Core i7-5960X vs Xeon E5-1660 v4

Core i7-5960X

8 Cores16 Thrd140 WWMax: 3.5 GHz2014

Xeon E5-1660 v4

8 Cores16 Thrd140 WWMax: 3.8 GHz2016

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i7-5960X

8 / 16

13,382

+0.3%

13,341

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.

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 i7-5960X

#288

Ryzen Threadripper 1950

MSRP: $999|Avg: $300

165%

#288

Core i5-12500TE

MSRP: $225|Avg: $225

498%

#289

Athlon Silver PRO 3125GE

MSRP: $108|Avg: $70

494%

#290

Core i9-10900KF

MSRP: $509|Avg: $336

494%

#291

Core i9-7900X

MSRP: $999|Avg: $188

156%

#291

Core i9-14900T

MSRP: $549|Avg: $577

494%

#292

Core i5-13500T

MSRP: $342|Avg: $342

494%

#293

Core i3-10300

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $140.49

494%

#294

Core i9-10900F

MSRP: $464|Avg: $300

493%

#294

Core i9-7920X

MSRP: $1199|Avg: $236

146%

#295

Core i9-7940X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $275

136%

#295

Ryzen 7 5800X3D

MSRP: $449|Avg: $429

492%

#296

Core i7-9700F

MSRP: $323|Avg: $200

491%

#297

Ryzen Threadripper 9960X

MSRP: $1499|Avg: $1419

488%

#298

Core i9-7960X

MSRP: $1699|Avg: $185

123%

#298

Core i5-9500F

MSRP: $187|Avg: $154

484%

#299

Core i9-11900KB

MSRP: $539|Avg: $350

484%

#299

Core i9-7980XE

MSRP: $1999|Avg: $300

111%

#300

Core i7-10700F

MSRP: $310|Avg: $250

482%

#301

Core i7-10700T

MSRP: $355|Avg: $200

481%

#302

Core i7-6900K

MSRP: $1089|Avg: $1089

101%

#302

Celeron G5920

MSRP: $52|Avg: $40

481%

#303

Core i7-5960X

MSRP: $999|Avg: $83

100%

#303

Core i3-10105T

MSRP: $122|Avg: $122

478%

#304

Core i7-6950X

MSRP: $1723|Avg: $180

76%

#304

Celeron G5900

MSRP: $50|Avg: $42

477%

#305

Core 5 120

MSRP: $340|Avg: $340

475%

#306

Core i7-12700T

MSRP: $339|Avg: $337

469%

#307

Core 3 100HL

MSRP: $306|Avg: $280

469%

#308

Core i9-11900F

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $358.87

459%

#309

Core i9-9900T

MSRP: $423|Avg: $215

458%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E5-1660 v4

#196

Xeon 6515P

MSRP: $740|Avg: $886

103%

#201

Xeon Gold 6248R

MSRP: $2700|Avg: N/A

102%

#209

Xeon E5-1660 v4

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#210

EPYC 8224P

MSRP: $855|Avg: $1048

100%

#214

Xeon 6521P

MSRP: $1250|Avg: $1250

97%

#215

Xeon E-2456

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $289

97%

#218

Xeon Gold 5512U

MSRP: $1230|Avg: N/A

94%

#219

Xeon D-1733NT

MSRP: $300|Avg: $300

93%

#220

Xeon 6520P

MSRP: $1295|Avg: $1295

93%

#221

Xeon Gold 6314U

MSRP: $2977|Avg: N/A

92%

#222

Xeon E-2478

MSRP: $568|Avg: $269

92%

#223

Xeon W-1390

MSRP: $494|Avg: $400

91%

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 ($0) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E5-1660 v4 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core i7-5960X	Xeon E5-1660 v4
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($83)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Haswell-E (2014) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Broadwell-EP (2016) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-5960X ($83), 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 ($83 less, Infinity% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core i7-5960X	Xeon E5-1660 v4
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($83)	✅ More affordable ($0)

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 i7-5960X Benchmark Check

Xeon E5-1660 v4 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-5960X and Xeon E5-1660 v4

Core i7-5960X

The Core i7-5960X is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2014 (11 years ago). It is based on the Haswell-E (2014) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 13,382 points. Launch price was $999.

Xeon E5-1660 v4

The Xeon E5-1660 v4 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 20 June 2016 (9 years ago). It is based on the Broadwell-EP (2016) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133, DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 13,341 points. Launch price was $1,113.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i7-5960X and Xeon E5-1660 v4 share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.5 GHz on the Core i7-5960X versus 3.8 GHz on the Xeon E5-1660 v4 — a 8.2% clock advantage for the Xeon E5-1660 v4 (base: 3 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Core i7-5960X uses the Haswell-E (2014) architecture (22 nm), while the Xeon E5-1660 v4 uses Broadwell-EP (2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-5960X scores 13,382 against the Xeon E5-1660 v4's 13,341 — a 0.3% lead for the Core i7-5960X. Both processors carry 20 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Core i7-5960X	Xeon E5-1660 v4
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	3.5 GHz	3.8 GHz+9%
Base Clock	3 GHz	3.2 GHz+7%
L3 Cache	20 MB (total)	20 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256K (per core)
Process	22 nm	14 nm-36%
Architecture	Haswell-E (2014)	Broadwell-EP (2016)
PassMark	13,382	13,341
Cinebench R23 Multi	9,720	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,244	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	7,412	—