Ryzen 3 4100 vs Xeon E5-2640 v3

CPU

GPU

Ryzen 3 4100

4 Cores8 Thrd65 WWMax: 4 GHz2022

Popular choices:

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Xeon E5-2640 v3

8 Cores16 Thrd90 WWMax: 3.4 GHz2014

Popular choices:

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Performance Spectrum - CPU

Ryzen 3 4100

4 / 8

11,062

+0.1%

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X

Ryzen 9 7900

Ryzen 9 9950X

Ryzen Threadripper 9960X

Xeon E5-2640 v3

8 / 16

11,055

0.0%

About PassMark

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.

Ryzen 3 4100

2022

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $840 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $939 MSRP).
✅Delivers 849.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 111.7 vs 11.8 PassMark/$ ($99 MSRP vs $939 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 90W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E5-2640 v3 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-2640 v3, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads and 40 PCIe lanes.

Xeon E5-2640 v3

2014

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+149.9% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads, plus 40 PCIe lanes vs 0.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (11,055 vs 11,062).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 11.8 vs 111.7 PassMark/$ ($939 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
❌38.5% higher power demand at 90W vs 65W.

Ryzen 3 4100

2022

Xeon E5-2640 v3

2014

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $840 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $939 MSRP).
✅Delivers 849.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 111.7 vs 11.8 PassMark/$ ($99 MSRP vs $939 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 90W, a 25W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+149.9% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads, plus 40 PCIe lanes vs 0.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E5-2640 v3 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-2640 v3, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads and 40 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (11,055 vs 11,062).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 11.8 vs 111.7 PassMark/$ ($939 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
❌38.5% higher power demand at 90W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 3 4100 better than Xeon E5-2640 v3?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E5-2640 v3 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 3 4100 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, Ryzen 3 4100 is the better fit. You are getting 0.1% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 8 threads.

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

Ryzen 3 4100 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 3 4100 is $840 cheaper on MSRP at $99 MSRP versus $939 MSRP, and it gives you 0.1% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Xeon E5-2640 v3 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 6.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 849.1% better value on MSRP (111.7 vs 11.8 PassMark/$), 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?

Ryzen 3 4100 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2014) and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 8 threads instead of 8/16. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

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.

Ryzen 3 4100 Benchmark Check

Xeon E5-2640 v3 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 3 4100	Xeon E5-2640 v3
1080p
low	182 FPS	161 FPS
medium	145 FPS	140 FPS
high	118 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	155 FPS	135 FPS
medium	122 FPS	115 FPS
high	97 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	74 FPS	73 FPS
4K
low	69 FPS	63 FPS
medium	58 FPS	57 FPS
high	46 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	35 FPS

Open Ryzen 3 4100 Open Xeon E5-2640 v3

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 3 4100	Xeon E5-2640 v3
1080p
low	277 FPS	276 FPS
medium	235 FPS	276 FPS
high	204 FPS	255 FPS
ultra	157 FPS	210 FPS
1440p
low	235 FPS	276 FPS
medium	203 FPS	259 FPS
high	177 FPS	223 FPS
ultra	142 FPS	182 FPS
4K
low	181 FPS	182 FPS
medium	164 FPS	166 FPS
high	132 FPS	143 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	114 FPS

Open Ryzen 3 4100 Open Xeon E5-2640 v3

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 3 4100	Xeon E5-2640 v3
1080p
low	277 FPS	276 FPS
medium	277 FPS	276 FPS
high	277 FPS	276 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	276 FPS
1440p
low	277 FPS	276 FPS
medium	277 FPS	276 FPS
high	277 FPS	276 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	276 FPS
4K
low	277 FPS	276 FPS
medium	277 FPS	276 FPS
high	277 FPS	276 FPS
ultra	247 FPS	274 FPS

Open Ryzen 3 4100 Open Xeon E5-2640 v3

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 3 4100	Xeon E5-2640 v3
1080p
low	277 FPS	276 FPS
medium	277 FPS	276 FPS
high	277 FPS	276 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	276 FPS
1440p
low	277 FPS	276 FPS
medium	277 FPS	276 FPS
high	277 FPS	276 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	276 FPS
4K
low	277 FPS	276 FPS
medium	277 FPS	276 FPS
high	277 FPS	276 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	276 FPS

Open Ryzen 3 4100 Open Xeon E5-2640 v3

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 3 4100 and Xeon E5-2640 v3

Ryzen 3 4100

The Ryzen 3 4100 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 4 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Renoir (2020−2023) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.8 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 8.00391 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 11,062 points. Launch price was $149.

Xeon E5-2640 v3

The Xeon E5-2640 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 90 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866. Passmark benchmark score: 11,055 points. Launch price was $800.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 3 4100 packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Xeon E5-2640 v3 offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Xeon E5-2640 v3 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4 GHz on the Ryzen 3 4100 versus 3.4 GHz on the Xeon E5-2640 v3 — a 16.2% clock advantage for the Ryzen 3 4100 (base: 3.8 GHz vs 2.6 GHz). The Ryzen 3 4100 uses the Renoir (2020−2023) architecture (7 nm), while the Xeon E5-2640 v3 uses Haswell-EP (2014−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 3 4100 scores 11,062 against the Xeon E5-2640 v3's 11,055 — a 0.1% lead for the Ryzen 3 4100. L3 cache: 8.00391 MB (total) on the Ryzen 3 4100 vs 20 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-2640 v3.

Feature	Ryzen 3 4100	Xeon E5-2640 v3
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	8 / 16+100%
Boost Clock	4 GHz+18%	3.4 GHz
Base Clock	3.8 GHz+46%	2.6 GHz
L3 Cache	8.00391 MB (total)	20 MB (total)+150%
L2 Cache	512K (per core)+100%	256K (per core)
Process	7 nm-68%	22 nm
Architecture	Renoir (2020−2023)	Haswell-EP (2014−2015)
PassMark	11,062	11,055

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 3 4100 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon E5-2640 v3 uses LGA2011 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 3 4100	Xeon E5-2640 v3
Socket	AM4	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-1866
Max RAM Capacity	—	768 GB
RAM Channels	—	4
ECC Support	—	Yes
PCIe Lanes	—	40

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Ryzen 3 4100) / VT-x, VT-d (Xeon E5-2640 v3). Primary use case: Xeon E5-2640 v3 targets Server.

Feature	Ryzen 3 4100	Xeon E5-2640 v3
Integrated GPU	—	No
Unlocked	—	No
AVX-512	—	Yes
Virtualization	—	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	—	Server

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 3 4100 launched at $99 MSRP, while the Xeon E5-2640 v3 debuted at $939. On MSRP ($99 vs $939), the Ryzen 3 4100 is $840 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 3 4100 delivers 111.7 pts/$ vs 11.8 pts/$ for the Xeon E5-2640 v3 — making the Ryzen 3 4100 the 161.9% better value option.