Core 5 120U vs Xeon E5-2660
Aggregate performance score
5 120U outperforms Xeon E5-2660 by a whopping 113% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon E5-2660 and Core 5 120U processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 1160 | 679 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 6.78 | no data |
| Market segment | Server | Laptop |
| Series | no data | Raptor Lake-U |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge-EP (2012) | Raptor Lake-U Refresh (2024) |
| Release date | 6 March 2012 (12 years ago) | 8 January 2024 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $85 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Xeon E5-2660 and Core 5 120U 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 | 8 (Octa-Core) | 10 (Deca-Core) |
| Threads | 16 | 12 |
| Base clock speed | 2.2 GHz | 1.4 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3 GHz | 5 GHz |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 80 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 1.25 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 20480 KB (shared) | 12 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 10 nm |
| Die size | 435 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | 73 °C | 100 °C |
| Number of transistors | 2,270 million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | no data |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon E5-2660 and Core 5 120U 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 | 1 |
| Socket | 2011 | Intel BGA 1744 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 15 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-2660 and Core 5 120U. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| TSX | no data | + |
Security technologies
Xeon E5-2660 and Core 5 120U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5-2660 and Core 5 120U are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-2660 and Core 5 120U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR4, DDR5 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 51.2 GB/s | no data |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-2660 and Core 5 120U.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 8 |
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 5.27 | 11.20 |
| Recency | 6 March 2012 | 8 January 2024 |
| Physical cores | 8 | 10 |
| Threads | 16 | 12 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 10 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 15 Watt |
Xeon E5-2660 has 33.3% more threads.
5 120U, on the other hand, has a 112.5% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 11 years, 25% more physical cores, a 220% more advanced lithography process, and 533.3% lower power consumption.
The Core 5 120U is our recommended choice as it beats the Xeon E5-2660 in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon E5-2660 is a server/workstation processor while Core 5 120U is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-2660 and Core 5 120U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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