i7-4960X Extreme Edition vs Xeon E3-1286 v3

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E3-1286 v3 and Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking1288not rated
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
Seriesno dataIntel Core i7EE
Power efficiency5.26no data
Architecture codenameno dataIvy Bridge (2012−2013)
Release date1 April 2014 (10 years ago)10 September 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$999

Detailed specifications

Xeon E3-1286 v3 and Core i7-4960X 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 cores4 (Quad-Core)6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads812
Base clock speed3.7 GHzno data
Boost clock speed4.1 GHz3.6 GHz
Bus typeno dataDMI 2.0
Bus rate5 GT/s5 GT/s
Multiplierno data36
L2 cacheno data1,536 KB
L3 cache8 MB Intel® Smart Cache15 MB
Chip lithography22 nm22 nm
Die sizeno data256.5 mm2
Number of transistorsno data1860 Million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-no data

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E3-1286 v3 and Core i7-4960X 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 configuration1no data
SocketFCLGA1150no data
Power consumption (TDP)84 Watt130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E3-1286 v3 and Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2no data
AES-NI++
AVX-+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology2.0no 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

Security technologies

Xeon E3-1286 v3 and Core i7-4960X 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 E3-1286 v3 and Core i7-4960X 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 E3-1286 v3 and Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3L-1333, DDR3L-1600no data
Maximum memory size32 GB64 GB
Max memory channels2no data
Maximum memory bandwidth25.6 GB/sno data
ECC memory support+-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Max video memory1.7 GBno data
Quick Sync Video+-
Clear Video HD+no data
Graphics max frequency1.3 GHzno data
Execution Units20no data
InTru 3D+no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Xeon E3-1286 v3 and Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported3no data
eDP+no data
DisplayPort+-
HDMI+-
VGA+no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Xeon E3-1286 v3 and Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.43840x2160@60Hzno data
Max resolution over DisplayPort3840x2160@60Hzno data
Max resolution over VGA2880x1800@60Hzno data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Xeon E3-1286 v3 and Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX11.2no data
OpenGL4.3no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E3-1286 v3 and Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition.

PCIe version3.03.00
PCI Express lanes1640

Pros & cons summary


Recency 1 April 2014 10 September 2013
Physical cores 4 6
Threads 8 12
Power consumption (TDP) 84 Watt 130 Watt

Xeon E3-1286 v3 has an age advantage of 6 months, and 54.8% lower power consumption.

i7-4960X Extreme Edition, on the other hand, has 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads.

We couldn't decide between Xeon E3-1286 v3 and Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition. We've got no test results to judge.

Be aware that Xeon E3-1286 v3 is a server/workstation processor while Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E3-1286 v3 and Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition, 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.


Intel Xeon E3-1286 v3
Xeon E3-1286 v3
Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition
Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition

Similar processor comparisons

We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.

Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


4 22 votes

Rate Xeon E3-1286 v3 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
5 2 votes

Rate Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Xeon E3-1286 v3 or Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.