Xeon E5603
VS
Opteron 3320 EE

Xeon E5603 vs Opteron 3320 EE

Intel

Xeon E5603

4 Cores4 Thrd80 WWMax: 1.6 GHz2011
VS
AMD

Opteron 3320 EE

4 Cores4 Thrd25 WWMax: 2.5 GHz2012

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 E5603 is positioned at rank 863 and the Opteron 3320 EE is on rank 282, so the Opteron 3320 EE 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 E5603

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
20197%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
3813%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
3388%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
2617%
#485
Xeon Gold 6258R
MSRP: $3950|Avg: $1400
100%
#486
EPYC 9175F
MSRP: $4256|Avg: $3703
99%
#488
EPYC 9534
MSRP: $8803|Avg: $2999
98%
#489
EPYC 9654
MSRP: $11805|Avg: $5345
98%
#490
EPYC 7H12
MSRP: $6950|Avg: $1340
97%
#491
EPYC 7742
MSRP: $6950|Avg: $800
97%
#492
Xeon Platinum 8352M
MSRP: $4471|Avg: $4471
97%
#493
Xeon Platinum 8570
MSRP: $9595|Avg: $9595
95%
#863
Xeon E5603
MSRP: $188|Avg: N/A
100%
#871
Xeon 6315P
MSRP: $1166|Avg: $160
98%
#877
Xeon X5687
MSRP: $552|Avg: $189
95%
#878
Xeon E5-2630 v4
MSRP: $1171|Avg: $130
95%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Opteron 3320 EE

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
4334%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
818%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
727%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
562%
#226
EPYC 9135
MSRP: $1214|Avg: $95
99%
#227
Xeon E-2378
MSRP: $362|Avg: $562
98%
#228
Xeon w3-2525
MSRP: $609|Avg: $800
98%
#282
Opteron 3320 EE
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#283
Ryzen 5 PRO 1500
MSRP: $189|Avg: $50
100%
#293
Xeon E5-2643 v3
MSRP: $219|Avg: $45
98%
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 ($188) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E5603 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightXeon E5603Opteron 3320 EE
Gaming
Lower gaming performance
Superior gaming performance
Workstation
Better multi-core power
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price
⚠️ Higher cost ($188)
More affordable ($0)
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Westmere-EP (2010−2011) / 32 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Delhi (2012−2013) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Opteron 3320 EE ($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 ($188 less, 100% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.
InsightXeon E5603Opteron 3320 EE
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
⚠️ Higher cost ($188)
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.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E5603 and Opteron 3320 EE

Intel

Xeon E5603

The Xeon E5603 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 14 February 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Westmere-EP (2010−2011) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.6 GHz, with boost up to 1.6 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1366. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,935 points. Launch price was $286.

AMD

Opteron 3320 EE

The Opteron 3320 EE is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Delhi (2012−2013) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.9 GHz, with boost up to 2.5 GHz. L3 cache: 8192 kB (total). L2 cache: 4096 kB. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: AM3+. Thermal design power (TDP): 25 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,918 points. Launch price was $800.

Processing Power

Both the Xeon E5603 and Opteron 3320 EE share an identical 4-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 1.6 GHz on the Xeon E5603 versus 2.5 GHz on the Opteron 3320 EE — a 43.9% clock advantage for the Opteron 3320 EE (base: 1.6 GHz vs 1.9 GHz). The Xeon E5603 uses the Westmere-EP (2010−2011) architecture (32 nm), while the Opteron 3320 EE uses Delhi (2012−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5603 scores 1,935 against the Opteron 3320 EE's 1,918 — a 0.9% lead for the Xeon E5603. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Xeon E5603 vs 8192 kB (total) on the Opteron 3320 EE.

FeatureXeon E5603Opteron 3320 EE
Cores / Threads
4 / 4
4 / 4
Boost Clock
1.6 GHz
2.5 GHz+56%
Base Clock
1.6 GHz
1.9 GHz+19%
L3 Cache
4 MB (total)
8192 kB (total)+100%
L2 Cache
256 kB (per core)
4096 kB+1500%
Process
32 nm
32 nm
Architecture
Westmere-EP (2010−2011)
Delhi (2012−2013)
PassMark
1,935
1,918
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E5603 uses the LGA1366 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Opteron 3320 EE uses AM3+ (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureXeon E5603Opteron 3320 EE
Socket
LGA1366
AM3+
PCIe Generation
PCIe 2.0
PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed
DDR3-1066
Max RAM Capacity
288 GB
RAM Channels
3
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
32
🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Xeon E5603) / not specified (Opteron 3320 EE). Primary use case: Xeon E5603 targets Server.

FeatureXeon E5603Opteron 3320 EE
Integrated GPU
No
Unlocked
No
AVX-512
No
Virtualization
VT-x, VT-d
Target Use
Server