Intel Core i7-6700TE vs Intel Xeon E5-2623 v3 Comparison

The Intel Core i7-6700TE and the Intel Xeon E5-2623 v3 occupy an unusual spot in the database: two 4-core, 8-thread processors from adjacent Intel generations that land within a single percentile point of each other in overall standing, yet differ sharply in design philosophy, power envelope, and platform features. The recorded head-to-head data shows the Xeon E5-2623 v3 sweeping all six recorded Cinebench comparisons, but by a narrow margin of roughly 6.3 to 6.5 percent, while the i7-6700TE counters with a dramatically lower thermal design point, integrated graphics, and a newer process node. This analysis walks through the benchmark results, the architectural gaps, and the workload profiles each chip suits best.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Xeon E5-2623 v3 wins every recorded head-to-head test, and the margin is strikingly consistent. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the Xeon scores 568 against 531 for the i7-6700TE, a 6.5 percent gap. The single-core R15 result repeats the pattern: 79 versus 74, a 6.3 percent advantage for the Xeon. That consistency carries through the newer Cinebench revisions as well. In R20 multi-core, the Xeon posts 2367 versus 2214, again 6.5 percent ahead; in R20 single-core it scores 333 against 312, a 6.3 percent lead. Cinebench R23 multi-core lands at 5637 versus 5273 (6.5 percent), and R23 single-core at 795 versus 744 (6.4 percent).

A gap this uniform tells a clear story: the Xeon's advantage is clock-driven, not architecture-driven. Its base clock of 3.00 GHz and boost of 3.50 GHz sit just above the i7-6700TE's 2.40 GHz base and 3.40 GHz boost, and the near-identical percentage deltas across single- and multi-core tests confirm that both chips scale similarly across their cores. Neither pulls away when all threads are engaged, and neither stumbles when only one thread matters.

The database also holds Geekbench results for the i7-6700TE, where it records 3154 multi-core and 1028 single-core. No corresponding Geekbench entry exists for the Xeon E5-2623 v3, so a direct comparison on that suite is not possible from the recorded data.

Context from the percentile fields reinforces how close these two are in the broader landscape. The i7-6700TE sits at the 40th percentile versus all CPUs in the database; the Xeon E5-2623 v3 sits at the 39th. The i7's average benchmark score of 1666 is fractionally higher than the Xeon's 1630, but that average reflects the additional Geekbench entries rather than superior Cinebench performance. Their nearest-rivals lists tell the same story of near-parity: the i7-6700TE's closest competitors include the Intel Core i5-7600T (average score 1664, within 0.1 percent), the Intel Core i7-4770HQ (1660, 0.4 percent), the Intel Xeon E-2124 (1658, 0.5 percent), and the Intel Core i5-4670K (1656, 0.6 percent). The Xeon's rivals include the Intel Core i7-8560U (1631, within 0.1 percent), the Intel Pentium Gold G7400T (1628, 0.2 percent), the Intel Core i3-9100T (1620, 0.6 percent), and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 2200G (1640, 0.6 percent).

In short: the Xeon E5-2623 v3 is the faster processor in the recorded tests, but only by a margin that a modest clock difference fully explains. Both chips sit in the same performance band, surrounded by mainstream desktop parts rather than workstation flagships.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster in the recorded benchmarks?

A: The Intel Xeon E5-2623 v3. It wins all six head-to-head Cinebench comparisons, with advantages ranging from 6.3 to 6.5 percent. For example, it scores 5637 in Cinebench R23 multi-core versus 5273 for the i7-6700TE.

Q: Do both CPUs have the same core and thread counts?

A: Yes. Both are 4-core, 8-thread processors. The performance gap comes entirely from clock speeds and platform characteristics, not from differing core counts.

Q: Which CPU uses less power?

A: The i7-6700TE, by a wide margin. Its thermal design point is 35 W, compared with 105 W for the Xeon E5-2623 v3, a threefold difference that makes the i7-6700TE the clear choice for power-constrained deployments.

Q: Does either CPU support ECC memory?

A: Only the Xeon E5-2623 v3. ECC support is listed as true for the Xeon and false for the i7-6700TE. Both processors support DDR4 memory, however.

Q: Which platform offers more PCIe connectivity and memory bandwidth?

A: The Xeon E5-2623 v3. It provides 40 Gen 3 PCIe lanes from the CPU against 16 on the i7-6700TE, and its quad-channel memory bus delivers 59.7 GB/s of bandwidth versus 34.1 GB/s on the i7's dual-channel configuration.

