Xeon 6960P vs i7-3970X Extreme Edition
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon 6960P processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1129 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Series | Intel Core i7EE | no data |
| Power efficiency | 3.66 | no data |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | Granite Rapids (2024) |
| Release date | 12 November 2012 (12 years ago) | 24 September 2024 (less than a year ago) |
Detailed specifications
Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon 6960P 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) | 72 (Doheptaconta-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 144 |
| Base clock speed | no data | 2.7 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.5 GHz | 3.9 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 2.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | no data |
| Multiplier | 35 | no data |
| L1 cache | no data | 112 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 1,536 KB | 2 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 15 MB | 432 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 5 nm |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 80 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon 6960P 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) | 2 |
| Socket | no data | 7529 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 150 Watt | 500 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon 6960P. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| TSX | - | + |
Security technologies
Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon 6960P technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon 6960P are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon 6960P. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR5 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | no data |
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 i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon 6960P.
| PCIe version | 2.00 | 5.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 96 |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 12 November 2012 | 24 September 2024 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 72 |
| Threads | 12 | 144 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 5 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 150 Watt | 500 Watt |
i7-3970X Extreme Edition has 233.3% lower power consumption.
Xeon 6960P, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 11 years, 1100% more physical cores and 1100% more threads, and a 540% more advanced lithography process.
We couldn't decide between Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon 6960P. We've got no test results to judge.
Note that Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition is a desktop processor while Xeon 6960P is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon 6960P, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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.
