Xeon X5660 vs E3-1280 v2

VS

Aggregate performance score

Xeon E3-1280 v2
2012
4 cores / 8 threads, 69 Watt
4.13
+9%
Xeon X5660
2010
6 cores / 12 threads, 95 Watt
3.79

Xeon E3-1280 v2 outperforms Xeon X5660 by a small 9% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E3-1280 v2 and Xeon X5660 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking13981480
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation1.083.05
Market segmentServerServer
Power efficiency5.663.78
Architecture codenameIvy Bridge (2012−2013)Westmere-EP (2010−2011)
Release date14 May 2012 (12 years ago)16 March 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$645$33

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon X5660 has 182% better value for money than Xeon E3-1280 v2.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E3-1280 v2 and Xeon X5660 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 cores4 (Quad-Core)6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads812
Base clock speed3.6 GHz2.8 GHz
Boost clock speed4 GHz3.2 GHz
Bus rate5 GT/sno data
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache256 KB (per core)256 KB (per core)
L3 cache8 MB (shared)12 MB (shared)
Chip lithography22 nm32 nm
Die size160 mm2239 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data81 °C
Number of transistors1,400 million1,170 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E3-1280 v2 and Xeon X5660 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 configuration12
SocketFCLGA1155FCLGA1366,LGA1366
Power consumption (TDP)69 Watt95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E3-1280 v2 and Xeon X5660. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVXIntel® SSE4.2
AES-NI++
AVX+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology2.01.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring+-
Flex Memory Access+no data
Demand Based Switching++
PAEno data40 Bit
Fast Memory Access+no data

Security technologies

Xeon E3-1280 v2 and Xeon X5660 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT++
EDB++
Identity Protection+-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E3-1280 v2 and Xeon X5660 are enumerated here.

VT-d++
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E3-1280 v2 and Xeon X5660. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size32.77 GB288 GB
Max memory channels23
Maximum memory bandwidth25.6 GB/s32 GB/s
ECC memory support++

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E3-1280 v2 and Xeon X5660.

PCIe version3.02.0

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.

Xeon E3-1280 v2 4.13
+9%
Xeon X5660 3.79

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.

Xeon E3-1280 v2 6564
+9.1%
Xeon X5660 6015

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.

Xeon E3-1280 v2 705
+52.9%
Xeon X5660 461

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.

Xeon E3-1280 v2 2424
+10.4%
Xeon X5660 2196

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 4.13 3.79
Recency 14 May 2012 16 March 2010
Physical cores 4 6
Threads 8 12
Chip lithography 22 nm 32 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 69 Watt 95 Watt

Xeon E3-1280 v2 has a 9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 37.7% lower power consumption.

Xeon X5660, on the other hand, has 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Xeon E3-1280 v2 and Xeon X5660.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E3-1280 v2 and Xeon X5660, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Xeon E3-1280 v2
Xeon E3-1280 v2
Intel Xeon X5660
Xeon X5660

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Community ratings

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