Xeon E3-1280 v3 vs i7-4960X

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-4960X and Xeon E3-1280 v3 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1057	1276
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.46	1.06
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Series	Intel Core i7 (Desktop)	no data
Power efficiency	4.60	5.37
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge-E (2013)	Haswell-WS (2013−2014)
Release date	3 September 2013 (11 years ago)	2 June 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$999	$800

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E3-1280 v3 has 130% better value for money than i7-4960X.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-4960X and Xeon E3-1280 v3 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	3.6 GHz	3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	4 GHz	4 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	5 GT/s
L1 cache	64K (per core)	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	15 MB (shared)	8192 KB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	22 nm
Die size	257 mm2	160 mm2
Maximum core temperature	67 °C	no data
Number of transistors	1,860 million	1,400 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-4960X and Xeon E3-1280 v3 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	FCLGA1150
Power consumption (TDP)	130 Watt	82 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-4960X and Xeon E3-1280 v3. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	-	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	+
SIPP	-	+
Smart Response	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
Fast Memory Access	no data	+

Security technologies

Core i7-4960X and Xeon E3-1280 v3 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	no data	+
Identity Protection	+	+
OS Guard	no data	+
Anti-Theft	no data	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-4960X and Xeon E3-1280 v3 are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-4960X and Xeon E3-1280 v3. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3, DDR4
Maximum memory size	64 GB	32 GB
Max memory channels	4	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	59.7 GB/s	25.6 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-4960X and Xeon E3-1280 v3.

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.

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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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	6.44	4.74
Recency	3 September 2013	2 June 2013
Physical cores	6	4
Threads	12	8
Power consumption (TDP)	130 Watt	82 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-4960X and Xeon E3-1280 v3, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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