i7-5820K vs i7-3970X Extreme Edition

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition
2012
6 cores / 12 threads, 150 Watt
5.81
Core i7-5820K
2014
6 cores / 12 threads, 140 Watt
6.20
+6.7%

Core i7-5820K outperforms Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition by a small 7% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i7-5820K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking11151074
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data1.07
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Core i7EEno data
Power efficiency3.674.19
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Haswell-E (2014)
Release date12 November 2012 (12 years ago)1 September 2014 (10 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$410

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i7-5820K 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)
Threads1212
Base clock speedno data3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed3.5 GHz3.6 GHz
Bus typeDMI 2.0no data
Bus rate5 GT/s0 GT/s
Multiplier35no data
L1 cacheno data64 KB (per core)
L2 cache1,536 KB256 KB (per core)
L3 cache15 MB15 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm22 nm
Die sizeno data356 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data67 °C
Number of transistorsno data2,600 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplier-+

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i7-5820K 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 dataFCLGA2011
Power consumption (TDP)150 Watt140 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i7-5820K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

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

Security technologies

Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i7-5820K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data+
EDBno data+
Identity Protection-+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i7-5820K 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 i7-5820K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesno dataDDR4
Maximum memory size64 GB64 GB
Max memory channelsno data4
Maximum memory bandwidthno data68 GB/s

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i7-5820K.

PCIe version2.003.0
PCI Express lanes4028

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.

i7-3970X Extreme Edition 5.81
i7-5820K 6.20
+6.7%

3DMark Fire Strike Physics

i7-3970X Extreme Edition 12900
+3.8%
i7-5820K 12430

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 5.81 6.20
Recency 12 November 2012 1 September 2014
Chip lithography 32 nm 22 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 150 Watt 140 Watt

i7-5820K has a 6.7% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 7.1% lower power consumption.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i7-5820K.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i7-5820K, 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 i7-5820K
Core i7-5820K

Similar processor comparisons

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Community ratings

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


4 28 votes

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Questions & comments

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