i7-980 vs Xeon E5-2680

VS

Aggregate performance score

Xeon E5-2680
2012
8 cores / 16 threads, 130 Watt
5.94
+35.6%
Core i7-980
2011
6 cores / 12 threads, 130 Watt
4.38

Xeon E5-2680 outperforms Core i7-980 by a substantial 36% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E5-2680 and Core i7-980 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking10961347
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.810.19
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
SeriesXeon (Desktop)no data
Power efficiency4.313.18
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge-EP (2012)Gulftown (2010−2011)
Release date6 March 2012 (12 years ago)26 June 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$1,723$1,109

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E5-2680 has 326% better value for money than i7-980.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E5-2680 and Core i7-980 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 cores8 (Octa-Core)6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads1612
Base clock speed2.7 GHz3.33 GHz
Boost clock speed3.5 GHz3.6 GHz
Bus rate8 GT/s4.8 GT/s
L1 cache64K (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)256 KB (per core)
L3 cache20 MB (shared)12 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm32 nm
Die size435 mm2239 mm2
Maximum core temperature85 °C69 °C
Number of transistors2,270 million1,170 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E5-2680 and Core i7-980 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 configuration21
SocketFCLGA2011FCLGA1366,LGA1366
Power consumption (TDP)130 Watt130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-2680 and Core i7-980. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® AVXIntel® SSE4.2
AES-NI++
AVX+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology2.01.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring+-
Flex Memory Access-no data
Demand Based Switching+-

Security technologies

Xeon E5-2680 and Core i7-980 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+-
EDB++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5-2680 and Core i7-980 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-2680 and Core i7-980. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size384 GB24 GB
Max memory channels43
Maximum memory bandwidth51.2 GB/sno data
ECC memory support+-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-2680 and Core i7-980.

PCIe version3.02.0
PCI Express lanes40no data

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.

Xeon E5-2680 5.94
+35.6%
i7-980 4.38

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.

Xeon E5-2680 9399
+35.5%
i7-980 6936

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 5.94 4.38
Recency 6 March 2012 26 June 2011
Physical cores 8 6
Threads 16 12

Xeon E5-2680 has a 35.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 8 months, and 33.3% more physical cores and 33.3% more threads.

The Xeon E5-2680 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-980 in performance tests.

Be aware that Xeon E5-2680 is a server/workstation processor while Core i7-980 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-2680 and Core i7-980, 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.


Intel Xeon E5-2680
Xeon E5-2680
Intel Core i7-980
Core i7-980

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.

Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


4.1 123 votes

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Xeon E5-2680 or Core i7-980, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.