A12-9720P vs Core i7-3960X
Aggregate performance score
Core i7-3960X outperforms A12-9720P by a whopping 216% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-3960X and A12-9720P processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 1096 | 1954 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 1.08 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | Core i7 (Desktop) | AMD Bristol Ridge |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge-E (2011−2013) | Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) |
| Release date | 14 November 2011 (12 years ago) | 1 June 2016 (8 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $861 | no data |
| Current price | $350 (0.4x MSRP) | $502 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-3960X and A12-9720P 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 | 3.3 GHz | 2.7 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.9 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | no data |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 2 MB |
| L3 cache | 15 MB (shared) | no data |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 28 nm |
| Die size | 435 mm2 | 250 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 67 °C | 90 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 67 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 2,270 million | 3100 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | Yes | No |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-3960X and A12-9720P 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 | no data |
| Socket | FCLGA2011 | FP4 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 15 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3960X and A12-9720P. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX | DDR4-1866 RAM, PCIe 3, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4A, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, BMI2, ABM, TBM, FMA4, XOP, SMEP, CPB, AES-NI, RDRAND |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| FMA | no data | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| 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 i7-3960X and A12-9720P 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 i7-3960X and A12-9720P 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 and A12-9720P. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR4 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | no data |
| Max memory channels | 4 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 51.2 GB/s | no data |
| ECC memory support | - | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | AMD Radeon R7 (Bristol Ridge) |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3960X and A12-9720P.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | no data |
| 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.
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 i7-3960X outperforms A12-9720P by 216% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 68%
Core i7-3960X outperforms A12-9720P by 216% in Passmark.
GeekBench 5 Single-Core
GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Core i7-3960X outperforms A12-9720P by 31% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Core i7-3960X outperforms A12-9720P by 184% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.
Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core
Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.
Benchmark coverage: 20%
Core i7-3960X outperforms A12-9720P by 83% in Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core.
Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.
Benchmark coverage: 19%
Core i7-3960X outperforms A12-9720P by 269% in Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core.
wPrime 32
wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.
Benchmark coverage: 18%
A12-9720P outperforms Core i7-3960X by 154% in wPrime 32.
Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.
Benchmark coverage: 17%
Core i7-3960X outperforms A12-9720P by 297% in Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core.
Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.
Benchmark coverage: 15%
Core i7-3960X outperforms A12-9720P by 394% in Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core.
Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core
Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.
Benchmark coverage: 15%
Core i7-3960X outperforms A12-9720P by 119% in Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core.
Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core
Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.
Benchmark coverage: 14%
Core i7-3960X outperforms A12-9720P by 62% in Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core.
TrueCrypt AES
TrueCrypt is a discontinued piece of software that was widely used for on-the-fly-encryption of disk partitions, now superseded by VeraCrypt. It contains several embedded performance tests, one of them being TrueCrypt AES, which measures data encryption speed using AES algorithm. Result is encryption speed in gigabytes per second.
Benchmark coverage: 13%
Core i7-3960X outperforms A12-9720P by 189% in TrueCrypt AES.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 5.44 | 1.72 |
| Recency | 14 November 2011 | 1 June 2016 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 4 |
| Threads | 12 | 4 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 28 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 15 Watt |
The Core i7-3960X is our recommended choice as it beats the A12-9720P in performance tests.
Note that Core i7-3960X is a desktop processor while A12-9720P is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3960X and A12-9720P, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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