 launched at $202 MSRP, while the Core i7-880 debuted at $583. At current prices ($80 vs $40), the Core i7-880 is $40 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Xeon E5-4603 delivers 42.4 pts/$ vs 85.7 pts/$ for the Core i7-880 — making the Core i7-880 the 67.7% better value option.