Intel Xeon E-2226GE vs Intel Xeon E5-2629 v3 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins in the majority of benchmark comparisons?

A: The Intel Xeon E-2226GE wins all six head-to-head Cinebench comparisons against the Intel Xeon E5-2629 v3. It takes every multicore and singlecore test, from Cinebench R15 through R23.

Q: How large is the performance gap between the two chips in Cinebench R23?

A: In Cinebench R23 multicore, the E-2226GE scores 8177 against 7893 for the E5-2629 v3, a delta of 3.6%. The singlecore R23 result is 1154 versus 1114, also a 3.6% advantage for the E-2226GE.

Q: What are the core and thread counts for each processor?

A: The Intel Xeon E-2226GE has 6 cores and 6 threads. The Intel Xeon E5-2629 v3 has 8 cores and 16 threads, meaning the older chip has more physical cores and enables simultaneous multithreading.

Q: Which processor has the higher clock speeds?

A: The E-2226GE has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The E5-2629 v3 runs at 2.40 GHz base and 3.20 GHz boost. The E-2226GE is higher in both metrics.

Q: Do these chips support ECC memory?

A: Yes, both the Intel Xeon E-2226GE and the Intel Xeon E5-2629 v3 support ECC memory, which is typical for their server and workstation market segment.

Q: What memory configurations do the two processors support?

A: The E-2226GE supports DDR4 memory over a dual-channel bus with 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth. The E5-2629 v3 supports both DDR3 and DDR4 over a quad-channel bus with 59.7 GB/s of bandwidth.

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to a clear choice for most workloads: the Intel Xeon E-2226GE. It wins every recorded Cinebench test, whether singlecore or multicore, and does so by a consistent 3.6% margin. Its higher base and boost clocks, 3.40 GHz and 4.60 GHz respectively, give it a decisive edge in tasks that respond to frequency. The E-2226GE also carries integrated graphics, the UHD Graphics P630, which the E5-2629 v3 lacks entirely.

That said, the E5-2629 v3 is not without a rationale. It offers 8 cores and 16 threads versus 6 cores and 6 threads, and it provides quad-channel memory with 59.7 GB/s of bandwidth, a substantial increase over the E-2226GE's dual-channel 42.7 GB/s. It also supports DDR3 and DDR4, giving it flexibility in legacy server platforms. For workloads that scale with core count and memory bandwidth, the E5-2629 v3 may close the gap or even pull ahead, despite losing every Cinebench test here. The recorded data, however, shows the E-2226GE ahead in all six benchmarks, and its average benchmark score of 2365 versus 2283 reflects that overall advantage.

For a single-socket workstation or server where clock speed and single-threaded response matter, the E-2226GE is the stronger pick. For a multi-threaded, memory-heavy environment that can use all 16 threads and the wider quad-channel bus, the E5-2629 v3 remains a viable option. Neither chip is current production; both are listed as end-of-life.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results are uniform. The Intel Xeon E-2226GE wins all six Cinebench comparisons, and every delta is exactly 3.6%. There is no test where the E5-2629 v3 posts a higher score.

In Cinebench R15 multicore, the E-2226GE scores 824 against 795, a 3.6% win. The singlecore R15 test shows 116 versus 112, again 3.6%. Moving to Cinebench R20, the multicore result is 3434 versus 3315, and the singlecore result is 484 versus 467. Both favor the E-2226GE by 3.6%. In Cinebench R23, the multicore score is 8177 versus 7893, and the singlecore score is 1154 versus 1114, maintaining the same 3.6% margin.

The consistency of the delta across all six tests is notable. It suggests the advantage is not workload-specific but rather a general performance lead, likely tied to the E-2226GE's higher clock speeds and newer architecture. The E5-2629 v3 has more cores, 8 versus 6, and more threads, 16 versus 6, yet it still trails in multicore tests. This indicates that the older Haswell design cannot overcome the clock and IPC advantages of the Coffee Lake-based E-2226GE in these Cinebench workloads.

The average benchmark scores reinforce this. The E-2226GE sits at 2365, while the E5-2629 v3 sits at 2283. In the database's percentile ranking, the E-2226GE lands at the 48th percentile of all CPUs, and the E5-2629 v3 at the 47th. These are close overall standings, but the head-to-head data shows a consistent edge for the E-2226GE.

