Xeon E3-1231 v3 vs i7-3960X
Aggregate performance score
Core i7-3960X outperforms Xeon E3-1231 v3 by a significant 20% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-3960X and Xeon E3-1231 v3 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1170 | 1319 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.37 | 3.15 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Series | Core i7 (Desktop) | Xeon (Desktop) |
| Power efficiency | 3.87 | 5.25 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge-E (2011−2013) | Haswell-WS (2013−2014) |
| Release date | 14 November 2011 (13 years ago) | 11 May 2014 (10 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $861 | $240 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Xeon E3-1231 v3 has 751% better value for money than i7-3960X.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-3960X and Xeon E3-1231 v3 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 | 8 |
| Base clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 3.4 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.9 GHz | 3.8 GHz |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | 5 GT/s |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 64K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 256K (per core) |
| L3 cache | 15 MB (shared) | 8 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 22 nm |
| Die size | 435 mm2 | 160 mm2 |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 67 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 2,270 million | 1,400 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-3960X and Xeon E3-1231 v3 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 | FCLGA1150 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 80 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3960X and Xeon E3-1231 v3. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| My WiFi | no data | - |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | + |
| TSX | - | + |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | + |
| Flex Memory Access | no data | + |
| SIPP | - | + |
| Smart Response | + | no data |
| Demand Based Switching | - | no data |
| Fast Memory Access | no data | + |
Security technologies
Core i7-3960X and Xeon E3-1231 v3 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | + |
| EDB | + | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| Identity Protection | + | + |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
| Anti-Theft | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3960X and Xeon E3-1231 v3 are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | - | + |
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3960X and Xeon E3-1231 v3. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | 4 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 51.2 GB/s | 25.6 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3960X and Xeon E3-1231 v3.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 5.32 | 4.44 |
| Recency | 14 November 2011 | 11 May 2014 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 4 |
| Threads | 12 | 8 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 22 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 80 Watt |
i7-3960X has a 19.8% higher aggregate performance score, and 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads.
Xeon E3-1231 v3, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 2 years, a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 62.5% lower power consumption.
The Core i7-3960X is our recommended choice as it beats the Xeon E3-1231 v3 in performance tests.
Note that Core i7-3960X is a desktop processor while Xeon E3-1231 v3 is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3960X and Xeon E3-1231 v3, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
