Pentium Gold G5420 vs i7-3960X

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-3960X
2011
6 cores / 12 threads, 130 Watt
5.32
+125%
Pentium Gold G5420
2019
2 cores / 4 threads, 54 Watt
2.36

Core i7-3960X outperforms Pentium Gold G5420 by a whopping 125% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-3960X and Pentium Gold G5420 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking11721783
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.3713.14
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesCore i7 (Desktop)Intel Pentium Gold
Power efficiency3.874.14
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge-E (2011−2013)Coffee Lake (2017−2019)
Release date14 November 2011 (13 years ago)23 April 2019 (5 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$861$64

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Pentium Gold G5420 has 3451% better value for money than i7-3960X.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-3960X and Pentium Gold G5420 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)2 (Dual-core)
Threads124
Base clock speed3.3 GHz3.8 GHz
Boost clock speed3.9 GHz3.8 GHz
Bus typeno dataDMI 3.0
Bus rate5 GT/s4 × 8 GT/s
L1 cache64 KB (per core)128 KB
L2 cache256 KB (per core)512 KB
L3 cache15 MB (shared)4 MB
Chip lithography32 nm14 nm
Die size435 mm2126 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)67 °Cno data
Number of transistors2,270 millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplier+-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3960X and Pentium Gold G5420 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 configuration11 (Uniprocessor)
SocketFCLGA2011FCLGA1151
Power consumption (TDP)130 Watt54 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3960X and Pentium Gold G5420. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVXIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2
AES-NI++
AVX+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology2.0-
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
Smart Response+no data
Demand Based Switching-no data

Security technologies

Core i7-3960X and Pentium Gold G5420 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT--
EDB++
Secure Keyno data+
MPX-+
Identity Protection++
SGXno dataYes with Intel® ME
OS Guardno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3960X and Pentium Gold G5420 are enumerated here.

VT-d++
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3960X and Pentium Gold G5420. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR4-2400
Maximum memory size64 GB64 GB
Max memory channels42
Maximum memory bandwidth51.2 GB/s38.397 GB/s
ECC memory support-+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel UHD Graphics 610
Max video memoryno data64 GB
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Videono data+
Clear Video HDno data+
Graphics max frequencyno data1.05 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-3960X and Pentium Gold G5420 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data3

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-3960X and Pentium Gold G5420 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution supportno data+
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4no data4096x2304@24Hz
Max resolution over eDPno data4096x2304@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPortno data4096x2304@60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-3960X and Pentium Gold G5420 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectXno data12
OpenGLno data4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3960X and Pentium Gold G5420.

PCIe version2.03.0
PCI Express lanes4016

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 5.32
+125%
Pentium Gold G5420 2.36

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

i7-3960X 8445
+125%
Pentium Gold G5420 3752

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

i7-3960X 661
Pentium Gold G5420 749
+13.3%

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

i7-3960X 3210
+111%
Pentium Gold G5420 1521

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 5.32 2.36
Recency 14 November 2011 23 April 2019
Physical cores 6 2
Threads 12 4
Chip lithography 32 nm 14 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 130 Watt 54 Watt

i7-3960X has a 125.4% higher aggregate performance score, and 200% more physical cores and 200% more threads.

Pentium Gold G5420, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 7 years, a 128.6% more advanced lithography process, and 140.7% lower power consumption.

The Core i7-3960X is our recommended choice as it beats the Pentium Gold G5420 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3960X and Pentium Gold G5420, 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.


Intel Core i7-3960X
Core i7-3960X
Intel Pentium Gold G5420
Pentium Gold G5420

Similar processor comparisons

We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.

Community ratings

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


3.8 75 votes

Rate Core i7-3960X on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
3.7 349 votes

Rate Pentium Gold G5420 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i7-3960X or Pentium Gold G5420, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.