i7-2600K vs Xeon E5-4650

Aggregate performance score

Xeon E5-4650
2012
8 cores / 16 threads, 130 Watt
5.29
+52.9%
Core i7-2600K
2011
4 cores / 8 threads, 95 Watt
3.46

Xeon E5-4650 outperforms Core i7-2600K by an impressive 53% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E5-4650 and Core i7-2600K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking11761543
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation1.370.40
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
Seriesno dataIntel Core i7 (Desktop)
Power efficiency3.853.45
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge-EP (2012)Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date14 May 2012 (12 years ago)9 January 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$799$317

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E5-4650 has 243% better value for money than i7-2600K.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E5-4650 and Core i7-2600K 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 cores8 (Octa-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads168
Base clock speed2.7 GHz3.4 GHz
Boost clock speed3.3 GHz3.8 GHz
Bus rate8 GT/s5 GT/s
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache256 KB (per core)256K (per core)
L3 cache20480 KB (shared)8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm32 nm
Die size435 mm2216 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data73 °C
Number of transistors2,270 million1,160 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplier-+

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E5-4650 and Core i7-2600K 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 configuration41
SocketFCLGA2011LGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)130 Watt95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-4650 and Core i7-2600K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® AVXIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
AES-NI++
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology2.0+
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
Flex Memory Access-+
Demand Based Switching+no data
FDIno data+
Fast Memory Accessno data+

Security technologies

Xeon E5-4650 and Core i7-2600K 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 E5-4650 and Core i7-2600K are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-4650 and Core i7-2600K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size384 GB32 GB
Max memory channels42
Maximum memory bandwidth51.2 GB/s21 GB/s
ECC memory support+-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel HD Graphics 3000
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Video HDno data+
Graphics max frequencyno data1.35 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Xeon E5-4650 and Core i7-2600K integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data2

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-4650 and Core i7-2600K.

PCIe version3.02.0
PCI Express lanes4016

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 E5-4650 5.29
+52.9%
i7-2600K 3.46

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 E5-4650 8407
+53.1%
i7-2600K 5490

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 5.29 3.46
Recency 14 May 2012 9 January 2011
Physical cores 8 4
Threads 16 8
Power consumption (TDP) 130 Watt 95 Watt

Xeon E5-4650 has a 52.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, and 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads.

i7-2600K, on the other hand, has 36.8% lower power consumption.

The Xeon E5-4650 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-2600K in performance tests.

Be aware that Xeon E5-4650 is a server/workstation processor while Core i7-2600K is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-4650 and Core i7-2600K, 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 E5-4650
Xeon E5-4650
Intel Core i7-2600K
Core i7-2600K

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.


4.3 15 votes

Rate Xeon E5-4650 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
4.2 1501 vote

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

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Xeon E5-4650 or Core i7-2600K, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.