Xeon E5645 vs Core i7-3612QE

Xeon E5645

6 Cores12 Thrd80 WWMax: 2.67 GHz2010

Core i7-3612QE

4 Cores8 Thrd35 WWMax: 3.1 GHz2012

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon E5645

6 / 12

4,942

+0.3%

4,929

0.0%

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 E5645 is positioned at rank 669 and the Core i7-3612QE is on rank 1042, so the Xeon E5645 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 E5645

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

12363%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

2334%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

2074%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

1602%

#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

97%

#669

Xeon E5645

MSRP: $294|Avg: N/A

100%

#670

Xeon X5672

MSRP: $300|Avg: $44

100%

#671

Xeon E5-4603

MSRP: $202|Avg: $80

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

98%

#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 i7-3612QE

#1029

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

2536%

#1030

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

2499%

#1031

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

2294%

#1032

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

2283%

#1033

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2263%

#1035

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2185%

#1036

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2095%

#1037

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2092%

#1038

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2035%

#1041

A10-7300

MSRP: $150|Avg: $50

100%

#1042

Core i7-3612QE

MSRP: $426|Avg: $50

100%

#1043

Pentium Dual Core T4200

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

99%

#1044

A6 Micro-6500T

MSRP: $100|Avg: $15

99%

#1045

Pentium N3520

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

99%

#1046

E2-3800

MSRP: $100|Avg: $20

98%

#1047

Athlon X2 QL-66

MSRP: $150|Avg: $5

98%

#1048

Athlon II Neo K145

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

98%

#1049

Celeron P4600

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

97%

#1050

Core 2 Duo U7500

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

96%

#1051

Pentium 987

MSRP: $134|Avg: $20

96%

#1052

Core i7-4910MQ

MSRP: $570|Avg: $570

96%

#1053

Pentium T4400

MSRP: $107|Avg: $5

95%

#1055

Athlon X2 QL-65

MSRP: $150|Avg: $22

94%

#1056

Pentium J2850

MSRP: $94|Avg: $94

93%

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 ($294) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E5645 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon E5645	Core i7-3612QE
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($294)	✅ More affordable ($50)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Westmere-EP (2010−2011) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-3612QE ($50), 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 ($244 less, 83% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Xeon E5645	Core i7-3612QE
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+486%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($294)	✅ More affordable ($50)

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 E5645 Benchmark Check

Core i7-3612QE Benchmark Check

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E5645 and Core i7-3612QE

Xeon E5645

The Xeon E5645 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 16 March 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Westmere-EP (2010−2011) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 2.67 GHz. L3 cache: 12 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: 4,942 points. Launch price was $294.

Core i7-3612QE

The Core i7-3612QE is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 29 April 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.1 GHz. L3 cache: 6144 kB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1023. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: unknown Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 4,929 points. Launch price was $69.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon E5645 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core i7-3612QE offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Xeon E5645 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.67 GHz on the Xeon E5645 versus 3.1 GHz on the Core i7-3612QE — a 14.9% clock advantage for the Core i7-3612QE (base: 2.4 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Xeon E5645 uses the Westmere-EP (2010−2011) architecture (32 nm), while the Core i7-3612QE uses Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5645 scores 4,942 against the Core i7-3612QE's 4,929 — a 0.3% lead for the Xeon E5645. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Xeon E5645 vs 6144 kB (total) on the Core i7-3612QE.

Feature	Xeon E5645	Core i7-3612QE
Cores / Threads	6 / 12+50%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	2.67 GHz	3.1 GHz+16%
Base Clock	2.4 GHz+14%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+100%	6144 kB (total)
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	32 nm	22 nm-31%
Architecture	Westmere-EP (2010−2011)	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
PassMark	4,942	4,929
Geekbench 6 Single	—	640
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	2,200

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E5645 uses the LGA1366 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Core i7-3612QE uses BGA1023 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR3-1333 memory speed. The Xeon E5645 supports up to 288 GB of RAM compared to 16 GB — 178.9% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 3 (Xeon E5645) vs 2 (Core i7-3612QE). PCIe lanes: 0 (Xeon E5645) vs 16 (Core i7-3612QE) — the Core i7-3612QE offers 16 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Xeon E5645	Core i7-3612QE
Socket	LGA1366	BGA1023
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1333	DDR3-1600
Max RAM Capacity	288 GB+1700%	16 GB
RAM Channels	3+50%	2
ECC Support	✅	✅
PCIe Lanes	0	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x (Xeon E5645) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-3612QE). The Core i7-3612QE includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics 4000), while the Xeon E5645 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Xeon E5645 targets Server, Core i7-3612QE targets Industrial/Embedded.