i7-3970X vs Xeon E5-2697A v4

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Core i7-3970X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	540	1156
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	2.73	0.59
Market segment	Server	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Xeon E5	no data
Power efficiency	8.88	3.39
Architecture codename	Broadwell (2015−2019)	Sandy Bridge-E (2011−2013)
Release date	20 June 2016 (8 years ago)	1 November 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$2,891	$593

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E5-2697A v4 has 363% better value for money than i7-3970X.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Core i7-3970X 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	16 (Hexadeca-Core)	6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads	32	12
Base clock speed	2.6 GHz	3.5 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.6 GHz	4 GHz
Bus type	QPI	no data
Bus rate	2 × 9.6 GT/s	5 GT/s
Multiplier	26	no data
L1 cache	no data	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	4 MB	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	40 MB	15 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Die size	456.12 mm2	435 mm2
Maximum core temperature	78 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	70 °C
Number of transistors	7200 Million	2,270 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	-	+

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Core i7-3970X 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
Socket	FCLGA2011	FCLGA2011
Power consumption (TDP)	145 Watt	150 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Core i7-3970X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX2	Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	+	-
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	-	no data
Smart Response	no data	+
Demand Based Switching	+	-
PAE	46 Bit	no data

Security technologies

Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Core i7-3970X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	-
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	no data
Identity Protection	-	+
OS Guard	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Core i7-3970X are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Core i7-3970X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133, DDR4-2400	DDR3
Maximum memory size	1.5 TB	64.45 GB
Max memory channels	4	4
Maximum memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s	51.2 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Core i7-3970X.

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.

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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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	14.12	5.58
Recency	20 June 2016	1 November 2012
Physical cores	16	6
Threads	32	12
Chip lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	145 Watt	150 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Core i7-3970X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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