Xeon E3-1290 v2 vs i7-3970X Extreme Edition
Aggregate performance score
Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition outperforms Xeon E3-1290 v2 by a considerable 46% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1290 v2 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1115 | 1419 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 0.68 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Series | Intel Core i7EE | no data |
| Power efficiency | 3.67 | 4.32 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) |
| Release date | 12 November 2012 (12 years ago) | 14 May 2012 (12 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $885 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1290 v2 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) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 8 |
| Base clock speed | no data | 3.7 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.5 GHz | 4.1 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 2.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | 5 GT/s |
| Multiplier | 35 | no data |
| L1 cache | no data | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 1,536 KB | 256 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 15 MB | 8 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 22 nm |
| Die size | no data | 160 mm2 |
| Number of transistors | no data | 1,400 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1290 v2 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 | FCLGA1155 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 150 Watt | 87 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1290 v2. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | - | + |
| Flex Memory Access | no data | + |
| Demand Based Switching | no data | + |
| Fast Memory Access | no data | + |
Security technologies
Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1290 v2 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
| EDB | no data | + |
| Identity Protection | - | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1290 v2 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 i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1290 v2. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | 32.77 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 25.6 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1290 v2.
| PCIe version | 2.00 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | no data |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 5.92 | 4.05 |
| Recency | 12 November 2012 | 14 May 2012 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 4 |
| Threads | 12 | 8 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 22 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 150 Watt | 87 Watt |
i7-3970X Extreme Edition has a 46.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 5 months, and 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads.
Xeon E3-1290 v2, on the other hand, has a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 72.4% lower power consumption.
The Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition is our recommended choice as it beats the Xeon E3-1290 v2 in performance tests.
Note that Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition is a desktop processor while Xeon E3-1290 v2 is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1290 v2, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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