Xeon E-2478 vs i7-3960X Extreme Edition
Aggregate performance score
Xeon E-2478 outperforms Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition by a whopping 236% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon E-2478 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1153 | 319 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 82.67 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Series | Intel Core i7EE | no data |
| Power efficiency | 4.07 | 22.22 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024) |
| Release date | 14 November 2011 (13 years ago) | 14 December 2023 (1 year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $568 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon E-2478 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 | 6 (Hexa-Core) | 8 (Octa-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 16 |
| Base clock speed | no data | 2.8 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 5.2 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 2.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | 16 GT/s |
| Multiplier | 33 | no data |
| L1 cache | no data | 80 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 1,536 KB | 2 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 15 MB | 24 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | Intel 7 nm |
| Die size | 434.72 mm2 | 257 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 100 °C |
| Number of transistors | 2270 Million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon E-2478 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) | 1 |
| Socket | no data | FCLGA1700 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 80 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon E-2478. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | - | + |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | no data | + |
Security technologies
Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon E-2478 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
| EDB | no data | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon E-2478 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon E-2478. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR5-4800 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | N/A |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon E-2478.
| PCIe version | 2.00 | 5 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 16 |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 5.59 | 18.78 |
| Recency | 14 November 2011 | 14 December 2023 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 8 |
| Threads | 12 | 16 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 80 Watt |
Xeon E-2478 has a 236% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 12 years, 33.3% more physical cores and 33.3% more threads, and 62.5% lower power consumption.
The Xeon E-2478 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition in performance tests.
Note that Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition is a desktop processor while Xeon E-2478 is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon E-2478, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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