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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core 5 120

2025

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $6,501 less on MSRP ($340 MSRP vs $6,841 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1913.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 3.2 PassMark/$ ($340 MSRP vs $6,841 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 165W, a 100W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA2011 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E7-8891 v3 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (18 MB vs 45 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E7-8891 v3, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads and 32 PCIe lanes.

Xeon E7-8891 v3

2015

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +16.5% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+150% larger total L3 cache (45 MB vs 18 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads, plus 32 PCIe lanes vs 0.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (32 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,615 vs 21,629).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 3.2 vs 63.6 PassMark/$ ($6,841 MSRP vs $340 MSRP).
❌153.8% higher power demand at 165W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on LGA2011 with DDR4, while Core 5 120 moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Core 5 120

2025

Xeon E7-8891 v3

2015

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $6,501 less on MSRP ($340 MSRP vs $6,841 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1913.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 3.2 PassMark/$ ($340 MSRP vs $6,841 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 165W, a 100W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA2011 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +16.5% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+150% larger total L3 cache (45 MB vs 18 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads, plus 32 PCIe lanes vs 0.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (32 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E7-8891 v3 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (18 MB vs 45 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E7-8891 v3, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads and 32 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,615 vs 21,629).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 3.2 vs 63.6 PassMark/$ ($6,841 MSRP vs $340 MSRP).
❌153.8% higher power demand at 165W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on LGA2011 with DDR4, while Core 5 120 moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Core 5 120 better than Xeon E7-8891 v3?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E7-8891 v3 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core 5 120 is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core 5 120 is the better fit. You are getting 0.1% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Core 5 120 is the smarter buy today. Core 5 120 is $6,501 cheaper on MSRP at $340 MSRP versus $6,841 MSRP, and it gives you 0.1% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Xeon E7-8891 v3 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 16.5% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 1913.4% better value on MSRP (63.6 vs 3.2 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Core 5 120 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2015), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of LGA2011, and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 10/20. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

Games Benchmarks

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.

Core 5 120 Benchmark Check

Xeon E7-8891 v3 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core 5 120	Xeon E7-8891 v3
1080p
low	170 FPS	179 FPS
medium	147 FPS	151 FPS
high	118 FPS	121 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	99 FPS
1440p
low	145 FPS	155 FPS
medium	123 FPS	127 FPS
high	99 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	79 FPS
4K
low	79 FPS	72 FPS
medium	72 FPS	63 FPS
high	57 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	39 FPS

Open Core 5 120 Open Xeon E7-8891 v3

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core 5 120	Xeon E7-8891 v3
1080p
low	471 FPS	370 FPS
medium	401 FPS	335 FPS
high	338 FPS	279 FPS
ultra	298 FPS	223 FPS
1440p
low	409 FPS	318 FPS
medium	355 FPS	291 FPS
high	309 FPS	246 FPS
ultra	264 FPS	189 FPS
4K
low	274 FPS	199 FPS
medium	243 FPS	184 FPS
high	223 FPS	157 FPS
ultra	191 FPS	124 FPS

Open Core 5 120 Open Xeon E7-8891 v3

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core 5 120	Xeon E7-8891 v3
1080p
low	541 FPS	540 FPS
medium	541 FPS	540 FPS
high	541 FPS	540 FPS
ultra	496 FPS	540 FPS
1440p
low	541 FPS	540 FPS
medium	491 FPS	540 FPS
high	445 FPS	540 FPS
ultra	388 FPS	540 FPS
4K
low	411 FPS	477 FPS
medium	347 FPS	391 FPS
high	303 FPS	358 FPS
ultra	244 FPS	299 FPS

Open Core 5 120 Open Xeon E7-8891 v3

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core 5 120	Xeon E7-8891 v3
1080p
low	541 FPS	540 FPS
medium	541 FPS	540 FPS
high	541 FPS	540 FPS
ultra	541 FPS	540 FPS
1440p
low	541 FPS	540 FPS
medium	541 FPS	540 FPS
high	541 FPS	540 FPS
ultra	534 FPS	470 FPS
4K
low	541 FPS	540 FPS
medium	499 FPS	483 FPS
high	440 FPS	423 FPS
ultra	376 FPS	358 FPS

Open Core 5 120 Open Xeon E7-8891 v3

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 5 120 and Xeon E7-8891 v3

Core 5 120

The Core 5 120 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 31 July 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 18 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 21,629 points. Launch price was $211.

Xeon E7-8891 v3

The Xeon E7-8891 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-EX (2015) architecture. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 45 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 165 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1333/1600/1866, DDR3-1066/1333/1600. Passmark benchmark score: 21,615 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core 5 120 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon E7-8891 v3 offers 10 cores / 20 threads — the Xeon E7-8891 v3 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.5 GHz on the Core 5 120 versus 3.5 GHz on the Xeon E7-8891 v3 — a 25% clock advantage for the Core 5 120 (base: 2.5 GHz vs 2.8 GHz). The Core 5 120 uses the Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025) architecture (10 nm), while the Xeon E7-8891 v3 uses Haswell-EX (2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Core 5 120 scores 21,629 against the Xeon E7-8891 v3's 21,615 — a 0.1% lead for the Core 5 120. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core 5 120 vs 45 MB (total) on the Xeon E7-8891 v3.

Feature	Core 5 120	Xeon E7-8891 v3
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	10 / 20+67%
Boost Clock	4.5 GHz+29%	3.5 GHz
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	2.8 GHz+12%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)	45 MB (total)+150%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+400%	256K (per core)
Process	10 nm-55%	22 nm
Architecture	Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025)	Haswell-EX (2015)
PassMark	21,629	21,615
Geekbench 6 Single	—	900
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	9,500

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core 5 120 uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Xeon E7-8891 v3 uses LGA2011 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core 5 120	Xeon E7-8891 v3
Socket	LGA1700	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-1866
Max RAM Capacity	—	1536 GB
RAM Channels	—	4
ECC Support	—	Yes
PCIe Lanes	—	32

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core 5 120) / Yes (Xeon E7-8891 v3).

Feature	Core 5 120	Xeon E7-8891 v3
Integrated GPU	—	No
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	Yes

💰

Value Analysis

The Core 5 120 launched at $340 MSRP, while the Xeon E7-8891 v3 debuted at $6841. On MSRP ($340 vs $6841), the Core 5 120 is $6501 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core 5 120 delivers 63.6 pts/$ vs 3.2 pts/$ for the Xeon E7-8891 v3 — making the Core 5 120 the 181.1% better value option.