Ryzen 5 2400GE vs Xeon E3-1280 v3

CPU

GPU

Ryzen 5 2400GE

4 Cores8 Thrd35 WWMax: 3.8 GHz2018

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Xeon E3-1280 v3

4 Cores8 Thrd82 WWMax: 4 GHz2013

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Ryzen 5 2400GE

4 / 8

7,237

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX

Xeon E3-1280 v3

4 / 8

7,252

+0.2%

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 5 2400GE

2018

Why buy it

✅Costs $81 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $250 MSRP).
✅Delivers 47.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 42.8 vs 29.0 PassMark/$ ($169 MSRP vs $250 MSRP).
✅Draws 35W instead of 82W, a 47W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (8 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Vega 11, while Xeon E3-1280 v3 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (7,237 vs 7,252).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 8 MB).

Xeon E3-1280 v3

2013

Why buy it

✅+100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 29.0 vs 42.8 PassMark/$ ($250 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
❌134.3% higher power demand at 82W vs 35W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 2400GE can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 2400GE.

Ryzen 5 2400GE

2018

Xeon E3-1280 v3

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $81 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $250 MSRP).
✅Delivers 47.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 42.8 vs 29.0 PassMark/$ ($169 MSRP vs $250 MSRP).
✅Draws 35W instead of 82W, a 47W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (8 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Vega 11, while Xeon E3-1280 v3 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (7,237 vs 7,252).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 8 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 29.0 vs 42.8 PassMark/$ ($250 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
❌134.3% higher power demand at 82W vs 35W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 2400GE can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 2400GE.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon E3-1280 v3 better than Ryzen 5 2400GE?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E3-1280 v3 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 5 2400GE is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Xeon E3-1280 v3 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 1.0% more average FPS across 3 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon E3-1280 v3 is the better fit. You are getting 0.2% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 8 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).

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

Xeon E3-1280 v3 is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Xeon E3-1280 v3 is 47.9% more expensive on MSRP at $250 MSRP versus $169 MSRP, and it gives you a 1.0% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 2400GE only looks stronger on raw value math because it is so cheap, but its absolute performance tier is too low to be the smarter recommendation now. At roughly 7,237 PassMark with 4 cores and 8 threads, it only makes sense as a bare-minimum stopgap or a very constrained existing-platform upgrade.

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

Ryzen 5 2400GE is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2018 vs 2013). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

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 5 2400GE Benchmark Check

Xeon E3-1280 v3 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 2400GE	Xeon E3-1280 v3
1080p
low	162 FPS	172 FPS
medium	140 FPS	142 FPS
high	111 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	90 FPS
1440p
low	138 FPS	147 FPS
medium	117 FPS	119 FPS
high	92 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	73 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	63 FPS	67 FPS
medium	56 FPS	58 FPS
high	44 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	36 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 2400GE Open Xeon E3-1280 v3

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 2400GE	Xeon E3-1280 v3
1080p
low	181 FPS	181 FPS
medium	173 FPS	181 FPS
high	160 FPS	166 FPS
ultra	126 FPS	129 FPS
1440p
low	169 FPS	180 FPS
medium	146 FPS	158 FPS
high	135 FPS	143 FPS
ultra	111 FPS	116 FPS
4K
low	126 FPS	142 FPS
medium	111 FPS	129 FPS
high	90 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	65 FPS	81 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 2400GE Open Xeon E3-1280 v3

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 2400GE	Xeon E3-1280 v3
1080p
low	181 FPS	181 FPS
medium	181 FPS	181 FPS
high	181 FPS	181 FPS
ultra	181 FPS	181 FPS
1440p
low	181 FPS	181 FPS
medium	181 FPS	181 FPS
high	181 FPS	181 FPS
ultra	181 FPS	181 FPS
4K
low	181 FPS	181 FPS
medium	181 FPS	181 FPS
high	181 FPS	181 FPS
ultra	181 FPS	181 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 2400GE Open Xeon E3-1280 v3

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 2400GE	Xeon E3-1280 v3
1080p
low	181 FPS	181 FPS
medium	181 FPS	181 FPS
high	181 FPS	181 FPS
ultra	181 FPS	181 FPS
1440p
low	181 FPS	181 FPS
medium	181 FPS	181 FPS
high	181 FPS	181 FPS
ultra	181 FPS	181 FPS
4K
low	181 FPS	181 FPS
medium	181 FPS	181 FPS
high	181 FPS	181 FPS
ultra	181 FPS	181 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 2400GE Open Xeon E3-1280 v3

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 2400GE and Xeon E3-1280 v3

Ryzen 5 2400GE

The Ryzen 5 2400GE is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 19 April 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Raven Ridge (2017−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 7,237 points. Launch price was $149.

Xeon E3-1280 v3

The Xeon E3-1280 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 June 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Haswell-WS (2013−2014) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 8192 kB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1150. Thermal design power (TDP): 82 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 7,252 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 5 2400GE and Xeon E3-1280 v3 share an identical 4-core/8-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.8 GHz on the Ryzen 5 2400GE versus 4 GHz on the Xeon E3-1280 v3 — a 5.1% clock advantage for the Xeon E3-1280 v3 (base: 3.2 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Ryzen 5 2400GE uses the Raven Ridge (2017−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon E3-1280 v3 uses Haswell-WS (2013−2014) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 2400GE scores 7,237 against the Xeon E3-1280 v3's 7,252 — a 0.2% lead for the Xeon E3-1280 v3. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 2400GE vs 8192 kB (total) on the Xeon E3-1280 v3.

Feature	Ryzen 5 2400GE	Xeon E3-1280 v3
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	4 / 8
Boost Clock	3.8 GHz	4 GHz+5%
Base Clock	3.2 GHz	3.6 GHz+12%
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	8192 kB (total)+100%
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)+100%	256 kB (per core)
Process	14 nm-36%	22 nm
Architecture	Raven Ridge (2017−2019)	Haswell-WS (2013−2014)
PassMark	7,237	7,252
Geekbench 6 Single	826	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	2,847	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 2400GE uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon E3-1280 v3 uses LGA1150 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 2400GE	Xeon E3-1280 v3
Socket	AM4	LGA1150
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2933	—
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	8	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: Yes (Ryzen 5 2400GE) / not specified (Xeon E3-1280 v3). The Ryzen 5 2400GE includes integrated graphics (Radeon Vega 11), while the Xeon E3-1280 v3 requires a dedicated GPU.

Feature	Ryzen 5 2400GE	Xeon E3-1280 v3
Integrated GPU	Yes	—
IGPU Model	Radeon Vega 11	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	Yes	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 2400GE launched at $169 MSRP, while the Xeon E3-1280 v3 debuted at $250. On MSRP ($169 vs $250), the Ryzen 5 2400GE is $81 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 2400GE delivers 42.8 pts/$ vs 29.0 pts/$ for the Xeon E3-1280 v3 — making the Ryzen 5 2400GE the 38.5% better value option.