i7-870S vs Xeon E3-1290
Aggregate performance score
Xeon E3-1290 outperforms Core i7-870S by an impressive 97% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon E3-1290 and Core i7-870S processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1550 | 2025 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.49 | no data |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Power efficiency | 3.41 | 2.01 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | Lynnfield (2009−2010) |
| Release date | 29 May 2011 (13 years ago) | 19 July 2010 (14 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $885 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Xeon E3-1290 and Core i7-870S 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 | 4 (Quad-Core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 8 | 8 |
| Base clock speed | 3.6 GHz | 2.66 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| Bus rate | no data | 2.5 GT/s |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 256 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 8 MB (shared) | 8 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 45 nm |
| Die size | 216 mm2 | 296 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 57 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 1,160 million | 774 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon E3-1290 and Core i7-870S 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 | 1 |
| Socket | LGA1155 | FCLGA1156,LGA1156 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 82 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E3-1290 and Core i7-870S. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX | Intel® SSE4.2 |
| AES-NI | + | - |
| AVX | + | - |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | + |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| Flex Memory Access | + | no data |
| Demand Based Switching | + | - |
| PAE | no data | 36 Bit |
| FDI | - | no data |
| Fast Memory Access | + | no data |
Security technologies
Xeon E3-1290 and Core i7-870S technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | + |
| EDB | + | + |
| Identity Protection | + | - |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E3-1290 and Core i7-870S are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E3-1290 and Core i7-870S. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | 32 GB | 16 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 21 GB/s | 21 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E3-1290 and Core i7-870S.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 20 | 16 |
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 3.42 | 1.74 |
| Recency | 29 May 2011 | 19 July 2010 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 45 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 82 Watt |
Xeon E3-1290 has a 96.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 10 months, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.
i7-870S, on the other hand, has 15.9% lower power consumption.
The Xeon E3-1290 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-870S in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon E3-1290 is a server/workstation processor while Core i7-870S is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E3-1290 and Core i7-870S, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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