Intel Xeon E5-1660 v3 8-core LGA 2011-3

The Xeon E5-1660 v3 scores 13,271 in PassMark multi-thread, landing at the 65th percentile and beating plenty of newer budget CPUs. It supports up to 768GB of DDR4 ECC memory, making it a solid pick for home servers and virtualization. But gaming is a weak spot at 24.6 out of 100, and the 140W TDP means you'll pay for that performance in heat and power.

The multi-threaded numbers are the headline here. 13,271 in PassMark puts this Xeon at the 65th percentile across all CPUs in our database, which is genuinely impressive for a chip from 2014. You're looking at 8 physical cores and 16 threads, and in workloads that can actually use all of them, this thing still punches above its used-market price. The 20MB of L3 cache helps keep those cores fed, and the quad-channel DDR4 memory controller means memory bandwidth isn't a bottleneck even when you're running multiple VMs. The 3.5GHz boost clock isn't going to set records, but it's enough to keep latency-sensitive tasks from feeling sluggish.

Single-thread performance is where the age shows. 2,185 in PassMark single-thread lands at the 61st percentile, which is fine for everyday desktop use but nothing to write home about. The 3.0GHz base clock means lightly threaded tasks will feel noticeably slower than on any modern chip with a 4.5GHz+ boost. The 140W TDP is also worth keeping in mind. That's a lot of heat for the performance you're getting, and the efficiency score of 54th percentile reflects that. You'll want a decent cooler and a power supply that can handle the draw, especially if you're running all 8 cores at full tilt for extended periods.

Stacked against something like the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, this Xeon looks ancient. The Ryzen's single-thread performance is in a completely different league, and its gaming chops would embarrass the Xeon's 24.6 out of 100 score. But the comparison isn't entirely fair, the 9800X3D costs several times more and targets a completely different buyer. Against other used workstation chips in this price range, the E5-1660 v3 holds up better. The 65th percentile multi-thread ranking means it's still ahead of a lot of newer budget silicon when you're running parallel workloads. Where it falls behind is efficiency and features. The 140W TDP is double what you'd see on a modern 65W chip delivering similar multi-threaded performance, and the platform score of 51st percentile reflects the aging LGA 2011-3 ecosystem. If you need ECC memory and lots of RAM capacity, this Xeon makes a case for itself. If you don't, a modern Ryzen or Core i5 will serve you better in nearly every way.

Value is where this chip gets interesting, but also a little confusing. The price spread across US listings runs from $231 to $352, a $121 gap that's worth paying attention to. At the low end, you're getting 8 cores, 16 threads, and ECC memory support for less than the cost of a new budget CPU. At the high end, you're flirting with territory where a used Ryzen 7 or even a new mid-range chip starts to make more sense. The affordability score of 37th percentile tells the story: this isn't the bargain it once was, but it's not a ripoff either. If you can snag one near the $231 mark, the price-to-performance ratio for multi-threaded work is genuinely compelling. Just don't pay $352 for it.

The Intel Xeon E5-1660 v3 is a Haswell-EP era workstation chip that still manages to hold its own in multi-threaded workloads, landing at the 65th percentile in our database for multi-core performance. Its PassMark multi-thread score of 13,271 puts it ahead of plenty of newer budget chips, and the 20MB of L3 cache gives it real breathing room for virtualization and server tasks. But the single-thread story is less exciting at 2,185, which is why this chip sits at a middling 61st percentile there. You're getting 8 cores and 16 threads at 3.0GHz base with a 3.5GHz boost, plus support for up to 768GB of DDR4 ECC memory. That's a lot of headroom for a chip you can find used for a fraction of its original price.

Where this Xeon really shines is productivity and server duty. Our scoring puts productivity at 55.3 out of 100 and server work at 52.2, both respectable for a decade-old platform. The 140W TDP is no joke though, and the LGA 2011-3 socket means you're shopping for older motherboards. Gaming is the obvious weak spot at 24.6 out of 100, so if you're building a rig for frame rates, look elsewhere. But for a home lab, a NAS with some transcoding muscle, or a budget workstation that needs ECC memory, this chip still has a pulse.

Skip this chip if you care about gaming, single-threaded performance, or power efficiency. The gaming score of 24.6 out of 100 is one of the weakest we've seen, and the 2,185 single-thread PassMark score means everyday tasks will feel sluggish compared to even a budget modern CPU. The 140W TDP is also a dealbreaker if you're running a small form factor build or paying high electricity rates. And if you don't need ECC memory or more than 64GB of RAM, there's no reason to deal with the aging LGA 2011-3 platform. A used Ryzen 5 or Core i5 will give you better performance in nearly every category for similar money.

The Xeon E5-1660 v3 is a niche chip that still makes sense for a specific kind of buyer. If you're building a home server, a virtualization box, or a budget workstation where ECC memory and high RAM capacity matter more than single-thread speed, this chip delivers. The 13,271 multi-thread PassMark score and 768GB memory ceiling are the reasons to buy. But the 140W TDP, the aging platform, and the weak gaming performance are real trade-offs. At the low end of the price range, around $231, it's a reasonable deal. At $352, you're better off looking at newer options. This is a chip for tinkerers and homelab enthusiasts who know exactly what they're getting into, not for anyone who wants a plug-and-play upgrade.