Xeon E5-2603 v4 vs E3-1220 v5

Aggregate performance score

Xeon E3-1220 v5
2015
4 cores / 4 threads, 80 Watt
3.67
+23.6%
Xeon E5-2603 v4
2016
6 cores / 6 threads, 85 Watt
2.97

Xeon E3-1220 v5 outperforms Xeon E5-2603 v4 by a significant 24% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E3-1220 v5 and Xeon E5-2603 v4 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking14851643
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation2.471.48
Market segmentServerServer
SeriesIntel Xeon E3Intel Xeon E5
Power efficiency4.323.29
Architecture codenameSkylake-DT (2015)Broadwell (2015−2019)
Release date19 October 2015 (9 years ago)20 June 2016 (8 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$203$213

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E3-1220 v5 has 67% better value for money than Xeon E5-2603 v4.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E3-1220 v5 and Xeon E5-2603 v4 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores4 (Quad-Core)6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads46
Base clock speed3 GHz1.7 GHz
Boost clock speed3.5 GHz1.7 GHz
Bus typeDMI 3.0QPI
Bus rate4 × 8 GT/s2 × 6.4 GT/s
Multiplier3017
L1 cache64 KB (per core)no data
L2 cache256 KB (per core)1.5 MB
L3 cache8 MB (shared)15 MB
Chip lithography14 nm14 nm
Die size122 mm2246.24 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data73 °C
Number of transistors1,750 million3200 Million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E3-1220 v5 and Xeon E5-2603 v4 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration1 (Uniprocessor)2 (Multiprocessor)
SocketFCLGA1151FCLGA2011
Power consumption (TDP)80 Watt85 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E3-1220 v5 and Xeon E5-2603 v4. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2Intel® AVX2
AES-NI++
AVX++
vPro++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology2.0-
Hyper-Threading Technology--
TSX++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
Flex Memory Accessno data-
Demand Based Switchingno data+
PAEno data46 Bit

Security technologies

Xeon E3-1220 v5 and Xeon E5-2603 v4 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT++
EDB++
Secure Key++
MPX+-
SGXYes with both Intel® SPS and Intel® MEno data
OS Guard++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E3-1220 v5 and Xeon E5-2603 v4 are enumerated here.

VT-d++
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E3-1220 v5 and Xeon E5-2603 v4. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866
Maximum memory size64 GB1.5 TB
Max memory channels24
Maximum memory bandwidth34.134 GB/s59.7 GB/s
ECC memory support++

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardN/Ano data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Xeon E3-1220 v5 and Xeon E5-2603 v4 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4N/Ano data
Max resolution over eDPN/Ano data
Max resolution over DisplayPortN/Ano data
Max resolution over VGAN/Ano data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Xeon E3-1220 v5 and Xeon E5-2603 v4 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectXN/Ano data
OpenGLN/Ano data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E3-1220 v5 and Xeon E5-2603 v4.

PCIe version3.03.0
PCI Express lanes1640

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

Xeon E3-1220 v5 3.67
+23.6%
Xeon E5-2603 v4 2.97

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

Xeon E3-1220 v5 5815
+23.9%
Xeon E5-2603 v4 4695

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

Xeon E3-1220 v5 1220
+110%
Xeon E5-2603 v4 582

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

Xeon E3-1220 v5 3440
+29.3%
Xeon E5-2603 v4 2661

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.67 2.97
Recency 19 October 2015 20 June 2016
Physical cores 4 6
Threads 4 6
Power consumption (TDP) 80 Watt 85 Watt

Xeon E3-1220 v5 has a 23.6% higher aggregate performance score, and 6.3% lower power consumption.

Xeon E5-2603 v4, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 8 months, and 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads.

The Xeon E3-1220 v5 is our recommended choice as it beats the Xeon E5-2603 v4 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E3-1220 v5 and Xeon E5-2603 v4, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Xeon E3-1220 v5
Xeon E3-1220 v5
Intel Xeon E5-2603 v4
Xeon E5-2603 v4

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Community ratings

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