i5-8420 vs i7-990X

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-990X and Core i5-8420 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1290	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.21	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	no data	Intel Core i5
Architecture codename	Gulftown (2010−2011)	Coffee Lake (2017−2019)
Release date	24 February 2011 (13 years ago)	1 September 2018 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,104	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-990X and Core i5-8420 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	6
Base clock speed	3.46 GHz	2.9 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.73 GHz	4.1 GHz
Bus type	no data	DMI 3.0
Bus rate	6.4 GT/s	4 × 8 GT/s
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	384 KB
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	1.5 MB
L3 cache	12 MB (shared)	9 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Die size	239 mm2	126 mm2
Maximum core temperature	68 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	72 °C
Number of transistors	1,170 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-990X and Core i5-8420 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	FCLGA1366,LGA1366	1151
Power consumption (TDP)	130 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-990X and Core i5-8420. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2	no data
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	-	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	1.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
PAE	36 Bit	no data
Status	Discontinued	no data

Security technologies

Core i7-990X and Core i5-8420 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 i7-990X and Core i5-8420 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-990X and Core i5-8420. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4 Dual-channel
Maximum memory size	24 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	3	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	42.671 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card

no data

Intel UHD Graphics 630

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-990X and Core i5-8420.

PCIe version

2.0

3.0

Pros & cons summary

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Recency	24 February 2011	1 September 2018
Threads	12	6
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	130 Watt	65 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-990X and Core i5-8420, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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