Xeon 5120 vs Core i9-7940X
Primary details
Comparing Core i9-7940X and Xeon 5120 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 355 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 3.19 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Series | Intel Core i9 | no data |
| Architecture codename | Skylake (server) (2017−2019) | Woodcrest (2006) |
| Release date | 1 September 2017 (6 years ago) | June 2006 (18 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1,399 | $45 |
| Current price | $1926 (1.4x MSRP) | $172 (3.8x MSRP) |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i9-7940X and Xeon 5120 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 | 14 (Tetradeca-Core) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 28 | 2 |
| Base clock speed | 3.1 GHz | 1.86 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.4 GHz | 1.87 GHz |
| Bus support | 4 × 8 GT/s | no data |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 0 KB |
| L2 cache | 1 MB (per core) | 4 MB |
| L3 cache | 19.25 MB (shared) | 0 KB |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 65 nm |
| Die size | 484 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | 102 °C | 65 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | Yes | No |
| VID voltage range | no data | B2=1.0V-1.5V, G0=.85V-1.5V |
Compatibility
Information on Core i9-7940X and Xeon 5120 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 | FCLGA2066 | LGA771 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 165 Watt | 65 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-7940X and Xeon 5120. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 | no data |
| AES-NI | + | no data |
| AVX | + | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | - |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | - |
| TSX | + | no data |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | no data | + |
| Demand Based Switching | no data | - |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | + | no data |
| FSB parity | no data | + |
| Status | Discontinued | Discontinued |
Security technologies
Core i9-7940X and Xeon 5120 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | - |
| EDB | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-7940X and Xeon 5120 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 i9-7940X and Xeon 5120. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4-2666 | DDR2 |
| Maximum memory size | 128 GB | no data |
| Max memory channels | 4 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 85 GB/s | no data |
| ECC memory support | - | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | N/A | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i9-7940X and Xeon 5120.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | no data |
| PCI Express lanes | 44 | no data |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
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 i9-7940X outperforms Xeon 5120 by 3310% in Passmark.
Pros & cons summary
| Physical cores | 14 | 2 |
| Threads | 28 | 2 |
| Cost | $1399 | $45 |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 65 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 165 Watt | 65 Watt |
We couldn't decide between Core i9-7940X and Xeon 5120. We've got no test results to judge.
Note that Core i9-7940X is a desktop processor while Xeon 5120 is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-7940X and Xeon 5120, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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