Q: Is either CPU still in production?

A: The i7-6700TE is listed as Active. The Xeon E5-2623 v3 is listed as End-of-life.

Architecture Differences

The two processors represent successive Intel architectures aimed at different markets. The i7-6700TE is a Skylake part built on Intel's 14 nm process, released on 2015-08-31, and positioned in the desktop segment. The Xeon E5-2623 v3 is a Haswell-EP part (codename Haswell-EP) built on the older 22 nm process, released on 2014-09-07, and positioned in the server/workstation segment. The die data recorded for the Xeon underscores its server heritage: 2,600 million transistors on a 356 mm² die, figures the database does not record for the i7-6700TE.

Cache hierarchies are identical at the first two levels, with 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core on both chips. The Xeon pulls ahead at L3 with 10 MB shared versus 8 MB shared on the i7-6700TE, a modest difference that aligns with its marginally higher throughput results.

The platform-level differences are more consequential. The Xeon's Socket 2011-3 platform brings quad-channel DDR4 with 59.7 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 40 PCIe Gen 3 lanes, compared with the i7-6700TE's Socket 1151 platform, dual-channel DDR4 at 34.1 GB/s, and 16 Gen 3 lanes. Neither chip has an unlocked multiplier, so neither offers easy frequency tuning. The i7-6700TE is the only one of the pair with integrated graphics, HD Graphics 530, which matters for systems without a discrete GPU. The Xeon lists no integrated graphics at all, an expected omission for a server-oriented part. Its ECC memory support further marks it as a platform designed for reliability-focused deployments.

The Verdict

The data supports a clean division. Choose the Xeon E5-2623 v3 where raw sustained throughput and platform capacity dominate: it is 6.5 percent faster in multi-core rendering, its quad-channel bus supplies 59.7 GB/s of memory bandwidth, and its 40 PCIe lanes accommodate expansion-heavy configurations. Its ECC support suits workloads where data integrity is a requirement rather than a preference. The trade-off is steep on power: a 105 W thermal design point against 35 W, and an End-of-life production status that limits long-term platform availability.

Choose the i7-6700TE where efficiency and integration matter more than the last few percent of speed. It concedes roughly 6.3 to 6.5 percent in every recorded Cinebench test, a gap small enough that many workloads will not notice, and it does so at a third of the thermal budget. Its HD Graphics 530 eliminates the need for a discrete GPU in basic display duties, and its Active production status is a practical advantage over the Xeon's retirement. Both chips sit adjacent in the database's percentile rankings, at the 40th and 39th percentiles respectively, so neither offers a meaningful claim to a different performance class. The decision comes down to platform: capacity and ECC on one side, efficiency and integrated graphics on the other.

Specification Differences

• Socket: Intel Socket 1151 (i7-6700TE) vs Intel Socket 2011-3 (Xeon E5-2623 v3)
• Base Clock: 2.40 GHz vs 3.00 GHz
• Boost Clock: 3.40 GHz vs 3.50 GHz
• TDP: 35 W vs 105 W
• Architecture / Codename: Skylake vs Haswell-EP
• Generation: Core i7 (Skylake) vs Xeon E5 (Haswell-EP)
• Process Node: 14 nm vs 22 nm
• Transistors: not recorded vs 2,600 million
• Die Size: not recorded vs 356 mm²
• L3 Cache: 8 MB (shared) vs 10 MB (shared)
• Memory Bus: Dual-channel vs Quad-channel
• Memory Bandwidth: 34.1 GB/s vs 59.7 GB/s
• ECC Memory: false vs true
• PCIe: Gen 3, 16 lanes (CPU only) vs Gen 3, 40 lanes (CPU only)
• Integrated Graphics: HD Graphics 530 vs none
• Market Segment: Desktop vs Server/Workstation
• Production Status: Active vs End-of-life
• Release Date: 2015-08-31 vs 2014-09-07
• Launch MSRP: not recorded for the i7-6700TE; $444 for the Xeon E5-2623 v3
• Part Number: SR2LP vs SR208
• Geekbench availability: recorded for the i7-6700TE (3154 multi-core, 1028 single-core) vs not recorded for the Xeon

Identical fields: manufacturer (Intel), cores (4), threads (8), L1 cache (64 KB per core), L2 cache (256 KB per core), memory support (DDR4), foundry (Intel), and locked multiplier on both parts.