Intel Core i7-7820HQ vs Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Comparison

The Intel Core i7-7820HQ and Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 are both 4-core, 8-thread processors that have reached end-of-life, but they represent fundamentally different design philosophies. The i7-7820HQ is a 45-watt mobile part built on the 14nm Kaby Lake architecture, while the Xeon E3-1231 v3 is an 80-watt server/workstation chip on the older 22nm Haswell design. Despite these differences, both land at the 43rd percentile among all CPUs, and their average benchmark scores are nearly identical: 1940 for the i7 versus 1925 for the Xeon. The benchmark data reveals a clear split, however, with the i7 winning 7 of 8 head-to-head tests, yet the Xeon taking the Geekbench multi-core test by a wide margin.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i7-7820HQ dominates the Cinebench suite, which is the most reliable indicator of sustained rendering performance. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i7 scores 613 against the Xeon's 601, a 2% advantage. That margin holds steady across R20 (2555 vs 2506, +2%) and R23 (6084 vs 5967, +2%). The single-core Cinebench results follow the same pattern: the i7 leads by 2.4% in R15 (86 vs 84), by 2% in R20 (360 vs 353), and by 1.9% in R23 (858 vs 842). This consistency across three generations of the Cinebench test indicates that the i7-7820HQ has a genuine, if modest, edge in both single-threaded and multi-threaded render workloads.

The i7 also wins decisively in Geekbench single-core, where it posts 1215 versus the Xeon's 1109. That is a 9.6% margin — the largest single delta in the entire comparison. This result reflects the architectural advantage of the newer Kaby Lake design, which delivers higher instructions-per-clock than the older Haswell core at similar boost frequencies. The i7's boost clock is 3.90 GHz, slightly higher than the Xeon's 3.80 GHz, and the newer architecture evidently extracts more performance per cycle.

The Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 has exactly one winning benchmark, but it is a significant one: Geekbench multi-core. The Xeon scores 3939 against the i7's 3748, a 4.8% advantage. This is an interesting inversion, because the Xeon loses in Cinebench multi-core while winning in Geekbench multi-core. The Xeon's higher base clock of 3.40 GHz (versus 2.90 GHz for the i7) may help in workloads that do not sustain boost for long periods, allowing the Xeon to maintain a higher average frequency. Additionally, the Xeon supports ECC memory, and while this does not directly improve benchmark scores, it reflects a different market positioning that may influence how the chip is deployed in real-world systems.

The Verdict

From a pure performance standpoint, the Intel Core i7-7820HQ is the better processor in most measured metrics. It wins 7 of 8 head-to-head benchmarks, and its victories span both single-core and multi-core workloads in the Cinebench suite. For users running rendering tasks, video encoding, or any workload that closely tracks Cinebench performance, the i7-7820HQ is the clear choice. Its 9.6% lead in Geekbench single-core also makes it preferable for lightly threaded applications where per-core performance matters most.

The Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 is not without merit, however. Its 4.8% victory in Geekbench multi-core suggests that certain multi-threaded workloads—particularly those that favor the Xeon's higher base clock—will run faster on this chip. The Xeon also supports ECC memory, which is a hard requirement in many server and workstation environments where data integrity is non-negotiable. If the workload is Geekbench-style multi-threaded and memory error correction is mandatory, the Xeon is the only option between these two.

The data does not support a universal winner. The i7-7820HQ is the faster part for the majority of benchmark scenarios, and its lower 45-watt TDP makes it more thermally efficient for mobile implementations. The Xeon E3-1231 v3, with its 80-watt TDP and server pedigree, is the specialist choice for ECC-equipped systems. The average benchmark scores are close (1940 vs 1925, a difference of less than 1%), so the decision should hinge on specific workload characteristics and platform requirements rather than overall performance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most lopsided result in this comparison is Geekbench single-core, where the i7-7820HQ scores 1215 against the Xeon's 1109. The 9.6% delta is nearly double the margin seen in any other test. This is a striking outcome given that both processors have similar boost clocks (3.90 GHz vs 3.80 GHz). The gap must be attributed to the architectural improvements in Kaby Lake over Haswell, including better branch prediction, larger out-of-order execution windows, and other microarchitectural refinements that are not captured by clock speed alone.

