Core i3-N305 vs Core i7-990X EE
Aggregate performance score
i3-N305 outperforms i7-990X EE by an impressive 52% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-990X EE and Core i3-N305 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 1297 | 983 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | Core i7 (Desktop) | no data |
| Architecture codename | Gulftown (2010−2011) | Alder Lake-N |
| Release date | no data | 3 January 2023 (1 year ago) |
Detailed specifications
Core i7-990X EE and Core i3-N305 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) | 8 (Octa-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 8 |
| Base clock speed | no data | 0.1 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.73 GHz | 3.8 GHz |
| Bus support | 6400 MHz | no data |
| L1 cache | no data | 96 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | no data | 2 MB (per module) |
| L3 cache | no data | 6 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | Intel 7 nm |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 105 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-990X EE and Core i3-N305 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 | no data | 1 |
| Socket | LGA-1366 | FCBGA1264 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 15 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-990X EE and Core i3-N305. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | no data | + |
| FMA | no data | + |
| AVX | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | no data | + |
| Speed Shift | no data | + |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | - |
| Thermal Monitoring | no data | + |
| GPIO | no data | + |
| Status | no data | Launched |
Security technologies
Core i7-990X EE and Core i3-N305 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-990X EE and Core i3-N305 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 i7-990X EE and Core i3-N305. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR4, DDR5 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 16 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 1 |
| ECC memory support | no data | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel UHD Graphics |
| Quick Sync Video | no data | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1.25 GHz |
| Execution Units | no data | 32 |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-990X EE and Core i3-N305 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 3 |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-990X EE and Core i3-N305 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| 4K resolution support | no data | + |
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | no data | 4096 x 2160@60Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | no data | 4096 x 2160@60Hz |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i7-990X EE and Core i3-N305 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | no data | 12.1 |
| OpenGL | no data | 4.6 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-990X EE and Core i3-N305.
| PCIe version | no data | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 9 |
| USB revision | no data | 2.0/3.2 |
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 i3-N305 outperforms Core i7-990X EE by 52% based on our aggregate 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 i3-N305 outperforms Core i7-990X EE by 52% in Passmark.
Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core
Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.
Benchmark coverage: 20%
Core i3-N305 outperforms Core i7-990X EE by 34% in Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core.
Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.
Benchmark coverage: 19%
Core i3-N305 outperforms Core i7-990X EE by 18% in Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core.
3DMark06 CPU
3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.
Benchmark coverage: 19%
Core i3-N305 outperforms Core i7-990X EE by 29% in 3DMark06 CPU.
wPrime 32
wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.
Benchmark coverage: 18%
Core i3-N305 outperforms Core i7-990X EE by 592% in wPrime 32.
Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.
Benchmark coverage: 17%
Core i3-N305 outperforms Core i7-990X EE by 28% in Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 4.28 | 6.52 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 8 |
| Threads | 12 | 8 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 15 Watt |
The Core i3-N305 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-990X EE in performance tests.
Note that Core i7-990X EE is a desktop processor while Core i3-N305 is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-990X EE and Core i3-N305, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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