i7-920 vs Xeon E5640

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Aggregate performance score

Xeon E5640
2010
4 cores / 8 threads, 80 Watt
2.38
+33%
Core i7-920
2008
4 cores / 8 threads, 130 Watt
1.79

Xeon E5640 outperforms Core i7-920 by a substantial 33% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E5640 and Core i7-920 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking17932026
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.851.22
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
Seriesno dataCore i7 (Desktop)
Power efficiency2.821.30
Architecture codenameWestmere-EP (2010−2011)Bloomfield (2008−2010)
Release date16 March 2010 (14 years ago)November 2008 (16 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$49$340

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i7-920 has 44% better value for money than Xeon E5640.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E5640 and Core i7-920 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 cores4 (Quad-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads88
Base clock speed2.66 GHz2.66 GHz
Boost clock speed2.93 GHz2.93 GHz
Bus rateno data1333 MHz
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache256 KB (per core)256 KB (per core)
L3 cache12 MB (shared)8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm45 nm
Die size239 mm2263 mm2
Maximum core temperature78 °C68 °C
Number of transistors1,170 million731 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E5640 and Core i7-920 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
SocketFCLGA1366,LGA1366FCLGA1366,PLGA1366
Power consumption (TDP)80 Watt130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5640 and Core i7-920. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2Intel® SSE4.2
AES-NI+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology1.01.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Demand Based Switching+-
PAE40 Bit36 Bit

Security technologies

Xeon E5640 and Core i7-920 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT++
EDB++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5640 and Core i7-920 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5640 and Core i7-920. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size288 GB24 GB
Max memory channels33
Maximum memory bandwidth25.6 GB/s25.6 GB/s
ECC memory support+-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5640 and Core i7-920.

PCIe version2.0no 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 E5640 2.38
+33%
i7-920 1.79

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 E5640 3782
+33.2%
i7-920 2840

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.

Xeon E5640 352
i7-920 415
+17.9%

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.

Xeon E5640 1489
+4.4%
i7-920 1426

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 2.38 1.79
Chip lithography 32 nm 45 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 80 Watt 130 Watt

Xeon E5640 has a 33% higher aggregate performance score, a 40.6% more advanced lithography process, and 62.5% lower power consumption.

The Xeon E5640 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-920 in performance tests.

Be aware that Xeon E5640 is a server/workstation processor while Core i7-920 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5640 and Core i7-920, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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


Intel Xeon E5640
Xeon E5640
Intel Core i7-920
Core i7-920

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.


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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Xeon E5640 or Core i7-920, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.