The Cinebench results are remarkably consistent, with the i7 winning every multi-core test by exactly 2% (613 vs 601 in R15, 2555 vs 2506 in R20, 6084 vs 5967 in R23). This uniformity suggests that the i7's advantage scales proportionally with the workload, and it is not a fluke of any single benchmark version. The single-core Cinebench tests show a similar pattern, with deltas of 2.4%, 2%, and 1.9% across R15, R20, and R23, respectively. The slight narrowing of the single-core margin from R15 to R23 may indicate that newer Cinebench versions are less sensitive to the architectural differences between these two CPUs.

The one benchmark where the Xeon wins, Geekbench multi-core, is also the one where the delta is largest in its favor. The Xeon's 3939 score is 4.8% higher than the i7's 3748. This is a substantial reversal, and it underscores that synthetic benchmark suites measure different aspects of CPU performance. Cinebench is heavily dependent on sustained all-core turbo behavior, while Geekbench's multi-core test may be more sensitive to base clock frequency or memory subsystem performance. The Xeon's higher base clock of 3.40 GHz gives it a floor that the i7 cannot match when boost clocks are not sustained.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i7-7820HQ has an average benchmark score of 1940, while the Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 has an average score of 1925. The difference is less than 1%.

Q: Does the Xeon E3-1231 v3 support ECC memory?

A: Yes, the Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 has ECC memory support enabled. The Intel Core i7-7820HQ does not support ECC memory.

Q: Which CPU is better for single-core performance?

A: The Intel Core i7-7820HQ wins all single-core benchmarks. It leads by 2.4% in Cinebench R15, 2% in R20, 1.9% in R23, and 9.6% in Geekbench single-core.

Q: How do the TDP ratings compare between the two chips?

A: The Intel Core i7-7820HQ has a TDP of 45 watts, while the Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 has a TDP of 80 watts. The i7 is rated for significantly lower power consumption.

Q: What is the process node difference?

A: The Intel Core i7-7820HQ is built on a 14 nm process node, while the Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 uses a 22 nm node. The i7's die size is 126 mm², and the Xeon's die size is 160 mm².

Q: Which CPU has more wins in the head-to-head benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i7-7820HQ wins 7 out of 8 head-to-head benchmarks. The Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 wins only the Geekbench multi-core test.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different architectural eras and are built for different physical platforms. The Intel Core i7-7820HQ uses the Kaby Lake-H architecture on a 14 nm process, while the Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 uses the Haswell-WS architecture on a 22 nm process. This node difference is reflected in die size: the i7 measures 126 mm², whereas the Xeon is larger at 160 mm². The Xeon also has a stated transistor count of 1,400 million, while the i7's transistor count is not listed in the data.

Both chips feature 4 cores and 8 threads, with identical cache hierarchies: 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 8 MB of shared L3. The base clock speeds differ significantly, with the Xeon running at 3.40 GHz versus the i7's 2.90 GHz. Boost clocks are closer, at 3.80 GHz for the Xeon and 3.90 GHz for the i7. The Xeon's higher base clock is likely a result of its higher 80-watt TDP, which allows it to sustain higher frequencies under load, while the i7's 45-watt TDP forces a lower base clock to stay within power limits.

Memory support is another key divergence. The i7-7820HQ supports both DDR3 and DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, while the Xeon E3-1231 v3 supports only DDR3, also dual-channel. The Xeon has a stated memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s, while the i7's bandwidth is not listed. The Xeon supports ECC memory, which is a defining feature for server and workstation use; the i7 does not.

The physical sockets are incompatible: the i7 uses Intel BGA 1440, a mobile socket, while the Xeon uses Intel Socket 1150, a desktop/server socket. The i7 includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics 630), whereas the Xeon has no integrated graphics at all. Both processors provide PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU. The i7-7820HQ was released in January 2017 with a launch MSRP of $378, while the Xeon E3-1231 v3 was released in May 2014 with a launch MSRP of $250. Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier.