Core i7-970 vs Core i7-3770K

General info

Comparing Core i7-3770K and Core i7-970 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1279	1268
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Value for money	1.58	0.87
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core i7 (Desktop)	no data
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Gulftown (2010−2011)
Release date	29 April 2012 (11 years old)	19 July 2010 (13 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)	$294	$662
Current price	$148 (0.5x MSRP)	$278 (0.4x MSRP)

i7-3770K has 82% better value for money than i7-970.

Technical specs

Core i7-3770K 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 cores	4 (Quad-Core)	6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads	8	12
Base clock speed	3.5 GHz	3.2 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.9 GHz	3.46 GHz
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	8 MB (shared)	12 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Die size	160 mm2	239 mm2
Maximum core temperature	67 °C	68 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	67 °C	no data
Number of transistors	1,400 million	1,170 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3770K 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 configuration	1	1
Socket	FCLGA1155	FCLGA1366
Power consumption (TDP)	77 Watt	130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3770K and Core i7-970. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX	Intel® SSE4.2
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	1.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	-	no data
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Demand Based Switching	no data	-
PAE	no data	36 Bit
FDI	+	no data
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Core i7-3770K and Core i7-970 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	-
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	no data
Identity Protection	+	no data
Anti-Theft	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3770K and Core i7-970 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3770K and Core i7-970. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	32 GB	24 GB
Max memory channels	2	3
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	25.6 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 4000	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	no data
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 i7-3770K and Core i7-970 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

3

no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3770K and Core i7-970.

PCIe version

3.0

2.0

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

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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.

Core i7-970 outperforms Core i7-3770K by 1% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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Advantages and disadvantages

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Performance score	4.22	4.28
Recency	29 April 2012	19 July 2010
Physical cores	4	6
Threads	8	12
Cost	$294	$662
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	77 Watt	130 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3770K and Core i7-970, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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