i7-950 vs i7-3960X Extreme Edition

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Aggregate performance score

Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition
2011
6 cores / 12 threads, 130 Watt
5.59
+175%
Core i7-950
2009
4 cores / 8 threads, 130 Watt
2.03

Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition outperforms Core i7-950 by a whopping 175% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Core i7-950 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking11531919
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data0.17
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Core i7EECore i7 (Desktop)
Power efficiency4.071.48
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Bloomfield (2008−2010)
Release date14 November 2011 (13 years ago)2 June 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$290

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Core i7-950 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 cores6 (Hexa-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads128
Base clock speedno data3.06 GHz
Boost clock speed3.3 GHz3.33 GHz
Bus typeDMI 2.0no data
Bus rate5 GT/s1333 MHz
Multiplier33no data
L1 cacheno data64 KB (per core)
L2 cache1,536 KB256 KB (per core)
L3 cache15 MB8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm45 nm
Die size434.72 mm2263 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data68 °C
Number of transistors2270 Million731 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Core i7-950 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 configuration1 (Uniprocessor)1
Socketno dataFCLGA1366
Power consumption (TDP)130 Watt130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Core i7-950. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.2
AES-NI+-
AVX+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technologyno data1.0
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
Idle Statesno data+
Demand Based Switchingno data-
PAEno data36 Bit

Security technologies

Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Core i7-950 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data+
EDBno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Core i7-950 are enumerated here.

VT-xno data+
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Core i7-950. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesno dataDDR3
Maximum memory size64 GB24 GB
Max memory channelsno data3
Maximum memory bandwidthno data25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataN/A

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Core i7-950.

PCIe version2.002.0
PCI Express lanes40no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

i7-3960X Extreme Edition 5.59
+175%
i7-950 2.03

3DMark Fire Strike Physics

i7-3960X Extreme Edition 12460
+154%
i7-950 4900

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 5.59 2.03
Recency 14 November 2011 2 June 2009
Physical cores 6 4
Threads 12 8
Chip lithography 32 nm 45 nm

i7-3960X Extreme Edition has a 175.4% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.

The Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-950 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Core i7-950, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition
Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition
Intel Core i7-950
Core i7-950

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Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


3.8 39 votes

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3.3 338 votes

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition or Core i7-950, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.