Xeon E5-2660 v4 vs i7-6950X
Aggregate performance score
Core i7-6950X outperforms Xeon E5-2660 v4 by a small 9% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-6950X and Xeon E5-2660 v4 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 709 | 770 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.82 | 2.84 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Series | Intel Core i7 (Desktop) | Intel Xeon E5 |
| Power efficiency | 7.38 | 9.00 |
| Architecture codename | Broadwell-E (2016) | Broadwell (2015−2019) |
| Release date | 31 May 2016 (8 years ago) | 20 June 2016 (8 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1,723 | $1,445 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Xeon E5-2660 v4 has 246% better value for money than i7-6950X.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-6950X and Xeon E5-2660 v4 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 | 10 (Deca-Core) | 14 (Tetradeca-Core) |
| Threads | 20 | 28 |
| Base clock speed | 3 GHz | 2 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| Bus type | no data | QPI |
| Bus rate | 9.6 GT/s / QPI | 2 × 9.6 GT/s |
| Multiplier | no data | 20 |
| L1 cache | 32K (per core) | no data |
| L2 cache | 256K (per core) | 3.5 MB |
| L3 cache | 25 MB (shared) | 35 MB |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | 246 mm2 | 306.18 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 79 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 3,800 million | 4700 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-6950X and Xeon E5-2660 v4 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 (Multiprocessor) |
| Socket | FCLGA2011 | FCLGA2011 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 140 Watt | 105 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-6950X and Xeon E5-2660 v4. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | 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 | - |
| Smart Response | + | no data |
| Demand Based Switching | no data | + |
| PAE | no data | 46 Bit |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | + | no data |
Security technologies
Core i7-6950X and Xeon E5-2660 v4 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | + |
| EDB | + | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-6950X and Xeon E5-2660 v4 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-6950X and Xeon E5-2660 v4. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4 | DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133, DDR4-2400 |
| Maximum memory size | 128 GB | 1,536 GB |
| Max memory channels | 4 | 4 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 76.8 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-6950X and Xeon E5-2660 v4.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 40 |
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 10.92 | 9.99 |
| Physical cores | 10 | 14 |
| Threads | 20 | 28 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 140 Watt | 105 Watt |
i7-6950X has a 9.3% higher aggregate performance score.
Xeon E5-2660 v4, on the other hand, has 40% more physical cores and 40% more threads, and 33.3% lower power consumption.
Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Core i7-6950X and Xeon E5-2660 v4.
Note that Core i7-6950X is a desktop processor while Xeon E5-2660 v4 is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-6950X and Xeon E5-2660 v4, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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