Phenom II X4 840 vs Core i7-3930K

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-3930K and Phenom II X4 840 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1113	2029
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.92	3.08
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge-E (2011−2013)	Propus (2009−2011)
Release date	14 November 2011 (12 years ago)	4 January 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$611	$90
Current price	$190 (0.3x MSRP)	$40 (0.4x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Phenom II X4 840 has 60% better value for money than i7-3930K.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-3930K and Phenom II X4 840 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	6 (Hexa-Core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	12	4
Base clock speed	3.2 GHz	3.2 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.8 GHz	3.2 GHz
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	128 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	512 KB (per core)
L3 cache	12 MB (shared)	0 KB
Chip lithography	32 nm	45 nm
Die size	435 mm2	169 mm2
Maximum core temperature	67 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	67 °C	no data
Number of transistors	2,270 million	300 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3930K and Phenom II X4 840 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	FCLGA2011	AM3
Power consumption (TDP)	130 Watt	95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3930K and Phenom II X4 840. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

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

Security technologies

Core i7-3930K and Phenom II X4 840 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	no data
EDB	+	no data
Identity Protection	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3930K and Phenom II X4 840 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3930K and Phenom II X4 840. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	64.23 GB	no data
Max memory channels	4	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	51.2 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	-	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3930K and Phenom II X4 840.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	40	no data

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 i7-3930K outperforms Phenom II X4 840 by 243% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	5.31	1.55
Recency	14 November 2011	4 January 2011
Physical cores	6	4
Threads	12	4
Cost	$611	$90
Chip lithography	32 nm	45 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	130 Watt	95 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3930K and Phenom II X4 840, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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