Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition vs Xeon E5-1680 v2

Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition

6 Cores12 Thrd130 WWMax: 3.3 GHz2011

Xeon E5-1680 v2

8 Cores16 Thrd130 WWMax: 3.9 GHz2013

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition

6 / 12

12,460

+0.5%

12,396

0.0%

About PassMark

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition is positioned at rank 951 and the Xeon E5-1680 v2 is on rank 943, so the Xeon E5-1680 v2 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

24759%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

23395%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

16986%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

5117%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

4053%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

3546%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

2031%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

2004%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

1825%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

1825%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

1805%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

1756%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

1731%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

1724%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

1709%

#951

Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition

MSRP: $990|Avg: $150

100%

#952

Celeron E1200

MSRP: $53|Avg: $98

100%

#954

Core i5-660

MSRP: $196|Avg: $150

99%

#955

Athlon II X2 250

MSRP: $87|Avg: $15

99%

#956

Core i3-2120T

MSRP: $127|Avg: $38

98%

#957

Phenom II X3 720

MSRP: $130|Avg: $64

98%

#958

Pentium E6300

MSRP: $84|Avg: $15

98%

#959

Core i5-661

MSRP: $196|Avg: $40

97%

#960

Core i3-4150

MSRP: $281|Avg: $70

96%

#961

Core i5-750

MSRP: $210|Avg: $30

96%

#962

Core i3-2100T

MSRP: $127|Avg: $127

96%

#963

Pentium E2210

MSRP: $84|Avg: $15

95%

#964

Core i3-560

MSRP: $138|Avg: $10

95%

#965

Core i3-550

MSRP: $138|Avg: $5

94%

#966

Core i7-980

MSRP: $583|Avg: $50

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E5-1680 v2

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

28904%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

5457%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

4849%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

3746%

#528

Xeon E5-2687W v3

MSRP: $2141|Avg: $749

94%

#529

Xeon Max 9480

MSRP: $12980|Avg: $12980

89%

#943

Xeon E5-1680 v2

MSRP: $1723|Avg: $150

100%

#944

Opteron 144

MSRP: $65|Avg: $29

99%

#945

Opteron 4386

MSRP: $459|Avg: $459

99%

#946

Xeon E5-2640

MSRP: $885|Avg: N/A

99%

#947

Xeon E5-2643 v4

MSRP: $1552|Avg: $555

99%

#949

Xeon E5-2630 v2

MSRP: $1069|Avg: $1224

97%

#953

Xeon E5-1620

MSRP: $885|Avg: $70

92%

#955

Xeon E5462

MSRP: $342|Avg: $45

90%

#958

Xeon E5-4650 v2

MSRP: $1723|Avg: $48

88%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Use Case Distinction: This is a comparison between a Professional Workstation processor ($150) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E5-1680 v2 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition	Xeon E5-1680 v2
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Ivy Bridge-EP (2013) / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition ($150), however, is optimized for mixed workloads and gaming. For most users, it offers superior single-thread performance and responsiveness at a fraction of the cost ($0 less, 0% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition	Xeon E5-1680 v2
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+1%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing

Performance Check

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition Benchmark Check

Xeon E5-1680 v2 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon E5-1680 v2

Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition

The Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 14 November 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Max frequency: 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 15 MB. L2 cache: 1,536 kB. Built on 32 nm process technology. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 12,460 points. Launch price was $149.

Xeon E5-1680 v2

The Xeon E5-1680 v2 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Ivy Bridge-EP (2013) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 25 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR3-800, DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600, DDR3-1866. Passmark benchmark score: 12,396 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon E5-1680 v2 offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Xeon E5-1680 v2 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition versus 3.9 GHz on the Xeon E5-1680 v2 — a 16.7% clock advantage for the Xeon E5-1680 v2. The Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Xeon E5-1680 v2 uses Ivy Bridge-EP (2013) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition scores 12,460 against the Xeon E5-1680 v2's 12,396 — a 0.5% lead for the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 800 vs 750, a 6.5% lead for the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 15 MB on the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition vs 25 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-1680 v2.

Feature	Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition	Xeon E5-1680 v2
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	3.3 GHz	3.9 GHz+18%
Base Clock	—	3 GHz
L3 Cache	15 MB	25 MB (total)+67%
L2 Cache	1,536 kB+500%	256K (per core)
Process	32 nm	22 nm-31%
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Ivy Bridge-EP (2013)
PassMark	12,460	12,396
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	8,579
Geekbench 6 Single	800+7%	750
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	4,500

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both support up to DDR3-1600 memory speed. The Xeon E5-1680 v2 supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 4-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 40 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: X79 (Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition) and C602,X79 (Xeon E5-1680 v2).

Feature	Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition	Xeon E5-1680 v2
Socket	—	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1600	DDR3-1866
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	256 GB+300%
RAM Channels	4	4
ECC Support	❌	✅
PCIe Lanes	40	40

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Both support VT-x, VT-d, EPT virtualization. Primary use case: Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition targets HEDT Desktop, Xeon E5-1680 v2 targets Server/Workstation. Direct competitor: Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition rivals FX-8350; Xeon E5-1680 v2 rivals Core i7-4960X.

Feature	Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition	Xeon E5-1680 v2
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	None	None
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use	HEDT Desktop	Server/Workstation

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition launched at $990 MSRP, while the Xeon E5-1680 v2 debuted at $1723. At current prices ($150 vs $150), the Xeon E5-1680 v2 is $0 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition delivers 83.1 pts/$ vs 82.6 pts/$ for the Xeon E5-1680 v2 — making the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition the 0.5% better value option.