Xeon E5-1620 vs i7-3970X

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-3970X and Xeon E5-1620 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1159	1478
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.57	1.67
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Power efficiency	3.39	2.69
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge-E (2011−2013)	Sandy Bridge-E (2011−2013)
Release date	1 November 2012 (12 years ago)	6 March 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$593	$313

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E5-1620 has 193% better value for money than i7-3970X.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-3970X and Xeon E5-1620 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	3.5 GHz	3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	4 GHz	3.8 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	15 MB (shared)	10240 KB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	32 nm
Die size	435 mm2	294 mm2
Maximum core temperature	no data	64 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	70 °C	no data
Number of transistors	2,270 million	1,270 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3970X and Xeon E5-1620 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	FCLGA2011
Power consumption (TDP)	150 Watt	130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3970X and Xeon E5-1620. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

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

Security technologies

Core i7-3970X and Xeon E5-1620 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	+
Identity Protection	+	-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3970X and Xeon E5-1620 are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3970X and Xeon E5-1620. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	64.45 GB	375 GB
Max memory channels	4	4
Maximum memory bandwidth	51.2 GB/s	51.2 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card

no data

N/A

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3970X and Xeon E5-1620.

PCIe version	2.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	40	40

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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	5.58	3.83
Recency	1 November 2012	6 March 2012
Physical cores	6	4
Threads	12	8
Power consumption (TDP)	150 Watt	130 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3970X and Xeon E5-1620, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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