Xeon E3-1220 v6 vs i7-4790

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-4790 and Xeon E3-1220 v6 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1307	1554
Place by popularity	54	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.87	4.11
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Series	Core i7 (Desktop)	Intel Xeon E3
Power efficiency	5.15	4.55
Architecture codename	Haswell (2013−2015)	Kaby Lake (2016−2019)
Release date	1 May 2014 (10 years ago)	28 March 2017 (7 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$303	$193

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E3-1220 v6 has 372% better value for money than i7-4790.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-4790 and Xeon E3-1220 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	4 (Quad-Core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	8	4
Base clock speed	3.6 GHz	3 GHz
Boost clock speed	4 GHz	3.5 GHz
Bus type	no data	DMI 3.0
Bus rate	5 GT/s	8 GT/s
Multiplier	no data	30
L1 cache	64K (per core)	256 KB
L2 cache	256K (per core)	1 MB
L3 cache	8 MB (shared)	8 MB
Chip lithography	22 nm	14 nm
Die size	177 mm2	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	no data
Number of transistors	1,400 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-4790 and Xeon E3-1220 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	1 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCLGA1150	FCLGA1151
Power consumption (TDP)	84 Watt	72 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-4790 and Xeon E3-1220 v6. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
TSX	-	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
SIPP	+	-
FDI	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i7-4790 and Xeon E3-1220 v6 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	+
MPX	-	+
Identity Protection	+	-
SGX	no data	Yes with both Intel® SPS and Intel® ME
OS Guard	+	+
Anti-Theft	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-4790 and Xeon E3-1220 v6 are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	-
VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-4790 and Xeon E3-1220 v6. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4-2400, DDR3L-1866
Maximum memory size	32 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	38.397 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 4600	no data
Max video memory	2 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	-
Graphics max frequency	1.2 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	-

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-4790 and Xeon E3-1220 v6 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	no data
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
DVI	+	no data
VGA	+	no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-4790 and Xeon E3-1220 v6 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096x2304@24Hz	N/A
Max resolution over eDP	3840x2160@60Hz	N/A
Max resolution over DisplayPort	3840x2160@60Hz	N/A
Max resolution over VGA	1920x1200@60Hz	N/A

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-4790 and Xeon E3-1220 v6 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	11.2/12	N/A
OpenGL	4.3	N/A

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-4790 and Xeon E3-1220 v6.

PCIe version	Up to 3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	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.

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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	4.57	3.46
Recency	1 May 2014	28 March 2017
Threads	8	4
Chip lithography	22 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	84 Watt	72 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-4790 and Xeon E3-1220 v6, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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