i7-3960X Extreme Edition vs Xeon E5-2670 v3

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E5-2670 v3 and Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	880	1141
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.88	no data
Market segment	Server	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Xeon E5	Intel Core i7EE
Power efficiency	6.75	4.07
Architecture codename	Haswell-EP (2014−2015)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	8 September 2014 (10 years ago)	14 November 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,589	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E5-2670 v3 and Core i7-3960X 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 cores	12 (Dodeca-Core)	6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads	24	12
Base clock speed	2.3 GHz	no data
Boost clock speed	3.1 GHz	3.3 GHz
Bus type	QPI	DMI 2.0
Bus rate	2 × 9.6 GT/s	5 GT/s
Multiplier	23	33
L1 cache	64K (per core)	no data
L2 cache	3 MB	1,536 KB
L3 cache	30 MB (shared)	15 MB
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Die size	306.18 mm2	434.72 mm2
Maximum core temperature	85 °C	no data
Number of transistors	4700 Million	2270 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E5-2670 v3 and Core i7-3960X 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 configuration	2 (Multiprocessor)	1 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCLGA2011	no data
Power consumption (TDP)	120 Watt	130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-2670 v3 and Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX2	no data
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	+	-
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Flex Memory Access	-	no data
Demand Based Switching	+	no data
PAE	46 Bit	no data

Security technologies

Xeon E5-2670 v3 and Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	no data
EDB	+	no data
Secure Key	+	no data
OS Guard	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5-2670 v3 and Core i7-3960X 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 E5-2670 v3 and Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133	no data
Maximum memory size	768 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	4	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	68 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	+	-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-2670 v3 and Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition.

PCIe version	3.0	2.00
PCI Express lanes	40	40

Pros & cons summary

---

Performance score	8.59	5.61
Recency	8 September 2014	14 November 2011
Physical cores	12	6
Threads	24	12
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	120 Watt	130 Watt

---

Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-2670 v3 and Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.

---