5 120U vs i9-9960X
Aggregate performance score
Core i9-9960X outperforms Core 5 120U by an impressive 85% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 438 | 963 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 3.72 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | Intel Core i9 | Raptor Lake-U |
| Power efficiency | 11.03 | 65.64 |
| Designer | Intel | Intel |
| Manufacturer | Intel | Intel |
| Architecture codename | Skylake (server) (2017−2018) | Raptor Lake-U Refresh (2024) |
| Release date | 19 October 2018 (7 years ago) | 8 January 2024 (1 year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1,684 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Performance to price scatter graph
Detailed specifications
Core i9-9960X and Core 5 120U 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) | 10 (Deca-Core) |
| Performance-cores | no data | 2 |
| Efficient-cores | no data | 8 |
| Threads | 32 | 12 |
| Base clock speed | 3.1 GHz | 1.4 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.5 GHz | 5 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 3.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 4 × 8 GT/s | 55 MHz |
| Multiplier | 31 | no data |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 80 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 1 MB (per core) | 1.25 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 22 MB (shared) | 12 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 10 nm |
| Die size | 484 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | 85 °C | 100 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | no data |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i9-9960X and Core 5 120U 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 (Uniprocessor) | 1 |
| Socket | FCLGA2066 | FCBGA1744 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 165 Watt | 15 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-9960X and Core 5 120U. 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® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Speed Shift | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | + |
| TSX | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | - | + |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | + | - |
| Deep Learning Boost | - | + |
Security technologies
Core i9-9960X and Core 5 120U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
| EDB | + | + |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-9960X and Core 5 120U are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i9-9960X and Core 5 120U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4-2666 | DDR5-5200, DDR4-3200, LPDDR4X-4267 |
| Maximum memory size | 128 GB | 96 GB |
| Max memory channels | 4 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 85.33 GB/s | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | N/A | Intel® Graphics |
| Quick Sync Video | - | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1.3 GHz |
| Execution Units | no data | 80 |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i9-9960X and Core 5 120U integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 4 |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i9-9960X and Core 5 120U integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | no data | 4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz |
| Max resolution over eDP | no data | 4096 x 2304 @ 120Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | no data | 7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i9-9960X and Core 5 120U 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 i9-9960X and Core 5 120U.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 44 | 8 |
Synthetic benchmarks
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.
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. Other than that, Passmark measures multi-core performance.
GeekBench 5 Single-Core
GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 16.98 | 9.19 |
| Recency | 19 October 2018 | 8 January 2024 |
| Physical cores | 16 | 10 |
| Threads | 32 | 12 |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 10 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 165 Watt | 15 Watt |
i9-9960X has a 84.8% higher aggregate performance score, and 60% more physical cores and 166.7% more threads.
5 120U, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 5 years, a 40% more advanced lithography process, and 1000% lower power consumption.
The Intel Core i9-9960X is our recommended choice as it beats the Intel Core 5 120U in performance tests.
Note that Core i9-9960X is a desktop processor while Core 5 120U is a notebook one.
Other comparisons
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