i5-2500K vs Xeon E5-1660
Aggregate performance score
Xeon E5-1660 outperforms Core i5-2500K by a whopping 104% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon E5-1660 and Core i5-2500K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1171 | 1718 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 3.81 | 0.32 |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Series | no data | Core i5 (Desktop) |
| Power efficiency | 3.86 | 2.59 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge-E (2011−2013) | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) |
| Release date | 6 March 2012 (12 years ago) | 9 January 2011 (13 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $290 | $216 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Xeon E5-1660 has 1091% better value for money than i5-2500K.
Detailed specifications
Xeon E5-1660 and Core i5-2500K 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 | 6 (Hexa-Core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 3.3 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.9 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| Bus rate | no data | 5 GT/s |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 256K (per core) |
| L3 cache | 15360 KB (shared) | 6 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | 435 mm2 | 216 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 64 °C | 73 °C |
| Number of transistors | 2,270 million | 1,160 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon E5-1660 and Core i5-2500K 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 | FCLGA2011 | LGA1155 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 95 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-1660 and Core i5-2500K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® AVX | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | - |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | + |
| Flex Memory Access | - | + |
| Demand Based Switching | + | no data |
| FDI | no data | + |
| Fast Memory Access | no data | + |
Security technologies
Xeon E5-1660 and Core i5-2500K 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 E5-1660 and Core i5-2500K are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | - |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-1660 and Core i5-2500K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | 256 GB | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | 4 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 51.2 GB/s | 21 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | N/A | Intel HD Graphics 3000 |
| Quick Sync Video | - | + |
| Clear Video HD | no data | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1.1 GHz |
| InTru 3D | no data | + |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Xeon E5-1660 and Core i5-2500K integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 2 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-1660 and Core i5-2500K.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 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.
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 | 5.32 | 2.61 |
| Recency | 6 March 2012 | 9 January 2011 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 4 |
| Threads | 12 | 4 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 95 Watt |
Xeon E5-1660 has a 103.8% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, and 50% more physical cores and 200% more threads.
i5-2500K, on the other hand, has 36.8% lower power consumption.
The Xeon E5-1660 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-2500K in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon E5-1660 is a server/workstation processor while Core i5-2500K is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-1660 and Core i5-2500K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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