Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition vs Core i7-5930K

General info

Comparing Core i7-5930K and Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	935	1006
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Value for money	1.05	0.72
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	no data	Intel Core i7EE
Architecture codename	Haswell-E (2014)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	1 September 2014 (9 years ago)	12 November 2012 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$613	no data
Current price	$595 (1x MSRP)	$690

Value for money

Performance per price, higher is better.

i7-5930K has 46% better value for money than i7-3970X Extreme Edition.

Technical specs

Core i7-5930K and Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition 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)	6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads	12	12
Base clock speed	3.5 GHz	no data
Boost clock speed	3.7 GHz	3.5 GHz
Bus support	no data	5 GT/s
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	no data
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	1,536 KB
L3 cache	15 MB (shared)	15 MB
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Die size	356 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	67 °C	no data
Number of transistors	2,600 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-5930K and Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition 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	FCLGA2011	no data
Power consumption (TDP)	140 Watt	150 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-5930K and Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

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

Security technologies

Core i7-5930K and Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	no data
EDB	+	no data
Identity Protection	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-5930K and Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition 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 i7-5930K and Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4	no data
Maximum memory size	64 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	4	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	68 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	-	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-5930K and Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition.

PCIe version	3.0	2.00
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.

Core i7-5930K outperforms Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition by 12% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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Advantages and disadvantages

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Performance score	6.67	5.97
Recency	1 September 2014	12 November 2012
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	140 Watt	150 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-5930K and Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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