Xeon E3-1220 v5 vs Core i7-2600K

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-2600K and Xeon E3-1220 v5 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1434	1378
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.31	1.02
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Series	Intel Core i7 (Desktop)	Intel Xeon E3
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Skylake (2015−2016)
Release date	9 January 2011 (13 years ago)	19 October 2015 (8 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$317	$203
Current price	$120 (0.4x MSRP)	$91 (0.4x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i7-2600K has 28% better value for money than Xeon E3-1220 v5.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-2600K and Xeon E3-1220 v5 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	4 (Quad-Core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	8	4
Base clock speed	3.4 GHz	3 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.8 GHz	3.5 GHz
Bus support	no data	4 × 8 GT/s
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	256 KB
L2 cache	256K (per core)	1 MB
L3 cache	8 MB (shared)	8 MB
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Die size	216 mm2	122 mm2
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	no data
Number of transistors	1,160 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-2600K and Xeon E3-1220 v5 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	LGA1155	FCLGA1151
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	80 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-2600K and Xeon E3-1220 v5. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	+	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
TSX	no data	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Core i7-2600K and Xeon E3-1220 v5 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	no data	+
MPX	no data	+
Identity Protection	+	no data
SGX	no data	Yes with both Intel® SPS and Intel® ME
OS Guard	no data	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-2600K and Xeon E3-1220 v5 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-2600K and Xeon E3-1220 v5. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133, DDR3L-1333, DDR3L-1600
Maximum memory size	32 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	34.1 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 3000	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	-
Graphics max frequency	1.35 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	-

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-2600K and Xeon E3-1220 v5 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

2

no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-2600K and Xeon E3-1220 v5 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	no data	N/A
Max resolution over eDP	no data	N/A
Max resolution over DisplayPort	no data	N/A
Max resolution over VGA	no data	N/A

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-2600K and Xeon E3-1220 v5 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	no data	N/A
OpenGL	no data	N/A

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-2600K and Xeon E3-1220 v5.

PCIe version	2.0	3.0
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.

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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 E3-1220 v5 outperforms Core i7-2600K by 6% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	3.54	3.75
Recency	9 January 2011	19 October 2015
Threads	8	4
Cost	$317	$203
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	80 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-2600K and Xeon E3-1220 v5, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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