i7-970 vs Xeon W3680

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Aggregate performance score

Xeon W3680
2010
6 cores / 12 threads, 130 Watt
4.57
+6.8%

Xeon W3680 outperforms Core i7-970 by a small 7% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon W3680 and Core i7-970 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking13271381
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation2.180.30
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
Power efficiency3.213.00
Architecture codenameGulftown (2010−2011)Gulftown (2010−2011)
Release date16 March 2010 (14 years ago)19 July 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$350$662

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon W3680 has 627% better value for money than i7-970.

Detailed specifications

Xeon W3680 and Core i7-970 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)6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads1212
Base clock speed3.33 GHz3.2 GHz
Boost clock speed3.6 GHz3.46 GHz
Bus rateno data4.8 GT/s
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache256 KB (per core)256 KB (per core)
L3 cache12 MB (shared)12 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm32 nm
Die size239 mm2239 mm2
Maximum core temperature68 °C68 °C
Number of transistors1,170 million1,170 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplier+-

Compatibility

Information on Xeon W3680 and Core i7-970 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 configuration11
SocketFCLGA1366FCLGA1366
Power consumption (TDP)130 Watt130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon W3680 and Core i7-970. 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+-
PAE36 Bit36 Bit

Security technologies

Xeon W3680 and Core i7-970 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+-
EDB++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon W3680 and Core i7-970 are enumerated here.

VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon W3680 and Core i7-970. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size24 GB24 GB
Max memory channels33
Maximum memory bandwidth32 GB/s25.6 GB/s
ECC memory support+-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon W3680 and Core i7-970.

PCIe version2.02.0

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 W3680 4.57
+6.8%
i7-970 4.28

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 W3680 6994
+6.8%
i7-970 6546

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 W3680 545
+10.1%
i7-970 495

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 W3680 2497
+9.6%
i7-970 2278

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 4.57 4.28
Recency 16 March 2010 19 July 2010

Xeon W3680 has a 6.8% higher aggregate performance score.

i7-970, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 4 months.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Xeon W3680 and Core i7-970.

Be aware that Xeon W3680 is a server/workstation processor while Core i7-970 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon W3680 and Core i7-970, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Xeon W3680
Xeon W3680
Intel Core i7-970
Core i7-970

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.


4.4 141 vote

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Xeon W3680 or Core i7-970, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.