Intel Xeon E5-2623V4 4-core LGA 2011-3

The E5-2623 v4 posts a PassMark multi-core score of 7363, which is 49th percentile in our database, and a single-thread score of 259 that's even less impressive at 46th percentile. It's a quad-core Broadwell-EP Xeon with 12 threads, 10MB L3, and an 85W TDP on the dead LGA 2011-3 platform. European pricing ranges from EUR 144 to EUR 184, so shop around if you're set on this chip.

Let's talk about what this chip actually does well, because there are a few things. The 12 threads from 4 cores is a neat trick thanks to Hyper-Threading, and for certain server workloads that care more about thread count than raw speed, it's serviceable. The 8.0GT/s QPI link and 40 PCIe lanes give it decent I/O headroom for a budget server build. But the PassMark single-thread score of 259 is a real weak spot. For comparison, that's well below what a modern budget desktop chip manages, and it shows in anything latency-sensitive. The 3.2GHz turbo helps a bit, but only when thermals allow, and with an 85W TDP on LGA 2011-3, you're not exactly getting efficiency points either. The 10MB L3 cache is small by today's standards, and while the platform supports DDR4 2400MHz, this particular SKU won't light the world on fire.

Stacked against the competition, this Xeon doesn't exactly shine. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D is in a completely different universe, with multi-core scores that would make the 7363 PassMark look like a rounding error, but it's also a modern desktop flagship that costs several times more. The Dell Xeon E5-2637 V2 is a closer match, being another older Xeon, but it's a V2 part with even older architecture. The PC Server and Parts E5-2697 v2-cr is interesting because it offers more cores from the same era, which might actually be the smarter buy if you're building a cheap virtualization box. The G.Skill Trident Z Neo and Micro Center listings are odd inclusions in this comparison set, they're not even CPUs in the same category. The E5-2623 v4's 49th percentile multi-thread ranking means it's not the worst old Xeon you could buy, but it's nowhere near the best either.

Pricing is all over the map depending on where you shop. In the US you're looking at $199, while European listings range from EUR 144 to EUR 184 across four different stores. That EUR 40 spread is worth paying attention to, and the DE, ES, FR, and IT listings aren't all created equal. The cheapest EUR 144 option is the one to grab if you're in the Eurozone and dead set on this chip. But here's the thing: at $199 or EUR 144, you're paying for a used server part with no warranty to speak of and performance that's solidly average. The affordability percentile of 53 means it's not a bargain, it's just... there. For a homelab tinkerer who already has an LGA 2011-3 board, it might make sense. For anyone starting fresh, that money goes further elsewhere.

The Xeon E5-2623 v4 is a server chip that's getting long in the tooth, and the numbers back that up. A PassMark multi-core score of 7363 puts it at the 49th percentile in our database, which is about as middle-of-the-pack as it gets. Single-thread performance is even less exciting at 259, landing at the 46th percentile. This is a quad-core Broadwell-EP part with a 2.6GHz base clock and 3.2GHz turbo, and while it was a reasonable workhorse in its day, that day was roughly 2016. The 10MB of L3 cache and 85W TDP are fine on paper, but they don't move the needle much against modern silicon.

If you care about single-thread performance at all, skip this. The 259 PassMark single-thread score is a weak spot, and the 46th percentile ranking means it falls behind most chips in our database. Gamers should absolutely look elsewhere, the 20.1/100 gaming score is one of the worst we've seen for any CPU. And if you don't already own an LGA 2011-3 motherboard, the platform cost alone makes this a poor starting point. The feature percentile of 21 and platform percentile of 18 are both disappointing, meaning you're getting an old chip with limited modern features on a socket that's been abandoned for years. For most people, a used Ryzen or even a newer budget Intel part would be a smarter use of the same money.

The E5-2623 v4 is a chip for a very specific person: someone with an existing LGA 2011-3 board, a tight budget, and a workload that doesn't care about single-thread speed. The 12 threads are nice for light virtualization or a NAS with some container duties, but the 259 single-thread PassMark score will frustrate you in anything interactive. The 85W TDP is reasonable, and the 40 PCIe lanes give you room for storage controllers and NICs. But the 49th percentile multi-thread and 46th percentile single-thread rankings tell the story: this is a middle-of-the-pack part from a platform that's been dead for years. If you can find it at the EUR 144 end of the European pricing, it's a maybe. At $199 US, it's a harder sell.