Xeon E5-2670 v3 vs Core i9-7960X

Primary details

Comparing Core i9-7960X and Xeon E5-2670 v3 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	292	811
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	3.68	0.67
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Series	Intel Core i9	Intel Xeon E5
Architecture codename	Skylake (server) (2017−2019)	Haswell-EP (2014)
Release date	30 May 2017 (7 years ago)	8 September 2014 (9 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,699	$1,589
Current price	$2053 (1.2x MSRP)	$3059 (1.9x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i9-7960X has 449% better value for money than Xeon E5-2670 v3.

Detailed specifications

Core i9-7960X and Xeon E5-2670 v3 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	16 (Hexadeca-Core)	12 (Dodeca-Core)
Threads	32	24
Base clock speed	2.8 GHz	2.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.4 GHz	3.1 GHz
Bus support	4 × 8 GT/s	2 × 9.6 GT/s
L1 cache	1 MB	64K (per core)
L2 cache	16 MB	3 MB
L3 cache	22 MB (shared)	30 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	22 nm
Die size	484 mm2	306.18 mm2
Maximum core temperature	98 °C	85 °C
Number of transistors	no data	4700 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	-
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i9-7960X and Xeon E5-2670 v3 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	2
Socket	FCLGA2066	FCLGA2011
Power consumption (TDP)	165 Watt	120 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-7960X and Xeon E5-2670 v3. 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	Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	no data	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	+	-
Idle States	no data	+
Thermal Monitoring	no data	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	-
Demand Based Switching	no data	+
PAE	no data	46 Bit
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	+	no data
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Core i9-7960X and Xeon E5-2670 v3 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	no data	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	no data	+
Identity Protection	no data	-
OS Guard	no data	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-7960X and Xeon E5-2670 v3 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i9-7960X and Xeon E5-2670 v3. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-2666	DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133
Maximum memory size	128 GB	768 GB
Max memory channels	4	4
Maximum memory bandwidth	85 GB/s	68 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

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 i9-7960X and Xeon E5-2670 v3.

PCIe version	3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	44	40

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 i9-7960X outperforms Xeon E5-2670 v3 by 112% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

---

Pros & cons summary

---

Performance score	18.57	8.78
Recency	30 May 2017	8 September 2014
Physical cores	16	12
Threads	32	24
Cost	$1699	$1589
Chip lithography	14 nm	22 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	165 Watt	120 Watt

---

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-7960X and Xeon E5-2670 v3, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.

---