Specification Differences

The two processors diverge on nearly every core specification. The E-2226GE has 6 cores and 6 threads; the E5-2629 v3 has 8 cores and 16 threads. Clock speeds differ substantially: the E-2226GE runs at 3.40 GHz base and 4.60 GHz boost, while the E5-2629 v3 runs at 2.40 GHz base and 3.20 GHz boost.

Cache configurations also differ. The E-2226GE has 12 MB of shared L3 cache, while the E5-2629 v3 has 20 MB of shared L3 cache. Both have 64 KB of L1 per core and 256 KB of L2 per core.

Memory support separates the two clearly. The E-2226GE supports DDR4 only, over a dual-channel bus, with 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth. The E5-2629 v3 supports both DDR3 and DDR4, over a quad-channel bus, with 59.7 GB/s of bandwidth. Both support ECC memory.

PCIe connectivity differs as well. The E-2226GE provides Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU. The E5-2629 v3 provides Gen 3 with 40 lanes from the CPU. The E-2226GE includes integrated graphics, the UHD Graphics P630; the E5-2629 v3 has no integrated graphics.

The sockets are incompatible. The E-2226GE uses Intel Socket 1151, while the E5-2629 v3 uses Intel Socket 2011-3. The E-2226GE has a launch MSRP of $286; the E5-2629 v3 has no recorded launch MSRP. Both are end-of-life products. Neither has an unlocked multiplier.

Architecture Differences

The E-2226GE is built on Coffee Lake, specifically the Coffee Lake-S WS die, and uses a 14 nm process. The die size is 154 mm². It belongs to the Xeon E-2200 series and was released in June 2019.

The E5-2629 v3 is built on Haswell, specifically Haswell-EP, and uses a 22 nm process. It contains 2,600 million transistors on a die size of 356 mm². It belongs to the Xeon E5 family and was released in September 2014.

The process node difference is significant: 14 nm versus 22 nm. The newer, denser process helps explain the E-2226GE's ability to reach higher clock speeds while maintaining a similar power envelope. The E-2226GE has a TDP of 80 watts, and the E5-2629 v3 has a TDP of 85 watts. Despite the E5-2629 v3 having more cores and a larger die, its power draw is only slightly higher.

The E-2226GE has 6 cores and 6 threads, with no hyper-threading. The E5-2629 v3 has 8 cores and 16 threads, effectively doubling thread count through simultaneous multithreading. The E5-2629 v3 also has a larger L3 cache, 20 MB versus 12 MB, and a much larger physical die.

The architecture gap is visible in the benchmark results. The E5-2629 v3 has a 33% core advantage and a 167% thread advantage, yet it trails in every multicore Cinebench test. This points to the E-2226GE's architectural efficiency and higher clocks overcoming the raw core count deficit.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Xeon E-2226GE wins every benchmark in the recorded data, so its strengths are straightforward. It excels in singlecore performance, as shown by Cinebench R15 singlecore at 116 versus 112, R20 singlecore at 484 versus 467, and R23 singlecore at 1154 versus 1114. These results make it the better choice for lightly threaded applications, database queries, and workloads where clock speed dominates.

It also wins multicore tests, despite having fewer cores and threads. The E-2226GE scores 824 versus 795 in R15 multicore, 3434 versus 3315 in R20 multicore, and 8177 versus 7893 in R23 multicore. This suggests that for Cinebench-style rendering workloads, the E-2226GE is the stronger performer. The integrated UHD Graphics P630 is another advantage, as it removes the need for a discrete GPU in basic display or headless server tasks.

The Intel Xeon E5-2629 v3 does not win any of the six head-to-head benchmarks. However, its specification sheet points to scenarios where it could outperform the E-2226GE, even if those scenarios are not captured in the Cinebench suite. The 8 cores and 16 threads provide more parallel capacity for highly threaded server workloads, such as virtualization, database transactions, or batch processing that scales linearly. The quad-channel memory interface with 59.7 GB/s of bandwidth, compared to the dual-channel 42.7 GB/s of the E-2226GE, gives it a clear edge in memory-bandwidth-sensitive tasks. The 40 PCIe Gen 3 lanes, versus 16 on the E-2226GE, allow for more expansion cards, NVMe drives, or GPU accelerators. The support for both DDR3 and DDR4 also makes it easier to adopt in existing server infrastructure.

The overall database percentile ranking places the two chips close together, 48th for the E-2226GE and 47th for the E5-2629 v3, and the average benchmark scores differ by only 82 points. The E-2226GE is the faster chip in Cinebench, but the E5-2629 v3 offers a broader platform feature set for memory-heavy and expansion-heavy server roles.