Xeon E5540 vs Core i7-5820K

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-5820K and Xeon E5540 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1001	1922
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	2.16	3.05
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Architecture codename	Haswell-E (2014)	Gainestown (2009−2010)
Release date	1 September 2014 (9 years ago)	March 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$410	$30
Current price	$247 (0.6x MSRP)	$105 (3.5x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E5540 has 41% better value for money than i7-5820K.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-5820K and Xeon E5540 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	2.53 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.6 GHz	2.8 GHz
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)	8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	45 nm
Die size	356 mm2	263 mm2
Maximum core temperature	67 °C	76 °C
Number of transistors	2,600 million	731 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-5820K and Xeon E5540 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	2
Socket	FCLGA2011	FCLGA1366
Power consumption (TDP)	140 Watt	80 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-5820K and Xeon E5540. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	no data
AES-NI	+	no data
AVX	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	1.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	+	no data
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	no data
Smart Response	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	-	+
PAE	no data	40 Bit
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Core i7-5820K and Xeon E5540 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Identity Protection	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-5820K and Xeon E5540 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-5820K and Xeon E5540. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4	DDR3
Maximum memory size	64 GB	144 GB
Max memory channels	4	3
Maximum memory bandwidth	68 GB/s	25.6 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-5820K and Xeon E5540.

PCIe version	3.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	28	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 i7-5820K outperforms Xeon E5540 by 253% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

---

Pros & cons summary

---

Performance score	6.36	1.80
Physical cores	6	4
Threads	12	8
Cost	$410	$30
Chip lithography	22 nm	45 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	140 Watt	80 Watt

---

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-5820K and Xeon E5540, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.

---