Xeon E5606
VS
Core i5-5250U

Xeon E5606 vs Core i5-5250U

Intel

Xeon E5606

4 Cores4 Thrd80 WWMax: 0.13 GHz2011
VS
Intel

Core i5-5250U

2 Cores4 Thrd512 WWMax: 2.7 GHz2015

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 E5606 is positioned at rank 802 and the Core i5-5250U is on rank 685, so the Core i5-5250U 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 E5606

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
17007%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
3211%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
2853%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
2204%
#460
Xeon E5-2686 V3
MSRP: $1500|Avg: $160
99%
#460
Xeon Gold 6242R
MSRP: $2977|Avg: $779
99%
#462
Xeon W-2175
MSRP: $1947|Avg: $180
99%
#463
EPYC 75F3
MSRP: $5383|Avg: $2799
98%
#464
Xeon W-3375
MSRP: $4951|Avg: $6000
98%
#802
Xeon E5606
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#803
Opteron 6380
MSRP: $551|Avg: $111
99%
#812
Xeon E3-1220L
MSRP: $189|Avg: $27
98%
#815
Xeon X3450
MSRP: $241|Avg: $39
98%
#817
Xeon W3680
MSRP: $594|Avg: $26
97%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i5-5250U

#673
Atom x5-Z8300
MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A
958%
#674
Atom Z3735G
MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A
944%
#675
Core i5-480M
MSRP: $81|Avg: $77
866%
#676
Core i5-460M
MSRP: $80|Avg: $129
863%
#677
Core i5-2540M
MSRP: $266|Avg: $10
855%
#679
Core i5-450M
MSRP: $32|Avg: $31
825%
#680
Core i3-380M
MSRP: $49|Avg: $25
791%
#681
Core i5-430M
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33
790%
#682
Core 2 Duo T6600
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4
769%
#685
Core i5-5250U
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#695
Processor N95
MSRP: $160|Avg: $80
98%
#699
Athlon Silver 3050e
MSRP: $100|Avg: $60
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 E5606 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightXeon E5606Core i5-5250U
Gaming
Lower gaming performance
Superior gaming performance
Workstation
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Better multi-core power
Price
Equivalent pricing
Equivalent pricing
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Westmere-EP (2010−2011) / 32 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Broadwell-U (2015) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i5-5250U ($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.
InsightXeon E5606Core i5-5250U
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.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E5606 and Core i5-5250U

Intel

Xeon E5606

The Xeon E5606 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 2.13 GHz, with boost up to 0.13 GHz. L3 cache: 8 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: 2,443 points. Launch price was $46.

Intel

Core i5-5250U

The Core i5-5250U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 March 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Broadwell-U (2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.6 GHz, with boost up to 2.7 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1168. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,450 points. Launch price was $315.

Processing Power

The Xeon E5606 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Core i5-5250U offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Xeon E5606 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 0.13 GHz on the Xeon E5606 versus 2.7 GHz on the Core i5-5250U — a 181.6% clock advantage for the Core i5-5250U (base: 2.13 GHz vs 1.6 GHz). The Xeon E5606 uses the Westmere-EP (2010−2011) architecture (32 nm), while the Core i5-5250U uses Broadwell-U (2015) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5606 scores 2,443 against the Core i5-5250U's 2,450 — a 0.3% lead for the Core i5-5250U. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Xeon E5606 vs 3 MB (total) on the Core i5-5250U.

FeatureXeon E5606Core i5-5250U
Cores / Threads
4 / 4+100%
2 / 4
Boost Clock
0.13 GHz
2.7 GHz+1977%
Base Clock
2.13 GHz+33%
1.6 GHz
L3 Cache
8 MB (total)+167%
3 MB (total)
L2 Cache
256 kB (per core)
256K (per core)
Process
32 nm
14 nm-56%
Architecture
Westmere-EP (2010−2011)
Broadwell-U (2015)
PassMark
2,443
2,450
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E5606 uses the LGA1366 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i5-5250U uses FCBGA1168 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureXeon E5606Core i5-5250U
Socket
LGA1366
FCBGA1168
PCIe Generation
PCIe 2.0
PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed
1866
Max RAM Capacity
16
RAM Channels
2
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
12
🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Xeon E5606) / true (Core i5-5250U). The Core i5-5250U includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics 6000), while the Xeon E5606 requires a dedicated GPU.

FeatureXeon E5606Core i5-5250U
Integrated GPU
Yes
IGPU Model
Intel HD Graphics 6000
AVX-512
No
Virtualization
true