i3-550 vs Xeon E5-2620

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Aggregate performance score

Xeon E5-2620
2012
6 cores / 12 threads, 95 Watt
3.33
+230%
Core i3-550
2010
2 cores / 4 threads, 73 Watt
1.01

Xeon E5-2620 outperforms Core i3-550 by a whopping 230% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E5-2620 and Core i3-550 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking15872463
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation1.730.12
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
Power efficiency3.321.31
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge-EP (2012)Clarkdale (2010−2011)
Release date6 March 2012 (12 years ago)30 May 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$36$101

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E5-2620 has 1342% better value for money than i3-550.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E5-2620 and Core i3-550 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 cores6 (Hexa-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads124
Base clock speed2 GHz3.2 GHz
Boost clock speed2.5 GHz3.2 GHz
Bus rate7.2 GT/s2.5 GT/s
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache256 KB (per core)256 KB (per core)
L3 cache15360 KB (shared)4 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm32 nm
Die size435 mm281 mm2
Maximum core temperature77 °C73 °C
Number of transistors2,270 million382 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E5-2620 and Core i3-550 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 configuration21
SocketFCLGA2011FCLGA1156
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt73 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-2620 and Core i3-550. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® AVXIntel® SSE4.2
AES-NI+-
AVX+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology1.0-
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring+-
Flex Memory Access-no data
Demand Based Switching+-
PAEno data36 Bit
FDIno data+

Security technologies

Xeon E5-2620 and Core i3-550 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+-
EDB++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5-2620 and Core i3-550 are enumerated here.

VT-d+no data
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-2620 and Core i3-550. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size384 GB16.38 GB
Max memory channels42
Maximum memory bandwidth42.6 GB/s21 GB/s
ECC memory support+-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel Processors
Clear Video HDno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Xeon E5-2620 and Core i3-550 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data2

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-2620 and Core i3-550.

PCIe version3.02.0
PCI Express lanes4016

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 E5-2620 3.33
+230%
i3-550 1.01

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 E5-2620 5293
+229%
i3-550 1611

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 E5-2620 393
i3-550 428
+8.9%

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 E5-2620 1909
+119%
i3-550 872

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.33 1.01
Recency 6 March 2012 30 May 2010
Physical cores 6 2
Threads 12 4
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 73 Watt

Xeon E5-2620 has a 229.7% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, and 200% more physical cores and 200% more threads.

i3-550, on the other hand, has 30.1% lower power consumption.

The Xeon E5-2620 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-550 in performance tests.

Be aware that Xeon E5-2620 is a server/workstation processor while Core i3-550 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-2620 and Core i3-550, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Xeon E5-2620
Xeon E5-2620
Intel Core i3-550
Core i3-550

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Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Xeon E5-2620 or Core i3-550, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.