Performance per price, higher is better.
Xeon E3-1231 v3 vs E5-2680
Aggregated performance score
Xeon E5-2680
2012
8 cores / 16 threads
6.14
+33.5%
E5-2680 outperforms E3-1231 v3 by 33% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
General info
Comparing Xeon E5-2680 and Xeon E3-1231 v3 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 988 | 1205 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Value for money | 2.31 | 3.30 |
| Market segment | Server | Server |
| Series | Xeon (Desktop) | Xeon (Desktop) |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge-EP (2012) | Haswell-WS (2013) |
| Release date | 6 March 2012 (12 years old) | 11 May 2014 (9 years old) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1,723 | $240 |
| Current price | $59 (0x MSRP) | $154 (0.6x MSRP) |
Value for money
Xeon E3-1231 v3 has 43% better value for money than Xeon E5-2680.
Technical specs
Xeon E5-2680 and Xeon E3-1231 v3 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 | 8 (Octa-Core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 16 | 8 |
| Base clock speed | 2.7 GHz | 3.4 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.5 GHz | 3.8 GHz |
| L1 cache | 64K (per core) | 64K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256K (per core) | 256K (per core) |
| L3 cache | 20 MB (shared) | 8 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 22 nm |
| Die size | 435 mm2 | 160 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 85 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 2,270 million | 1,400 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon E5-2680 and Xeon E3-1231 v3 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 | 2 | 1 |
| Socket | FCLGA2011 | FCLGA1150 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 80 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-2680 and Xeon E3-1231 v3. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® AVX | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| My WiFi | no data | - |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | + |
| TSX | no data | + |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | + |
| Flex Memory Access | - | + |
| SIPP | no data | + |
| Demand Based Switching | + | no data |
| Fast Memory Access | no data | + |
| Status | Discontinued | Discontinued |
Security technologies
Xeon E5-2680 and Xeon E3-1231 v3 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | + |
| EDB | + | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| Identity Protection | - | + |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
| Anti-Theft | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5-2680 and Xeon E3-1231 v3 are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | no data | + |
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-2680 and Xeon E3-1231 v3. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | 384 GB | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | 4 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 51.2 GB/s | 25.6 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | + | + |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-2680 and Xeon E3-1231 v3.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 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.
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.
E5-2680 outperforms E3-1231 v3 by 33% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 68%
E5-2680 outperforms E3-1231 v3 by 33% in Passmark.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
E3-1231 v3 outperforms E5-2680 by 119% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
E3-1231 v3 outperforms E5-2680 by 13% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.
Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core
Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.
Benchmark coverage: 20%
E3-1231 v3 outperforms E5-2680 by 37% in Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core.
Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.
Benchmark coverage: 19%
E5-2680 outperforms E3-1231 v3 by 24% in Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core.
Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.
Benchmark coverage: 17%
E5-2680 outperforms E3-1231 v3 by 51% in Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core.
Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core
Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.
Benchmark coverage: 14%
E3-1231 v3 outperforms E5-2680 by 35% in Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core.
Advantages and disadvantages
| Performance score | 6.14 | 4.60 |
| Recency | 6 March 2012 | 11 May 2014 |
| Physical cores | 8 | 4 |
| Threads | 16 | 8 |
| Cost | $1723 | $240 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 22 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 80 Watt |
The Xeon E5-2680 is our recommended choice as it beats the Xeon E3-1231 v3 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-2680 and Xeon E3-1231 v3, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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