Pentium G3240 vs i7-3960X Extreme Edition
Aggregate performance score
Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition outperforms Pentium G3240 by a whopping 357% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Pentium G3240 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1139 | 2315 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Core i7EE | no data |
| Power efficiency | 4.07 | 2.19 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | no data |
| Release date | 14 November 2011 (12 years ago) | 1 April 2014 (10 years ago) |
Detailed specifications
Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Pentium G3240 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) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 12 | 2 |
| Base clock speed | no data | 3.1 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.3 GHz | no data |
| Bus type | DMI 2.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | 5 GT/s |
| Multiplier | 33 | no data |
| L2 cache | 1,536 KB | no data |
| L3 cache | 15 MB | 3 MB Intel® Smart Cache |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 22 nm |
| Die size | 434.72 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 72 °C |
| Number of transistors | 2270 Million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Pentium G3240 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 (Uniprocessor) | 1 |
| Socket | no data | FCLGA1150 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 53 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Pentium G3240. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2 |
| AES-NI | + | - |
| AVX | + | - |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | - |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | - |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | - | + |
Security technologies
Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Pentium G3240 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 Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Pentium G3240 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 i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Pentium G3240. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR3-1333, DDR3L-1333 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 21.3 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel® HD Graphics for 4th Generation Intel® Processors |
| Max video memory | no data | 1.7 GB |
| Quick Sync Video | - | + |
| Clear Video HD | no data | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1.1 GHz |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Pentium G3240 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 3 |
| eDP | no data | + |
| DisplayPort | - | + |
| HDMI | - | + |
| DVI | no data | + |
| VGA | no data | + |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Pentium G3240 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | no data | 1920x1080@60Hz |
| Max resolution over eDP | no data | 2560x1600@60Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | no data | 2560x1600@60Hz |
| Max resolution over VGA | no data | 1920x1200@60Hz |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Pentium G3240 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | no data | 11.1/12 |
| OpenGL | no data | 4.3 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Pentium G3240.
| PCIe version | 2.00 | Up to 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 16 |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 5.80 | 1.27 |
| Recency | 14 November 2011 | 1 April 2014 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 2 |
| Threads | 12 | 2 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 22 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 53 Watt |
i7-3960X Extreme Edition has a 356.7% higher aggregate performance score, and 200% more physical cores and 500% more threads.
Pentium G3240, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 2 years, a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 145.3% lower power consumption.
The Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition is our recommended choice as it beats the Pentium G3240 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Pentium G3240, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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