Xeon X3480 vs i3-4170

Place in the ranking	1820	1905
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.55	0.27
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Power efficiency	4.00	2.05
Architecture codename	Haswell (2013−2015)	Lynnfield (2009−2010)
Release date	1 May 2014 (10 years ago)	30 May 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$117	$612

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i3-4170 has 104% better value for money than Xeon X3480.

Detailed specifications

Core i3-4170 and Xeon X3480 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	2 (Dual-core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	4	8
Base clock speed	3.7 GHz	3.06 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.7 GHz	3.73 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	45 nm
Die size	177 mm²	296 mm²
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	73 °C
Number of transistors	1,400 million	774 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-4170 and Xeon X3480 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	1	1
Socket	FCLGA1150	FCLGA1156,LGA1156
Power consumption (TDP)	54 Watt	95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-4170 and Xeon X3480. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	Intel® SSE4.2
AES-NI	+	-
AVX	+	-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	1.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Demand Based Switching	no data	+
PAE	no data	36 Bit

Security technologies

Core i3-4170 and Xeon X3480 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-4170 and Xeon X3480 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-4170 and Xeon X3480. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600	DDR3-800, DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333
Maximum memory size	32 GB	32 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	21 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 4400	N/A
Max video memory	2 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.15 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-4170 and Xeon X3480 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	no data
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
DVI	+	no data
VGA	+	no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-4170 and Xeon X3480 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096x2304@24Hz	no data
Max resolution over eDP	3840x2160@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over DisplayPort	3840x2160@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over VGA	1920x1200@60Hz	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-4170 and Xeon X3480 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	11.1/12	no data
OpenGL	4.3	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-4170 and Xeon X3480.

PCIe version	Up to 3.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	16	16

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.

i3-4170 2.28
+10.7%

Xeon X3480 2.06

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.

i3-4170 3626
+10.8%

Xeon X3480 3273

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	2.28	2.06
Recency	1 May 2014	30 May 2010
Physical cores	2	4
Threads	4	8
Chip lithography	22 nm	45 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	54 Watt	95 Watt

i3-4170 has a 10.7% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, a 104.5% more advanced lithography process, and 75.9% lower power consumption.

Xeon X3480, on the other hand, has 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads.

The Core i3-4170 is our recommended choice as it beats the Xeon X3480 in performance tests.

Note that Core i3-4170 is a desktop processor while Xeon X3480 is a server/workstation one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-4170 and Xeon X3480, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.