i5-3230M vs i7-5960X

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-5960X
2014
8 cores / 16 threads, 140 Watt
8.03
+399%
Core i5-3230M
2013
2 cores / 4 threads, 35 Watt
1.61

Core i7-5960X outperforms Core i5-3230M by a whopping 399% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-5960X and Core i5-3230M processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking9312089
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.78no data
Market segmentDesktop processorLaptop
SeriesCore i7 (Desktop)Intel Core i5
Power efficiency5.434.35
Architecture codenameHaswell-E (2014)Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
Release date1 September 2014 (10 years ago)1 January 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$999$225

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-5960X 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 cores8 (Octa-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads164
Base clock speed3 GHz2.6 GHz
Boost clock speed3.5 GHz3.2 GHz
Bus rate0 GT/s5 GT/s
L1 cache64K (per core)64K (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)256K (per core)
L3 cache20 MB (shared)3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography22 nm22 nm
Die size356 mm2118 mm2
Maximum core temperature67 °C105 °C
Number of transistors2,600 millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplier+-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-5960X 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 configuration11
SocketFCLGA2011FCPGA988
Power consumption (TDP)140 Watt35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-5960X and Core i5-3230M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2Intel® AVX
AES-NI++
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
My WiFino data+
Turbo Boost Technology2.02.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
TSX+-
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
Flex Memory Accessno data+
Smart Response+no data
Demand Based Switching--
FDIno data+
Fast Memory Accessno data+

Security technologies

Core i7-5960X and Core i5-3230M technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+-
EDB++
Secure Keyno data+
Identity Protection++
Anti-Theftno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-5960X 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 i7-5960X and Core i5-3230M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4DDR3
Maximum memory size64 GB32 GB
Max memory channels42
Maximum memory bandwidth68 GB/s25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel HD Graphics 4000
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Video HDno data+
Graphics max frequencyno data1.1 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-5960X and Core i5-3230M integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data3
eDPno data+
DisplayPort-+
HDMI-+
SDVOno data+
CRTno data+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-5960X and Core i5-3230M.

PCIe version3.03.0
PCI Express lanes4016

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.

i7-5960X 8.03
+399%
i5-3230M 1.61

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.

i7-5960X 12748
+398%
i5-3230M 2562

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.

i7-5960X 1322
+161%
i5-3230M 506

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.

i7-5960X 7496
+635%
i5-3230M 1020

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

i7-5960X 5193
+21.7%
i5-3230M 4268

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

i7-5960X 33929
+270%
i5-3230M 9159

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.

i7-5960X 9924
+164%
i5-3230M 3760

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.

i7-5960X 4.25
+320%
i5-3230M 17.83

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.

i7-5960X 15
+407%
i5-3230M 3

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.

i7-5960X 1387
+438%
i5-3230M 258

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.

i7-5960X 139
+32.4%
i5-3230M 105

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark 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 loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.

i7-5960X 1.53
+22.4%
i5-3230M 1.25

TrueCrypt AES

TrueCrypt is a discontinued piece of software that was widely used for on-the-fly-encryption of disk partitions, now superseded by VeraCrypt. It contains several embedded performance tests, one of them being TrueCrypt AES, which measures data encryption speed using AES algorithm. Result is encryption speed in gigabytes per second.

i7-5960X 8.2
+447%
i5-3230M 1.5

x264 encoding pass 2

x264 Pass 2 is a slower variant of x264 video compression that produces a variable bit rate output file, which results in better quality since the higher bit rate is used when it is needed more. Benchmark result is still measured in frames per second.  

i7-5960X 82
+619%
i5-3230M 11

x264 encoding pass 1

x264 version 4.0 is a video encoding benchmark uses MPEG 4 x264 compression method to compress a sample HD (720p) video. Pass 1 is a faster variant that produces a constant bit rate output file. Its result is measured in frames per second, which means how many frames of the source video file were encoded per second.  

i7-5960X 191
+219%
i5-3230M 60

WinRAR 4.0

WinRAR 4.0 is an outdated version of a popular file archiver. It contains an internal speed test, using 'Best' setting of RAR compression on large chunks of randomly generated data. Its results are measured in kilobytes per second.

i7-5960X 7049
+119%
i5-3230M 3219

3DMark Fire Strike Physics

i7-5960X 14570
+331%
i5-3230M 3380

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 8.03 1.61
Recency 1 September 2014 1 January 2013
Physical cores 8 2
Threads 16 4
Power consumption (TDP) 140 Watt 35 Watt

i7-5960X has a 398.8% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, and 300% more physical cores and 300% more threads.

i5-3230M, on the other hand, has 300% lower power consumption.

The Core i7-5960X is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-3230M in performance tests.

Note that Core i7-5960X is a desktop processor while Core i5-3230M is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-5960X and Core i5-3230M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i7-5960X
Core i7-5960X
Intel Core i5-3230M
Core i5-3230M

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Questions & comments

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