Core i5-2500S vs Core i7-960
Aggregated performance score
Core i5-2500S outperforms Core i7-960 by 2% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Primary Details
Comparing Core i7-960 and Core i5-2500S processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 1748 | 1727 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation | 1.01 | 4.87 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Series | Core i7 (Desktop) | no data |
| Architecture codename | Bloomfield (2008−2010) | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) |
| Release date | October 2009 (14 years ago) | 9 January 2011 (13 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $316 | $75 |
| Current price | $129 (0.4x MSRP) | $44 (0.6x MSRP) |
Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
i5-2500S has 382% better value for money than i7-960.
Detailed Specifications
Core i7-960 and Core i5-2500S 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 | 3.2 GHz | 2.7 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.46 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| Bus support | 1333 MHz | no data |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 256 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 8 MB (shared) | 6144 KB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | 263 mm2 | 216 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 68 °C | 69 °C |
| Number of transistors | 731 million | 1,160 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-960 and Core i5-2500S 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 | FCLGA1366 | LGA1155 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 65 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-960 and Core i5-2500S. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX |
| AES-NI | - | + |
| AVX | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | - |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | - | + |
| Flex Memory Access | no data | + |
| Demand Based Switching | - | no data |
| PAE | 36 Bit | no data |
| FDI | no data | + |
| Fast Memory Access | no data | + |
| Status | Discontinued | Discontinued |
Security technologies
Core i7-960 and Core i5-2500S 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 i7-960 and Core i5-2500S are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-960 and Core i5-2500S. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | 24 GB | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | 3 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 25.6 GB/s | 21 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel HD Graphics 2000 |
| Quick Sync Video | no data | + |
| Clear Video HD | no data | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1.1 GHz |
| InTru 3D | no data | + |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-960 and Core i5-2500S integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 2 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-960 and Core i5-2500S.
| PCIe version | no data | 2.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 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.
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 i5-2500S outperforms Core i7-960 by 2% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.
Benchmark coverage: 68%
Core i5-2500S outperforms Core i7-960 by 2% in Passmark.
GeekBench 5 Single-Core
GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Core i5-2500S outperforms Core i7-960 by 18% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Core i7-960 outperforms Core i5-2500S by 12% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.
Pros & Cons Summary
| Performance score | 2.16 | 2.20 |
| Threads | 8 | 4 |
| Cost | $316 | $75 |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 32 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 65 Watt |
Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Core i7-960 and Core i5-2500S.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-960 and Core i5-2500S, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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