i7-870 vs Xeon X5670

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Aggregate performance score

Xeon X5670
2010
6 cores / 12 threads, 95 Watt
3.84
+93.9%
Core i7-870
2009
4 cores / 8 threads, 95 Watt
1.98

Xeon X5670 outperforms Core i7-870 by an impressive 94% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon X5670 and Core i7-870 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking14661943
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation1.060.24
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
SeriesXeon (Desktop)no data
Power efficiency3.831.97
Architecture codenameWestmere-EP (2010−2011)Lynnfield (2009−2010)
Release date16 March 2010 (14 years ago)8 September 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$67$305

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon X5670 has 342% better value for money than i7-870.

Detailed specifications

Xeon X5670 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 cores6 (Hexa-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads128
Base clock speed2.93 GHz2.93 GHz
Boost clock speed3.33 GHz3.6 GHz
Bus rate6400 MHz2.5 GT/s
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache256 KB (per core)256 KB (per core)
L3 cache12 MB (shared)8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm45 nm
Die size239 mm2296 mm2
Maximum core temperature81 °C73 °C
Number of transistors1,170 million774 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Xeon X5670 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 configuration21
SocketFCLGA1366,LGA1366FCLGA1156,LGA1156
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon X5670 and Core i7-870. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2Intel® SSE4.2
AES-NI+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology1.01.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Demand Based Switching+-
PAE40 Bit36 Bit

Security technologies

Xeon X5670 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 X5670 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 X5670 and Core i7-870. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size288 GB16 GB
Max memory channels32
Maximum memory bandwidth32 GB/s21 GB/s
ECC memory support+-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataN/A

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon X5670 and Core i7-870.

PCIe version2.02.0
PCI Express lanesno data16

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 X5670 3.84
+93.9%
i7-870 1.98

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 X5670 6105
+94.4%
i7-870 3141

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.

Xeon X5670 491
+3.4%
i7-870 475

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.

Xeon X5670 2280
+46.7%
i7-870 1554

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

Xeon X5670 3698
i7-870 4007
+8.4%

3DMark06 CPU

3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.

Xeon X5670 5794
i7-870 5881
+1.5%

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.

Xeon X5670 8
+42.5%
i7-870 5

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.84 1.98
Recency 16 March 2010 8 September 2009
Physical cores 6 4
Threads 12 8
Chip lithography 32 nm 45 nm

Xeon X5670 has a 93.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 6 months, 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.

The Xeon X5670 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-870 in performance tests.

Be aware that Xeon X5670 is a server/workstation processor while Core i7-870 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon X5670 and Core i7-870, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Xeon X5670
Xeon X5670
Intel Core i7-870
Core i7-870

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Xeon X5670 or Core i7-870, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.