i7-6950X Extreme Edition vs Xeon E3-1246 v3
Primary details
Comparing Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1266 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Series | no data | Intel Core i7EE |
| Architecture codename | no data | Broadwell (2015−2019) |
| Release date | 1 April 2014 (10 years ago) | no data |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $1,743 |
Detailed specifications
Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition 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 | 4 (Quad-Core) | 10 (Deca-Core) |
| Threads | 8 | 20 |
| Base clock speed | 3.5 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 3.9 GHz | 3 GHz |
| Bus type | no data | DMI 2.0 |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | no data |
| Multiplier | no data | 30 |
| L2 cache | no data | 2.5 MB |
| L3 cache | 8 MB Intel® Smart Cache | 25 MB |
| Chip lithography | 22 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | no data | 246 mm2 |
| Number of transistors | no data | 3400 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition 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 | FCLGA1150 | no data |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 84 Watt | 140 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 | no data |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | - | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| My WiFi | - | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| TSX | + | - |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| Flex Memory Access | + | no data |
| SIPP | + | - |
| FDI | + | no data |
| Fast Memory Access | + | no data |
| Status | Discontinued | no data |
Security technologies
Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | no data |
| EDB | + | no data |
| Secure Key | + | no data |
| Identity Protection | + | - |
| OS Guard | + | no data |
| Anti-Theft | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition 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 Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3L-1333, DDR3L-1600 | no data |
| Maximum memory size | 32 GB | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 25.6 GB/s | no data |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Max video memory | 1.7 GB | no data |
| Quick Sync Video | + | - |
| Clear Video HD | + | no data |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.2 GHz | no data |
| Execution Units | 20 | no data |
| InTru 3D | + | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 3 | no data |
| eDP | + | no data |
| DisplayPort | + | - |
| HDMI | + | - |
| VGA | + | no data |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | 3840x2160@60Hz | no data |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | 3840x2160@60Hz | no data |
| Max resolution over VGA | 2880x1800@60Hz | no data |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | 11.2 | no data |
| OpenGL | 4.3 | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | 40 |
Pros & cons summary
| Physical cores | 4 | 10 |
| Threads | 8 | 20 |
| Chip lithography | 22 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 84 Watt | 140 Watt |
Xeon E3-1246 v3 has 66.7% lower power consumption.
i7-6950X Extreme Edition, on the other hand, has 150% more physical cores and 150% more threads, and a 57.1% more advanced lithography process.
We couldn't decide between Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition. We've got no test results to judge.
Be aware that Xeon E3-1246 v3 is a server/workstation processor while Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E3-1246 v3 and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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