Atom E660 vs i7-970
Aggregate performance score
Core i7-970 outperforms Atom E660 by a whopping 3650% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1680 | 3696 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.32 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Power efficiency | 1.22 | 1.41 |
| Designer | Intel | Intel |
| Manufacturer | Intel | Intel |
| Architecture codename | Gulftown (2010−2011) | Tunnel Creek (2010) |
| Release date | 19 July 2010 (15 years ago) | 14 September 2010 (15 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $662 | $54 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Performance to price scatter graph
Detailed specifications
Basic parameters of Core i7-970 and Atom E660: 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) | 1 (Single-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 2 |
| Base clock speed | 3.2 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 3.46 GHz | 1.3 GHz |
| Bus rate | 4.8 GT/s | no data |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 512 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 12 MB (shared) | 0 KB |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 45 nm |
| Die size | 239 mm2 | 26 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 68 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 1,170 million | 47 million |
| 64 bit support | + | - |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-970 and Atom E660 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 | Intel BGA 676 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 3 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-970 and Atom E660. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.2 | no data |
| AES-NI | + | - |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 1.0 | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | + |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Demand Based Switching | - | no data |
| PAE | 36 Bit | no data |
Security technologies
Core i7-970 and Atom E660 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | no data |
| EDB | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-970 and Atom E660 are enumerated here.
| VT-x | + | no data |
| EPT | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-970 and Atom E660. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR2 |
| Maximum memory size | 24 GB | no data |
| Max memory channels | 3 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 25.6 GB/s | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel GMA 600 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-970 and Atom E660.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | no data |
Synthetic benchmarks
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.
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. Other than that, Passmark measures multi-core performance.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 3.75 | 0.10 |
| Recency | 19 July 2010 | 14 September 2010 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 1 |
| Threads | 12 | 2 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 45 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 3 Watt |
i7-970 has a 3650% higher aggregate performance score, 500% more physical cores and 500% more threads, and a 41% more advanced lithography process.
Atom E660, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 1 month, and 4233% lower power consumption.
The Intel Core i7-970 is our recommended choice as it beats the Intel Atom E660 in performance tests.
Note that Core i7-970 is a desktop processor while Atom E660 is a notebook one.
Other comparisons
We've compiled a selection of CPU comparisons, ranging from closely matched processors to other comparisons that may be of interest.
