Xeon E7-2870 v2 vs i7-4960X

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-4960X and Xeon E7-2870 v2 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1068	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.51	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Series	Intel Core i7 (Desktop)	no data
Power efficiency	4.58	no data
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge-E (2013)	no data
Release date	3 September 2013 (11 years ago)	1 January 2014 (10 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$999	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-4960X and Xeon E7-2870 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)	15 (Pentadeca-Core)
Threads	12	30
Base clock speed	3.6 GHz	2.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	4 GHz	2.9 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	8 GT/s
L1 cache	64K (per core)	no data
L2 cache	256K (per core)	no data
L3 cache	15 MB (shared)	30 MB
Chip lithography	22 nm	22 nm
Die size	257 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	67 °C	73 °C
Number of transistors	1,860 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-4960X and Xeon E7-2870 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	2
Socket	FCLGA2011	FCLGA2011
Power consumption (TDP)	130 Watt	130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-4960X and Xeon E7-2870 v2. 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)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Smart Response	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
PAE	no data	46 Bit

Security technologies

Core i7-4960X and Xeon E7-2870 v2 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-4960X and Xeon E7-2870 v2 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 E7-2870 v2. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600
Maximum memory size	64 GB	1.5 TB
Max memory channels	4	4
Maximum memory bandwidth	59.7 GB/s	85 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-4960X and Xeon E7-2870 v2.

PCIe version	3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	40	32

Pros & cons summary

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Recency	3 September 2013	1 January 2014
Physical cores	6	15
Threads	12	30

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-4960X and Xeon E7-2870 v2, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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