Xeon X5260 vs Core i3-390M

Xeon X5260

80 WW2007

Core i3-390M

2 Cores4 Thrd512 WWMax: 0.67 GHz2011

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon X5260

1,278

0.0%

Atom D2550

Pentium T3400

Pentium Dual-Core E2200

1,292

+1.1%

Atom D2550

Pentium T3400

Pentium E5400

Pentium Dual Core T4200

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 X5260 is positioned at rank 956 and the Core i3-390M is on rank 585, so the Core i3-390M 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 X5260

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

32523%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

6141%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

5456%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

4215%

#529

Xeon Max 9480

MSRP: $12980|Avg: $12980

100%

#530

Xeon E5-2689 v4

MSRP: $2723|Avg: $100

98%

#531

EPYC 7543

MSRP: $10257|Avg: $468

96%

#532

Xeon Platinum 8368Q

MSRP: $7719|Avg: $7719

95%

#533

Xeon Gold 6250

MSRP: $3400|Avg: $2000

95%

#534

Xeon E5-2699 v4

MSRP: $4115|Avg: $400

94%

#956

Xeon X5260

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#957

Xeon E5-4650 v2

MSRP: $1723|Avg: $48

99%

#958

Xeon E5-1620 v4

MSRP: $1166|Avg: $160

98%

#962

Xeon E5-2660

MSRP: $1329|Avg: $65

95%

#963

Xeon E5-2667 v3

MSRP: $2057|Avg: $150

95%

#965

Xeon E3110

MSRP: $214|Avg: $158

95%

#968

Xeon L3406

MSRP: $189|Avg: $30

91%

#969

Xeon E5-2687W v2

MSRP: $2112|Avg: $62

91%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i3-390M

#573

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

772%

#574

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

761%

#575

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

698%

#576

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

695%

#577

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

689%

#579

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

665%

#580

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

638%

#581

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

637%

#582

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

620%

#585

Core i3-390M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

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 X5260 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon X5260	Core i3-390M
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Legacy / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Arrandale (2010−2011) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i3-390M ($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 X5260	Core i3-390M
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 X5260 Benchmark Check

Core i3-390M Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon X5260 and Core i3-390M

Xeon X5260

The Xeon X5260 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. Base frequency: 3.33 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB L2 Cache. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA771. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 1,278 points. Launch price was $800.

Core i3-390M

The Core i3-390M is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 9 January 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Arrandale (2010−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.66 GHz, with boost up to 0.67 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: PGA988. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,292 points. Launch price was $39.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i3-390M is built on the Arrandale (2010−2011) architecture. In PassMark, the Xeon X5260 scores 1,278 against the Core i3-390M's 1,292 — a 1.1% lead for the Core i3-390M. L3 cache: 6 MB L2 Cache on the Xeon X5260 vs 3 MB (total) on the Core i3-390M.

Feature	Xeon X5260	Core i3-390M
Cores / Threads	—	2 / 4
Boost Clock	—	0.67 GHz
Base Clock	3.33 GHz+25%	2.66 GHz
L3 Cache	6 MB L2 Cache+100%	3 MB (total)
L2 Cache	—	256K (per core)
Process	45 nm	32 nm-29%
Architecture	—	Arrandale (2010−2011)
PassMark	1,278	1,292+1%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon X5260 uses the LGA771 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i3-390M uses PGA988 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Xeon X5260	Core i3-390M
Socket	LGA771	PGA988
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3-1066
Max RAM Capacity	—	8 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Xeon X5260) / VT-x (Core i3-390M). The Core i3-390M includes integrated graphics (HD Graphics), while the Xeon X5260 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-390M targets Mobile.