i7-3960X vs Xeon E5-2666 V3
Aggregate performance score
Xeon E5-2666 V3 outperforms Core i7-3960X by an impressive 68% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon E5-2666 V3 and Core i7-3960X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 866 | 1182 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 0.42 |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Series | no data | Core i7 (Desktop) |
| Power efficiency | 6.26 | 3.87 |
| Architecture codename | Haswell-EP (2014−2015) | Sandy Bridge-E (2011−2013) |
| Release date | 13 November 2014 (10 years ago) | 14 November 2011 (13 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $861 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Xeon E5-2666 V3 and Core i7-3960X 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 | 2.9 GHz | 3.3 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.5 GHz | 3.9 GHz |
| Bus rate | no data | 5 GT/s |
| L1 cache | 64K (per core) | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256K (per core) | 256 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 25 MB (shared) | 15 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 22 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | 356 mm2 | 435 mm2 |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 67 °C |
| Number of transistors | 2,600 million | 2,270 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | no data | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon E5-2666 V3 and Core i7-3960X 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 | 2 | 1 |
| Socket | 2011-3 | FCLGA2011 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 135 Watt | 130 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-2666 V3 and Core i7-3960X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | + | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| TSX | + | - |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | - | + |
| Smart Response | no data | + |
| Demand Based Switching | no data | - |
Security technologies
Xeon E5-2666 V3 and Core i7-3960X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | - |
| EDB | no data | + |
| Identity Protection | - | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5-2666 V3 and Core i7-3960X are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-2666 V3 and Core i7-3960X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3, DDR4 2133 MHz Quad-channel | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 64 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 4 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 51.2 GB/s |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-2666 V3 and Core i7-3960X.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| 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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 8.93 | 5.32 |
| Recency | 13 November 2014 | 14 November 2011 |
| Physical cores | 10 | 6 |
| Threads | 20 | 12 |
| Chip lithography | 22 nm | 32 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 135 Watt | 130 Watt |
Xeon E5-2666 V3 has a 67.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, 66.7% more physical cores and 66.7% more threads, and a 45.5% more advanced lithography process.
i7-3960X, on the other hand, has 3.8% lower power consumption.
The Xeon E5-2666 V3 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-3960X in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon E5-2666 V3 is a server/workstation processor while Core i7-3960X is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-2666 V3 and Core i7-3960X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
