Ryzen 9 5950X vs Xeon X5660

VS

Aggregate performance score

Xeon X5660
2010
6 cores / 12 threads, 95 Watt
3.80
Ryzen 9 5950X
2020
16 cores / 32 threads, 105 Watt
28.81
+658%

Ryzen 9 5950X outperforms Xeon X5660 by a whopping 658% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon X5660 and Ryzen 9 5950X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking1468159
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation3.0526.36
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
Seriesno dataAMD Ryzen 9
Power efficiency3.7725.86
Architecture codenameWestmere-EP (2010−2011)Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)
Release date16 March 2010 (14 years ago)8 October 2020 (4 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$33$799

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Ryzen 9 5950X has 764% better value for money than Xeon X5660.

Detailed specifications

Xeon X5660 and Ryzen 9 5950X 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)16 (Hexadeca-Core)
Threads1232
Base clock speed2.8 GHz3.4 GHz
Boost clock speed3.2 GHz4.9 GHz
Multiplierno data34
L1 cache64 KB (per core)1 MB
L2 cache256 KB (per core)8 MB
L3 cache12 MB (shared)64 MB
Chip lithography32 nm7 nm, 12 nm
Die size239 mm2CPU cores: 2x 80.7 sq. mm., I/O: 125 mm2
Maximum core temperature81 °Cno data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data95 °C
Number of transistors1,170 millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplier-+

Compatibility

Information on Xeon X5660 and Ryzen 9 5950X 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,LGA1366AM4
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt105 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon X5660 and Ryzen 9 5950X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2MMX (+), SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A, AES, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, SHA
AES-NI++
AVX-+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Turbo Boost Technology1.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology+no data
Idle States+no data
Demand Based Switching+no data
PAE40 Bitno data
Precision Boost 2no data+

Security technologies

Xeon X5660 and Ryzen 9 5950X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+no data
EDB+no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon X5660 and Ryzen 9 5950X are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon X5660 and Ryzen 9 5950X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR4
Maximum memory size288 GB128 GB
Max memory channels32
Maximum memory bandwidth32 GB/s51.196 GB/s
ECC memory support+-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon X5660 and Ryzen 9 5950X.

PCIe version2.04.0

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 X5660 3.80
Ryzen 9 5950X 28.81
+658%

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 X5660 6015
Ryzen 9 5950X 45600
+658%

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 X5660 461
Ryzen 9 5950X 2215
+380%

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 X5660 2196
Ryzen 9 5950X 12130
+452%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.80 28.81
Recency 16 March 2010 8 October 2020
Physical cores 6 16
Threads 12 32
Chip lithography 32 nm 7 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 105 Watt

Xeon X5660 has 10.5% lower power consumption.

Ryzen 9 5950X, on the other hand, has a 658.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 10 years, 166.7% more physical cores and 166.7% more threads, and a 357.1% more advanced lithography process.

The Ryzen 9 5950X is our recommended choice as it beats the Xeon X5660 in performance tests.

Be aware that Xeon X5660 is a server/workstation processor while Ryzen 9 5950X is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon X5660 and Ryzen 9 5950X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Xeon X5660
Xeon X5660
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Ryzen 9 5950X

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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