i5-3230M vs i7-4960X
Aggregate performance score
Core i7-4960X outperforms Core i5-3230M by a whopping 294% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-4960X and Core i5-3230M processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1049 | 2081 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.50 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | Intel Core i7 (Desktop) | Intel Core i5 |
| Power efficiency | 4.62 | 4.35 |
| Architecture codename | Ivy Bridge-E (2013) | Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) |
| Release date | 3 September 2013 (11 years ago) | 1 January 2013 (11 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $999 | $225 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-4960X and Core i5-3230M 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) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 12 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 3.6 GHz | 2.6 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | 5 GT/s |
| L1 cache | 64K (per core) | 64K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256K (per core) | 256K (per core) |
| L3 cache | 15 MB (shared) | 3 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 22 nm | 22 nm |
| Die size | 257 mm2 | 118 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 67 °C | 105 °C |
| Number of transistors | 1,860 million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-4960X and Core i5-3230M 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 | 1 |
| Socket | FCLGA2011 | FCPGA988 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 35 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-4960X and Core i5-3230M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX | Intel® AVX |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| My WiFi | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | + |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | + |
| Flex Memory Access | no data | + |
| Smart Response | + | no data |
| Demand Based Switching | - | - |
| FDI | no data | + |
| Fast Memory Access | no data | + |
Security technologies
Core i7-4960X and Core i5-3230M technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | - |
| EDB | + | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| Identity Protection | + | + |
| Anti-Theft | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-4960X and Core i5-3230M are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | - | + |
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-4960X and Core i5-3230M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | 4 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 59.7 GB/s | 25.6 GB/s |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel HD Graphics 4000 |
| Quick Sync Video | - | + |
| Clear Video HD | no data | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1.1 GHz |
| InTru 3D | no data | + |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-4960X and Core i5-3230M integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 3 |
| eDP | no data | + |
| DisplayPort | - | + |
| HDMI | - | + |
| SDVO | no data | + |
| CRT | no data | + |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-4960X and Core i5-3230M.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 16 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
3DMark06 CPU
3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.
wPrime 32
wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.
Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.
Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.
Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core
Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.
3DMark Fire Strike Physics
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 6.58 | 1.67 |
| Recency | 3 September 2013 | 1 January 2013 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 2 |
| Threads | 12 | 4 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 35 Watt |
i7-4960X has a 294% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 8 months, and 200% more physical cores and 200% more threads.
i5-3230M, on the other hand, has 271.4% lower power consumption.
The Core i7-4960X is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-3230M in performance tests.
Note that Core i7-4960X is a desktop processor while Core i5-3230M is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-4960X and Core i5-3230M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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