Intel Xeon E5462

The Intel Xeon E5462 is a 45 nm Harpertown Xeon launched on 2007-11-10 for the server and workstation segment. It has four cores, four threads, and a base clock of 2.80 GHz, with no boost clock listed in the data. The chip fits Intel Socket 771 and carries an 80 W TDP. Its average benchmark score is 652, which places it at the 15th percentile of all CPUs in the database and directly alongside a small cluster of mainstream Intel Core and AMD Athlon processors.

Benchmark Performance

The fact pack includes five Cinebench results for the E5462. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, it scores 191. In Cinebench R20, it scores 796 in multi-core and 112 in single-core. In Cinebench R23, it scores 1896 in multi-core and 267 in single-core. These figures show a processor whose aggregate standing is modest but tightly bracketed by its nearest rivals.

The average benchmark score of 652 is the best single summary of where this chip sits. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-3210, has an average score of 650, and the E5462 is 0.3% ahead. That is effectively a tie. The Intel Core i7-3555LE has an average score of 654, with the E5462 0.3% behind. The Intel Core i5-3427U and the AMD Athlon II X4 635 both have average scores of 655 and 656, respectively, and the E5462 trails each by 0.5%. Across the entire nearest-rival group, the spread from the slowest rival to the fastest is only six points, and the E5462 sits almost exactly in the middle of that range.

The percentile data reinforces the same conclusion. A 15th percentile standing among all CPUs means the E5462 is outclassed by the majority of processors in the database, but the nearest rivals are extremely close in average score. The benchmark results indicate that the E5462 should be evaluated as a low-end processor by modern aggregate metrics, not as a chip with a meaningful performance advantage over the small cluster of CPUs it is grouped with.

Power and Thermals

The E5462 is rated at an 80 W TDP. That is a modest thermal envelope for a four-core server/workstation part from the Core 2 era. The chip is built on Intel's 45 nm process and contains 820 million transistors. The package uses two dies, each with a die size of 107 mm², so the physical die area is substantial even though the core count is only four. The L2 cache is 6 MB per die, which fits the dual-die design.

An 80 W TDP implies that a capable air cooler is sufficient for this processor. The thermal requirement is not extreme enough to demand exotic liquid cooling, and the server/workstation market placement would typically assume a motherboard and chassis designed for socket 771 server cooling. The lack of integrated graphics removes one source of heat from the package. The combination of a 45 nm process, a four-core layout, and an 80 W TDP makes the E5462 a moderate-power part for its generation, though the 2007 release date means the manufacturing process and architectural efficiency are older than what modern platforms use.

Platform and Compatibility

The E5462 uses Intel Socket 771. Memory support is dual-channel, and the fact pack lists both DDR2 and DDR3 as options depending on the motherboard. That means memory compatibility is not fixed by the CPU alone; the board determines which memory generation can be used. ECC memory is supported, which is consistent with the server and workstation market segment. The processor provides PCIe Gen 2 connectivity. There is no integrated graphics, so a discrete display adapter is required for any visual output.

The multiplier is locked, so the E5462 is not designed for user-controlled overclocking. The production status is end-of-life, and the release date is 2007-11-10. The launch MSRP is $797. For upgrade purposes, the Socket 771 platform defines the boundary of what this processor can work with. Since the chip is end-of-life, the practical upgrade path is constrained to the motherboard and socket it already occupies; there is no supported route to a newer socket within this product's platform definition. The motherboard dependency for DDR2 versus DDR3 is an important compatibility caveat, because the same processor can land in systems with different memory technologies.

How It Compares

Against the Intel Core i3-3210, the E5462 is 0.3% ahead in average benchmark score. The Core i3-3210's average score is 650, while the E5462's average score is 652. That is a near-perfect parity in aggregate performance, and the benchmark data does not establish a meaningful winner between the two.

Against the Intel Core i7-3555LE, the E5462 is 0.3% behind. The Core i7-3555LE has an average score of 654. Despite the Xeon branding and server/workstation positioning, the E5462 cannot move ahead of this low-voltage Core i7 part in the database average. The difference is still tiny, but it runs against the E5462.

Against the Intel Core i5-3427U, the E5462 is 0.5% behind. The Core i5-3427U posts an average score of 655. This is a mobile-oriented processor with a lower thermal class, yet the aggregate score still edges out the Xeon. The E5462's server classification does not translate into a performance lead in this comparison.

Against the AMD Athlon II X4 635, the E5462 is also 0.5% behind. The AMD part has an average score of 656, the highest among the nearest rivals. This is the largest deficit in the group, though it is still less than one percentage point. The E5462 and the Athlon II X4 635 are effectively in the same performance tier by average score.

Single-Thread vs Multi-Thread Behavior

The E5462's single-thread and multi-thread results show a clear split. In Cinebench R20, the single-core score is 112 and the multi-core score is 796. In Cinebench R23, the single-core score is 267 and the multi-core score is 1896. The multi-core figures are several times larger than the single-core figures, which is expected for a chip with four cores and four threads. The thread count matches the core count, so there is no extra parallel headroom from simultaneous multithreading.

This split suggests the E5462 will serve heavily threaded workloads much better than latency-sensitive single-threaded tasks. Rendering, batch processing, and other server-style workloads that can use all four cores are more likely to show the chip's strengths. Single-thread performance is limited by the 2.80 GHz base clock and the absence of a boost clock in the data. Since the chip cannot raise its clock for a single active core, there is no dynamic uplift to help lightly threaded scenarios.

The cache layout is also per-die rather than shared across the full processor. Each die has 6 MB of L2, and each core has 64 KB of L1 cache. The dual-die package means the multi-threaded workload must share data across two physical dies, which is a structural characteristic of the Harpertown design. For a server/workstation part released in 2007, this behavior is consistent with an era when multi-thread throughput mattered more than single-thread responsiveness in the target market. The benchmark data makes that trade-off explicit: the E5462 is a much stronger multi-core part than single-core part, and its nearest rivals in average score do not change that fundamental behavior.