Intel Xeon E5-2690 8-core LGA 2011

The Xeon E5-2690 is an old server chip that still makes sense for cheap threaded workloads. Multi-thread performance is solid at 59th percentile, but single-thread is weak and gaming is a 21 out of 100. At around $135 USD used, it's a great budget server CPU, just don't expect it to feel fast in everyday desktop use.

The E5-2690 pulls a 9712 multi-thread PassMark score, which is middle of the pack by today's standards but respectable for the price. Single-thread is where it shows its age: 1655 puts it at 40th percentile, so anything latency-sensitive will feel sluggish. The 135W TDP means it sips power like a space heater, and efficiency lands at 48th percentile. For heavily threaded tasks like virtualization, media encoding, or running multiple VMs, the 8 cores and 12 threads do real work. For gaming, the 21.1/100 score tells you everything: this is not a gaming chip.

Against something like the Dell Xeon E5-2637 V2, the E5-2690 gives you more cores and threads, which matters for server workloads. The PC Server and Parts E5-2697 v2-cr is a step up in core count if you need more parallelism. But put this next to a modern AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D and it's not even the same sport. The Ryzen obliterates it in single-thread, multi-thread, and efficiency. The Xeon's only win is the price tag. If you're comparing to other used Xeons, the E5-2690 is a solid middle option. Against anything modern, it's a nostalgia purchase.

At around $135 USD on the used market, this chip is hard to argue with for the right buyer. European pricing is a bit scattered: EUR 197 to EUR 236 across DE and FR listings, with the lower end being the better deal if you can find it. CAD 272 and GBP 206 round out the picture. For a home server or budget workstation, that's a lot of cores per dollar. Just factor in the cost of an LGA 2011 board, ECC or non-ECC DDR3, and a cooler that can handle 135W. The platform is old, but the math can still work.

The Intel Xeon E5-2690 (SR0L0) is a server chip from 2012 that's now floating around the used market for pocket change. Eight cores, 12 threads, 2.9GHz base clock, and a 20MB L3 cache on the LGA 2011 socket. It was a beast in its day. That day was over a decade ago.

But here's the thing: if you're building a cheap home server, a NAS, or a budget workstation for threaded workloads, this thing still has a pulse. The multi-thread score lands at 59th percentile in our database, which is solid for a chip you can grab for around $135 USD. Just don't expect it to game.

Skip this if you want a responsive daily driver. The single-thread performance will make web browsing, office apps, and especially gaming feel sluggish compared to even a budget modern CPU. If you need integrated graphics, look elsewhere too, this chip requires a dedicated GPU. And if power efficiency matters, the 135W TDP will annoy you every month on your electric bill.

Buy this if you're building a cheap home server, a Plex box, a NAS, or a budget virtualization rig. The 8 cores and 12 threads will chew through parallel tasks without breaking a sweat, and the price is right. If you need snappy single-thread performance for daily driving or gaming, this chip will frustrate you. It's a server CPU, full stop. Know what you're getting into and you'll be happy.