i5-9400F vs i7-3970X Extreme Edition

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition
2012
6 cores / 12 threads, 150 Watt
5.81
Core i5-9400F
2019
6 cores / 6 threads, 65 Watt
5.96
+2.6%

Core i5-9400F outperforms Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition by a minimal 3% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-9400F processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking11291108
Place by popularitynot in top-10024
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data9.41
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Core i7EEIntel Core i5
Power efficiency3.668.67
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)
Release date12 November 2012 (12 years ago)8 January 2019 (5 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$182

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-9400F 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)6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads126
Base clock speedno data2.9 GHz
Boost clock speed3.5 GHz4.1 GHz
Bus typeDMI 2.0DMI 3.0
Bus rate5 GT/s4 × 8 GT/s
Multiplier3529
L1 cacheno data64K (per core)
L2 cache1,536 KB256K (per core)
L3 cache15 MB9 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm14 nm
Die sizeno data149 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data72 °C
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-9400F 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 (Uniprocessor)
Socketno dataFCLGA1151
Power consumption (TDP)150 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-9400F. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI++
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technologyno data2.0
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data-
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoring-+

Security technologies

Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-9400F technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-9400F are enumerated here.

VT-dno data+
VT-xno data+
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-9400F. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesno dataDDR4-2666
Maximum memory size64 GB128 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidthno data42.671 GB/s

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-9400F.

PCIe version2.003.0
PCI Express lanes4016

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 5.81 5.96
Recency 12 November 2012 8 January 2019
Threads 12 6
Chip lithography 32 nm 14 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 150 Watt 65 Watt

i7-3970X Extreme Edition has 100% more threads.

i5-9400F, on the other hand, has a 2.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 6 years, a 128.6% more advanced lithography process, and 130.8% lower power consumption.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-9400F.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-9400F, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition
Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition
Intel Core i5-9400F
Core i5-9400F

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