Core i7-870 vs Xeon X3480

Primary details

Comparing Xeon X3480 and Core i7-870 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1796	1831
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.84	0.95
Market segment	Server	Desktop processor
Architecture codename	no data	Lynnfield (2009−2010)
Release date	1 April 2010 (14 years ago)	September 2009 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$305
Current price	$116	$119 (0.4x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i7-870 has 13% better value for money than Xeon X3480.

Detailed specifications

Xeon X3480 and Core i7-870 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	4 (Quad-Core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	8	8
Base clock speed	3.06 GHz	2.93 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.73 GHz	3.6 GHz
L1 cache	no data	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	no data	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	8 MB Intel® Smart Cache	8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	45 nm	45 nm
Die size	no data	296 mm2
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	73 °C
Number of transistors	no data	774 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Xeon X3480 and Core i7-870 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	FCLGA1156,LGA1156	FCLGA1156,LGA1156
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon X3480 and Core i7-870. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2	Intel® SSE4.2
AES-NI	-	-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	1.0	1.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	-	-
Demand Based Switching	+	-
PAE	36 Bit	36 Bit
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Xeon X3480 and Core i7-870 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon X3480 and Core i7-870 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon X3480 and Core i7-870. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3-800, DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333	DDR3
Maximum memory size	32 GB	16 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	21 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon X3480 and Core i7-870.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	16	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.

Xeon X3480 outperforms Core i7-870 by 5% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score

2.12

2.02

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Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon X3480 and Core i7-870, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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