Xeon E3-1220 vs Core i7-975

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-975 and Xeon E3-1220 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1739	1660
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.74	1.21
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Series	Core i7 (Desktop)	no data
Architecture codename	Bloomfield (2008−2010)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	June 2009 (15 years ago)	3 April 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$476	$395
Current price	$250 (0.5x MSRP)	$98 (0.2x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E3-1220 has 64% better value for money than i7-975.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-975 and Xeon E3-1220 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	3.33 GHz	3.1 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.6 GHz	3.4 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)	8 MB (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	Yes	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-975 and Xeon E3-1220 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	80 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-975 and Xeon E3-1220. 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	-	+
PAE	36 Bit	no data
FDI	no data	-
Fast Memory Access	no data	+
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Core i7-975 and Xeon E3-1220 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 i7-975 and Xeon E3-1220 are enumerated here.

VT-d	no data	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-975 and Xeon E3-1220. 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	-	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-975 and Xeon E3-1220.

PCIe version	no data	2.0
PCI Express lanes	no data	20

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.

Xeon E3-1220 outperforms Core i7-975 by 12% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	2.26	2.54
Threads	8	4
Cost	$476	$395
Chip lithography	45 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	130 Watt	80 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-975 and Xeon E3-1220, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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