Xeon E3-1280 v6 vs i7-3970X Extreme Edition
Aggregate performance score
Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition outperforms Xeon E3-1280 v6 by a minimal 2% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1280 v6 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1127 | 1143 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 3.05 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Series | Intel Core i7EE | Intel Xeon E3 |
| Power efficiency | 3.65 | 7.44 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | Kaby Lake (2016−2019) |
| Release date | 12 November 2012 (12 years ago) | 28 March 2017 (7 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $612 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1280 v6 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 | no data | 3.9 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.5 GHz | 4.2 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 2.0 | DMI 3.0 |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | 8 GT/s |
| Multiplier | 35 | 39 |
| L1 cache | no data | 256 KB |
| L2 cache | 1,536 KB | 1 MB |
| L3 cache | 15 MB | 8 MB |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 14 nm |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1280 v6 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 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | no data | FCLGA1151 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 150 Watt | 72 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1280 v6. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| TSX | - | + |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | - | + |
Security technologies
Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1280 v6 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
| EDB | no data | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| MPX | - | + |
| SGX | no data | Yes with both Intel® SPS and Intel® ME |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1280 v6 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 i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1280 v6. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR4-2400, DDR3L-1866 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | 64 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 38.397 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1280 v6 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | no data | N/A |
| Max resolution over eDP | no data | N/A |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | no data | N/A |
| Max resolution over VGA | no data | N/A |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1280 v6 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | no data | N/A |
| OpenGL | no data | N/A |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1280 v6.
| PCIe version | 2.00 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 16 |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 5.81 | 5.69 |
| Recency | 12 November 2012 | 28 March 2017 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 4 |
| Threads | 12 | 8 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 150 Watt | 72 Watt |
i7-3970X Extreme Edition has a 2.1% higher aggregate performance score, and 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads.
Xeon E3-1280 v6, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 4 years, a 128.6% more advanced lithography process, and 108.3% lower power consumption.
Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1280 v6.
Note that Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition is a desktop processor while Xeon E3-1280 v6 is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Xeon E3-1280 v6, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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