i7-3960X vs Xeon E5-2690
Aggregate performance score
Xeon E5-2690 outperforms Core i7-3960X by a moderate 15% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon E5-2690 and Core i7-3960X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1092 | 1182 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 3.92 | 0.42 |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Series | no data | Core i7 (Desktop) |
| Power efficiency | 4.30 | 3.88 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge-EP (2012) | Sandy Bridge-E (2011−2013) |
| Release date | 6 March 2012 (12 years ago) | 14 November 2011 (13 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $397 | $861 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Xeon E5-2690 has 833% better value for money than i7-3960X.
Detailed specifications
Xeon E5-2690 and Core i7-3960X 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) | 6 (Hexa-Core) |
| Threads | 16 | 12 |
| Base clock speed | 2.9 GHz | 3.3 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.8 GHz | 3.9 GHz |
| Bus rate | 8 GT/s | 5 GT/s |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 256 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 20480 KB (shared) | 15 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | 435 mm2 | 435 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 72 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 67 °C |
| Number of transistors | 2,270 million | 2,270 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon E5-2690 and Core i7-3960X 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 | FCLGA2011 | FCLGA2011 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 135 Watt | 130 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-2690 and Core i7-3960X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® AVX | Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | + |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | + |
| Flex Memory Access | - | no data |
| Smart Response | no data | + |
| Demand Based Switching | + | - |
Security technologies
Xeon E5-2690 and Core i7-3960X 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 E5-2690 and Core i7-3960X are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-2690 and Core i7-3960X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | 384 GB | 64 GB |
| Max memory channels | 4 | 4 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 51.2 GB/s | 51.2 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | N/A | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-2690 and Core i7-3960X.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 40 |
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.
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 6.13 | 5.32 |
| Recency | 6 March 2012 | 14 November 2011 |
| Physical cores | 8 | 6 |
| Threads | 16 | 12 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 135 Watt | 130 Watt |
Xeon E5-2690 has a 15.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 months, and 33.3% more physical cores and 33.3% more threads.
i7-3960X, on the other hand, has 3.8% lower power consumption.
The Xeon E5-2690 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-3960X in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon E5-2690 is a server/workstation processor while Core i7-3960X is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-2690 and Core i7-3960X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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