Xeon E5540 vs Phenom II X2 X640 BE

Xeon E5540

4 Cores8 Thrd80 WWMax: 2.8 GHz2009

Phenom II X2 X640 BE

2 Cores2 Thrd2 WWMax: 3.2 GHz2011

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon E5540

4 / 8

2,805

0.0%

2,839

+1.2%

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

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 E5540 is positioned at rank 745 and the Phenom II X2 X640 BE is on rank 136, so the Phenom II X2 X640 BE 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 E5540

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

14813%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

2797%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

2485%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

1920%

#433

Xeon Gold 6346

MSRP: $2708|Avg: $2195

99%

#434

Xeon W-3225

MSRP: $1319|Avg: $850

99%

#435

Xeon Gold 6354

MSRP: $2878|Avg: $2898

98%

#436

Xeon Gold 5218T

MSRP: $1572|Avg: $1349

97%

#437

Xeon 6960P

MSRP: $9625|Avg: $9625

97%

#745

Xeon E5540

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#747

Xeon E5-2403 v2

MSRP: $192|Avg: $61

99%

#748

Xeon E3-1285 v4

MSRP: $556|Avg: $200

99%

#750

Xeon E3-1260L

MSRP: $294|Avg: $270

99%

#758

Xeon E3-1281 v3

MSRP: $555|Avg: $636

97%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Phenom II X2 X640 BE

#36

Core i5-11500B

MSRP: $185|Avg: $185

98%

#124

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

310%

#125

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

306%

#126

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

280%

#127

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

279%

#128

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

277%

#130

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

267%

#131

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

256%

#132

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

256%

#133

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

249%

#136

Phenom II X2 X640 BE

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#137

N200

MSRP: $193|Avg: N/A

100%

#138

Core 2 Duo SP9600

MSRP: $316|Avg: N/A

100%

#140

Core 2 Duo P8700

MSRP: $241|Avg: $85

99%

#147

Atom N2800

MSRP: $47|Avg: $3

97%

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 ($0) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E5540 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon E5540	Phenom II X2 X640 BE
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Gainestown (2009−2010) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Champlain (2010−2011) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Phenom II X2 X640 BE ($0), 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 ($0 less, NaN% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Xeon E5540	Phenom II X2 X640 BE
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing

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 E5540 Benchmark Check

Phenom II X2 X640 BE Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E5540 and Phenom II X2 X640 BE

Xeon E5540

The Xeon E5540 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 30 March 2009 (16 years ago). It is based on the Gainestown (2009−2010) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.53 GHz, with boost up to 2.8 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1366. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,805 points. Launch price was $30.

Phenom II X2 X640 BE

The Phenom II X2 X640 BE is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 3.2 GHz. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 MB. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,839 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon E5540 packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Phenom II X2 X640 BE offers 2 cores / 2 threads — the Xeon E5540 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.8 GHz on the Xeon E5540 versus 3.2 GHz on the Phenom II X2 X640 BE — a 13.3% clock advantage for the Phenom II X2 X640 BE. The Xeon E5540 uses the Gainestown (2009−2010) architecture (45 nm), while the Phenom II X2 X640 BE uses Champlain (2010−2011) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5540 scores 2,805 against the Phenom II X2 X640 BE's 2,839 — a 1.2% lead for the Phenom II X2 X640 BE.

Feature	Xeon E5540	Phenom II X2 X640 BE
Cores / Threads	4 / 8+100%	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.8 GHz	3.2 GHz+14%
Base Clock	2.53 GHz	—
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)	—
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	2 MB+700%
Process	45 nm	45 nm
Architecture	Gainestown (2009−2010)	Champlain (2010−2011)
PassMark	2,805	2,839+1%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E5540 uses the LGA1366 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Phenom II X2 X640 BE uses S1 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.