i7-990X Extreme Edition vs Xeon E3-1281 v3

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Primary details

Comparing Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking1267not rated
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
Seriesno dataIntel Core i7EE
Power efficiency5.43no data
Architecture codenameno dataWestmere (2010−2011)
Release date1 April 2014 (10 years ago)13 February 2011 (13 years ago)

Detailed specifications

Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition 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 cores4 (Quad-Core)6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads812
Base clock speed3.7 GHzno data
Boost clock speed4.1 GHz3.46 GHz
Bus typeno dataQPI
Bus rate5 GT/s6.4 GT/s
Multiplierno data26
L2 cacheno data1.5 MB
L3 cache8 MB Intel® Smart Cache12 MB
Chip lithography22 nm32 nm
Die sizeno data239 mm2
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition 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 (Uniprocessor)
SocketFCLGA1150no data
Power consumption (TDP)82 Watt130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2no data
AES-NI++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology2.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology+no data
TSX+-
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+-
Flex Memory Access+no data
SIPP+-
Fast Memory Access+no data

Security technologies

Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3L-1333, DDR3L-1600no data
Maximum memory size32 GB24 GB
Max memory channels2no data
Maximum memory bandwidth25.6 GB/sno data
ECC memory support+-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition.

PCIe version3.0no data
PCI Express lanes16no data

Pros & cons summary


Recency 1 April 2014 13 February 2011
Physical cores 4 6
Threads 8 12
Chip lithography 22 nm 32 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 82 Watt 130 Watt

Xeon E3-1281 v3 has an age advantage of 3 years, a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 58.5% lower power consumption.

i7-990X Extreme Edition, on the other hand, has 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads.

We couldn't decide between Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition. We've got no test results to judge.

Be aware that Xeon E3-1281 v3 is a server/workstation processor while Core i7-990X Extreme Edition is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Xeon E3-1281 v3
Xeon E3-1281 v3
Intel Core i7-990X Extreme Edition
Core i7-990X Extreme Edition

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Community ratings

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