i7-3970X Extreme Edition vs Xeon E5-2660 v4
Aggregate performance score
Xeon E5-2660 v4 outperforms Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition by an impressive 74% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon E5-2660 v4 and Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 747 | 1093 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 2.96 | no data |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Xeon E5 | Intel Core i7EE |
| Architecture codename | Broadwell (2015−2019) | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) |
| Release date | 20 June 2016 (8 years ago) | 12 November 2012 (11 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1,445 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Xeon E5-2660 v4 and Core i7-3970X 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 | 14 (Tetradeca-Core) | 6 (Hexa-Core) |
| Threads | 28 | 12 |
| Base clock speed | 2 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 3.2 GHz | 3.5 GHz |
| Bus type | QPI | DMI 2.0 |
| Bus rate | 2 × 9.6 GT/s | 5 GT/s |
| Multiplier | 20 | 35 |
| L2 cache | 3.5 MB | 1,536 KB |
| L3 cache | 35 MB | 15 MB |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | 306.18 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | 79 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 4700 Million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon E5-2660 v4 and Core i7-3970X 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 | 2 (Multiprocessor) | 1 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | FCLGA2011 | no data |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 105 Watt | 150 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-2660 v4 and Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® AVX2 | no data |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | + | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| TSX | + | - |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| Flex Memory Access | - | no data |
| Demand Based Switching | + | no data |
| PAE | 46 Bit | no data |
| Status | Discontinued | no data |
Security technologies
Xeon E5-2660 v4 and Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | no data |
| EDB | + | no data |
| Secure Key | + | no data |
| OS Guard | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5-2660 v4 and Core i7-3970X 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 E5-2660 v4 and Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133, DDR4-2400 | no data |
| Maximum memory size | 1,536 GB | 64 GB |
| Max memory channels | 4 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 76.8 GB/s | no data |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-2660 v4 and Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 2.00 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 40 |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 10.40 | 5.99 |
| Recency | 20 June 2016 | 12 November 2012 |
| Physical cores | 14 | 6 |
| Threads | 28 | 12 |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 32 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 105 Watt | 150 Watt |
Xeon E5-2660 v4 has a 73.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, 133.3% more physical cores and 133.3% more threads, a 128.6% more advanced lithography process, and 42.9% lower power consumption.
The Xeon E5-2660 v4 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon E5-2660 v4 is a server/workstation processor while Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-2660 v4 and Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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