i7-3720QM vs Xeon E5-1660

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E5-1660 and Core i7-3720QM processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1171	1511
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	3.84	no data
Market segment	Server	Laptop
Series	no data	Intel Core i7
Power efficiency	3.86	7.51
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge-E (2011−2013)	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
Release date	6 March 2012 (12 years ago)	29 April 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$290	$378

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E5-1660 and Core i7-3720QM 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	6 (Hexa-Core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	12	8
Base clock speed	3.3 GHz	2.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.9 GHz	3.6 GHz
Bus rate	no data	5 GT/s
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	64K (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	256K (per core)
L3 cache	15360 KB (shared)	6 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Die size	435 mm2	160 mm2
Maximum core temperature	64 °C	105 °C
Number of transistors	2,270 million	1,400 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E5-1660 and Core i7-3720QM 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
Socket	FCLGA2011	FCBGA1224,FCPGA988
Power consumption (TDP)	130 Watt	45 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-1660 and Core i7-3720QM. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX	Intel® AVX
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	no data	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	-	+
Demand Based Switching	+	-
FDI	no data	+
Fast Memory Access	no data	+

Security technologies

Xeon E5-1660 and Core i7-3720QM technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	no data	+
Identity Protection	-	+
Anti-Theft	no data	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5-1660 and Core i7-3720QM are enumerated here.

AMD-V	-	+
VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-1660 and Core i7-3720QM. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	256 GB	32 GB
Max memory channels	4	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	51.2 GB/s	25.6 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	N/A	Intel HD Graphics 4000
Quick Sync Video	-	+
Clear Video HD	no data	+
Graphics max frequency	no data	1.25 GHz
InTru 3D	no data	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Xeon E5-1660 and Core i7-3720QM integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	no data	3
eDP	no data	+
DisplayPort	-	+
HDMI	-	+
SDVO	no data	+
CRT	no data	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-1660 and Core i7-3720QM.

PCIe version	3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	40	16

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

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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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	5.40	3.64
Recency	6 March 2012	29 April 2012
Physical cores	6	4
Threads	12	8
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	130 Watt	45 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-1660 and Core i7-3720QM, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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