Core i5-6600 vs Xeon E3-1246 v3

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i5-6600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1214	1380
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.32	1.68
Market segment	Server	Desktop processor
Series	no data	Intel Core i5
Architecture codename	no data	Skylake (2015−2016)
Release date	1 April 2014 (10 years ago)	2 July 2015 (8 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$224
Current price	$60	$47 (0.2x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i5-6600 has 27% better value for money than Xeon E3-1246 v3.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i5-6600 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 cores	4 (Quad-Core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	8	4
Base clock speed	3.5 GHz	3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.9 GHz	3.9 GHz
Bus support	no data	4 × 8 GT/s
L1 cache	no data	64K (per core)
L2 cache	no data	256K (per core)
L3 cache	8 MB Intel® Smart Cache	6 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	14 nm
Die size	no data	177 mm2
Maximum core temperature	no data	71 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	72 °C
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i5-6600 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 configuration	1	1
Socket	FCLGA1150	FCLGA1151
Power consumption (TDP)	84 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i5-6600. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	no data	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	-	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
TSX	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
SIPP	+	+
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i5-6600 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	+
MPX	no data	+
Identity Protection	+	+
SGX	no data	Yes with Intel® ME
OS Guard	+	+
Anti-Theft	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i5-6600 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i5-6600. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3L-1333, DDR3L-1600	DDR4
Maximum memory size	32 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	34.1 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	no data	Intel HD Graphics 530
Max video memory	1.7 GB	64 GB
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video	no data	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.2 GHz	1.15 GHz
Execution Units	20	no data
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i5-6600 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	3
eDP	+	+
DisplayPort	+	+
HDMI	+	+
DVI	no data	+
VGA	+	no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i5-6600 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	no data	+
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	3840x2160@60Hz	4096x2304@24Hz
Max resolution over eDP	no data	4096x2304@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	3840x2160@60Hz	4096x2304@60Hz
Max resolution over VGA	2880x1800@60Hz	N/A

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i5-6600 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	11.2	12
OpenGL	4.3	4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i5-6600.

PCIe version	3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	16

Synthetic benchmark performance

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

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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 E3-1246 v3 outperforms Core i5-6600 by 20% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	4.70	3.91
Recency	1 April 2014	2 July 2015
Threads	8	4
Chip lithography	22 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	84 Watt	65 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i5-6600, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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