i7-860 vs Xeon L5640

VS

Aggregate performance score

Xeon L5640
2010
6 cores / 12 threads, 60 Watt
2.92
+54.5%
Core i7-860
2009
4 cores / 8 threads, 95 Watt
1.89

Xeon L5640 outperforms Core i7-860 by an impressive 54% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon L5640 and Core i7-860 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking16491967
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation1.530.14
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
Power efficiency4.611.88
Architecture codenameWestmere-EP (2010−2011)Lynnfield (2009−2010)
Release date16 March 2010 (14 years ago)8 September 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$200$229

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon L5640 has 993% better value for money than i7-860.

Detailed specifications

Xeon L5640 and Core i7-860 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 cores6 (Hexa-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads128
Base clock speed2.26 GHz2.8 GHz
Boost clock speed2.8 GHz3.46 GHz
Bus rateno data2.5 GT/s
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 mm2296 mm2
Maximum core temperature69 °C73 °C
Number of transistors1,170 million774 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Xeon L5640 and Core i7-860 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,LGA1366FCLGA1156,LGA1156
Power consumption (TDP)60 Watt95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon L5640 and Core i7-860. 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 L5640 and Core i7-860 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT++
EDB++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon L5640 and Core i7-860 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon L5640 and Core i7-860. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size288 GB16 GB
Max memory channels32
Maximum memory bandwidth32 GB/s21 GB/s
ECC memory support+-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataN/A

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon L5640 and Core i7-860.

PCIe version2.02.0
PCI Express lanesno data16

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 L5640 2.92
+54.5%
i7-860 1.89

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 L5640 4645
+54.9%
i7-860 2998

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 L5640 398
i7-860 449
+12.8%

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 L5640 1934
+32.4%
i7-860 1461

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 2.92 1.89
Recency 16 March 2010 8 September 2009
Physical cores 6 4
Threads 12 8
Chip lithography 32 nm 45 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 60 Watt 95 Watt

Xeon L5640 has a 54.5% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 6 months, 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads, a 40.6% more advanced lithography process, and 58.3% lower power consumption.

The Xeon L5640 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-860 in performance tests.

Be aware that Xeon L5640 is a server/workstation processor while Core i7-860 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon L5640 and Core i7-860, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Xeon L5640
Xeon L5640
Intel Core i7-860
Core i7-860

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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