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IntelBX80633I74960X
$1,189
IntelBX80646I74790
▲ 52910 ▼
 $1,189 

6 Cores, 12 Threads @3.6GHz, Ivy Bridge-E.
Release date: Q3 2013.

VS
▲ 628,559 ▼

4 Cores, 8 Threads @3.6GHz, Haswell.
Release date: Q2 2014.

Effective Speed 
+10%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 260,148 user samples
Benchmark your CPU here
5,121 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 88% Base clock 3.6 GHz, turbo 4.4 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 70% Base clock 3.6 GHz, turbo 1.65 GHz (avg)
Poor: 70% Great: 88%
SPEED RANK: 257th / 1442
Gaming
Gaming 78%
Battleship
Desktop
Desktop 79%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 69%
Battle cruiser
255,027 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 80% Base clock 3.6 GHz, turbo 4 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 58% Base clock 3.6 GHz, turbo 1.5 GHz (avg)
Poor: 58% Great: 80%
SPEED RANK: 371st / 1442
Gaming
Gaming 71%
Battleship
Desktop
Desktop 75%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 58%
Gunboat
Effective Speed
Effective CPU Speed 		78.4 % Slightly faster effective speed.
+10% 		71.4 %
Average Score 
+11%
Memory
Avg. Memory Latency 		86.2 Pts +4% 82.6 Pts
1-Core
Avg. Single Core Speed 		98 Pts 98.4 Pts +0%
2-Core
Avg. Dual Core Speed 		196 Pts +5% 187 Pts
4-Core
Avg. Quad Core Speed 		381 Pts Faster quad-core speed.
+17% 		327 Pts
8-Core
Avg. Octa Core Speed 		619 Pts Faster octa-core speed.
+28% 		482 Pts
Overclocked Score 
+14%
Memory
OC Memory Latency 		95.2 Pts +2% 93.6 Pts
1-Core
OC Single Core Speed 		118 Pts Slightly faster OC single-core speed.
+8% 		109 Pts
2-Core
OC Dual Core Speed 		231 Pts Slightly faster OC dual-core speed.
+8% 		214 Pts
4-Core
OC Quad Core Speed 		450 Pts Faster OC quad-core speed.
+19% 		377 Pts
8-Core
OC Octa Core Speed 		728 Pts Much faster OC octa-core speed.
+32% 		551 Pts
Value & Sentiment 
+843%
Market Share
Based on 67,800,555 CPUs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0.02 % 0.66 % Insanely higher market share.
+3,200%
Value
Value For Money 		52.6 % 87.1 % Much better value.
+66%
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		52 % 62 % More popular.
+19%
Price
Price (score) 		$1,189 $135 Hugely cheaper.
+89%
Nice To Haves 
+20%
Age
Newest 		128 Months 120 Months Slightly more recent.
+6%
TDP
Thermal Design Power (TDP) 		130 Watts 84 Watts Much more energy efficient.
+35%
Cores
CPU Processing Cores 		6 cores Much higher core count.
+50% 		4 cores
Threads
CPU Processing Threads 		12 threads Much higher thread count.
+50% 		8 threads
Lithography
Manufacturing process 		22 nm 22 nm
Base Clock
Base Clock Speed 		3.6 GHz 3.6 GHz
Turbo Clock
Turbo Clock Speed 		4 GHz 4 GHz
64-Core
OC Multi Core Speed 		905 Pts Much faster OC 64-core speed.
+63% 		556 Pts
64-Core
Avg. Multi Core Speed 		776 Pts Much faster 64-core speed.
+57% 		495 Pts
Specifications 
Series
CPU Architecture 		Ivy Bridge-E Haswell
Socket
Motherboard Socket 		FCLGA2011 FCLGA1150
Graphics
Integrated Graphics 		None HD 4600
Launch Date
Launch Date 		Q3'13 Q2'14
Cache
Cache 		15 MB SmartCache 8 MB SmartCache
Instruction Set Extensions
Instruction Set Extensions 		SSE4.2, AVX, AES SSE4.1/4.2, AVX 2.0
Recommended Price
Recommended Customer Price 		N/A $303.00 - $312.00
Max Memory Size
Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type) 		64 GB 32 GB
Memory Types
Memory Types 		DDR3 1333/1600/1866 DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V
Memory Channels
Max # of Memory Channels 		4 2
Memory Bandwidth
Max Memory Bandwidth 		59.7 GB/s 25.6 GB/s
Package Size
Package Size 		52.5mm x 45.0mm 37.5mm x 37.5mm
vPro Tech
Intel® vPro™ Technology ‡ 		No Yes
Trusted Execution Tech
Intel® Trusted Execution Technology ‡ 		No Yes
PCI Express Revision
PCI Express Revision 		3.0 Up to 3.0
Max # of PCI Express Lanes
Max # of PCI Express Lanes 		40 16

More specs » More specs »
Conclusion 
Average Bench 78.4%
Average Bench 71.4%
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The Core i7-4960X is Intel's top of the range desktop processor which sports six physical and twelve hyper-threaded cores. The 4960X was released in 2013 but it uses an FCLGA2011 socket which is supported only by the X79 chipset and is now three years old. As a result an investment in this processor forgoes the last three years worth of platform advances which include, amongst other things, on-board USB 3.0 and additional SATA 600 MB/s ports. Comparing the 4960X and the 4930K shows that when overclocked, the 4930K is able to best the extreme 4960X at nearly half the price! Finally comparing the latest Haswell 4770K to the 4960X shows that 4770K is again able to best the 4960X, this time at a small fraction of the price. The 4960X is significantly overpriced and there is far better value available elsewhere. [Mar '14 CPUPro]

MORE DETAILS

The Core i7-4790 is the third upgrade to Intel's flagship quad core hyper-threaded CPU. This version, like its predecessor the i7-4771, gets a 100 MHz bump in stock frequency and additionally the i7-4790 also gets a 100 MHz turbo frequency bump. These improvements (~4%) are marginal and practically impossible to discern in day to day use. Looking at a benchmark comparison between the 4771 and 4790 verifies that there is little difference between the two CPUs. Although the i7-4790 isn't much of a step forward, it's still one of the best (locked) mainstream processors on the market. AMD hasn't been able to compete with Intel on single threaded performance for several years, consequently Intel have no need to push the envelope. Overclockers should wait for the 4790K which is rumoured to be released shortly. [May '14 CPUPro]

MORE DETAILS

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We calculate effective speed which measures real world performance for typical users. Effective speed is adjusted by current prices to yield a value for money rating. Our calculated values are checked against thousands of individual user ratings. The customizable table below combines these factors to bring you the definitive list of top CPUs. [CPUPro]

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