i7-2600S vs Xeon E3-1290 v2

Aggregate performance score

Xeon E3-1290 v2
2012
4 cores / 8 threads, 87 Watt
4.13
+36.8%

Xeon E3-1290 v2 outperforms Core i7-2600S by a substantial 37% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E3-1290 v2 and Core i7-2600S processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking14151650
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.690.45
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
Power efficiency4.334.24
Architecture codenameIvy Bridge (2012−2013)Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date14 May 2012 (12 years ago)9 January 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$885$210

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E3-1290 v2 has 53% better value for money than i7-2600S.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E3-1290 v2 and Core i7-2600S 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)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads88
Base clock speed3.7 GHz2.8 GHz
Boost clock speed4.1 GHz3.8 GHz
Bus rate5 GT/s5 GT/s
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache256 KB (per core)256 KB (per core)
L3 cache8 MB (shared)8192 KB (shared)
Chip lithography22 nm32 nm
Die size160 mm2216 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data69 °C
Number of transistors1,400 million1,160 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E3-1290 v2 and Core i7-2600S 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 configuration11
SocketFCLGA1155LGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)87 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E3-1290 v2 and Core i7-2600S. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVXIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
AES-NI++
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology2.02.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
Flex Memory Access++
Demand Based Switching+no data
FDIno data+
Fast Memory Access++

Security technologies

Xeon E3-1290 v2 and Core i7-2600S 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 E3-1290 v2 and Core i7-2600S are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E3-1290 v2 and Core i7-2600S. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size32.77 GB32 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth25.6 GB/s21 GB/s
ECC memory support+-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel HD Graphics 2000
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Video HDno data+
Graphics max frequencyno data1.35 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Xeon E3-1290 v2 and Core i7-2600S integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data2

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E3-1290 v2 and Core i7-2600S.

PCIe version3.02.0
PCI Express lanesno data16

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 E3-1290 v2 4.13
+36.8%
i7-2600S 3.02

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 E3-1290 v2 6315
+36.5%
i7-2600S 4628

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 E3-1290 v2 713
+22.5%
i7-2600S 582

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 E3-1290 v2 2498
+41.1%
i7-2600S 1770

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 4.13 3.02
Recency 14 May 2012 9 January 2011
Chip lithography 22 nm 32 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 87 Watt 65 Watt

Xeon E3-1290 v2 has a 36.8% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, and a 45.5% more advanced lithography process.

i7-2600S, on the other hand, has 33.8% lower power consumption.

The Xeon E3-1290 v2 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-2600S in performance tests.

Be aware that Xeon E3-1290 v2 is a server/workstation processor while Core i7-2600S is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E3-1290 v2 and Core i7-2600S, 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 E3-1290 v2
Xeon E3-1290 v2
Intel Core i7-2600S
Core i7-2600S

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.


4.1 237 votes

Rate Xeon E3-1290 v2 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
3.6 105 votes

Rate Core i7-2600S on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Xeon E3-1290 v2 or Core i7-2600S, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.