Xeon 6960P vs i5-540M

Primary details

Comparing Core i5-540M and Xeon 6960P processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	2375	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Server
Series	Intel Core i5	no data
Power efficiency	3.08	no data
Architecture codename	Arrandale (2010−2011)	Granite Rapids (2024)
Release date	7 January 2010 (14 years ago)	24 September 2024 (less than a year ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$257	no data

Detailed specifications

Core i5-540M and Xeon 6960P basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores	2 (Dual-core)	72 (Doheptaconta-Core)
Threads	4	144
Base clock speed	2.53 GHz	2.7 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.07 GHz	3.9 GHz
Bus type	DMI 1.0	no data
Bus rate	1 × 2.5 GT/s	no data
Multiplier	19	no data
L1 cache	128 KB	112 KB (per core)
L2 cache	512 KB	2 MB (per core)
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	432 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	5 nm
Die size	81+114 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	105 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	80 °C
Number of transistors	382+177 Million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	no data

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-540M and Xeon 6960P compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration	1 (Uniprocessor)	2
Socket	BGA1288,PGA988	7529
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	500 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-540M and Xeon 6960P. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2	no data
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	+	-
AVX	-	+
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	+	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
TSX	-	+
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
PAE	36 Bit	no data
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i5-540M and Xeon 6960P technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-540M and Xeon 6960P are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-540M and Xeon 6960P. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR5
Maximum memory size	8 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	17.051 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel® HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel® Processors	N/A
Clear Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	766 MHz	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-540M and Xeon 6960P integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

2

no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-540M and Xeon 6960P.

PCIe version	2.0	5.0
PCI Express lanes	16	96

Pros & cons summary

---

Recency	7 January 2010	24 September 2024
Physical cores	2	72
Threads	4	144
Chip lithography	32 nm	5 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	500 Watt

---

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-540M and Xeon 6960P, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.

---