Xeon E5-1660 vs i9-7900X

Primary details

Comparing Core i9-7900X and Xeon E5-1660 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	558	1168
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	2.89	3.89
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Series	Core i9 (Desktop)	no data
Power efficiency	8.96	3.86
Architecture codename	Skylake (server) (2017−2019)	Sandy Bridge-E (2011−2013)
Release date	30 May 2017 (7 years ago)	6 March 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$999	$290

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E5-1660 has 35% better value for money than i9-7900X.

Detailed specifications

Core i9-7900X and Xeon E5-1660 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)	6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads	20	12
Base clock speed	3.3 GHz	3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.5 GHz	3.9 GHz
Bus type	DMI 3.0	no data
Bus rate	4 × 8 GT/s	no data
Multiplier	33	no data
L1 cache	640 KB	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	10 MB	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	13.75 MB	15360 KB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Die size	no data	435 mm2
Maximum core temperature	95 °C	64 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	no data
Number of transistors	no data	2,270 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	-
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i9-7900X and Xeon E5-1660 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 (Uniprocessor)	1
Socket	Socket R4	FCLGA2011
Power consumption (TDP)	140 Watt	130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-7900X and Xeon E5-1660. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512	Intel® AVX
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	+	-
Idle States	no data	+
Thermal Monitoring	-	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	-
Demand Based Switching	no data	+
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i9-7900X and Xeon E5-1660 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	no data	+
EDB	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-7900X and Xeon E5-1660 are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	-
VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	no data	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i9-7900X and Xeon E5-1660. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4	DDR3
Maximum memory size	128 GB	256 GB
Max memory channels	4	4
Maximum memory bandwidth	85.33 GB/s	51.2 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card

N/A

N/A

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i9-7900X and Xeon E5-1660.

PCIe version	3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	44	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.

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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	13.76	5.50
Recency	30 May 2017	6 March 2012
Physical cores	10	6
Threads	20	12
Chip lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	140 Watt	130 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-7900X and Xeon E5-1660, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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