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Intel BX80648I75960X

Core i7-5960X

▲ 565,823 ▼

8 Cores, 16 Threads @3.0GHz, Haswell-E.
Release date: Q3 2014.

Average Bench: 80.5% (247th of 1468)

more Based on 15,468 user benchmarks.  Devices: BFEBFBFF000306F2, , BFEBFBFF000306A9, BFEBFBFF000306C3, 0F8BFBFF000306F2, 178BFBFF00600F20, 1FABFBFF000306F2 Models: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-5960X CPU @ 3.00GHz, Intel Core i7 (tm) 5960X Extremet-Core Processor, Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-5960X CPU @ 3.50GHz, Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-5960X CPU @ 3.2GHz

The Intel 5960X sports eight cores and sixteen threads. That's two more cores than we have ever seen on a consumer processor before and as such this $1,000 processor offers record breaking multi-threaded CPU horsepower. Unfortunately the 5960X is clocked at just 3 GHz base and 3.5 GHz turbo which, for single and dual-core workloads, renders it around 15% slower than a $69 G3258 on stock clocks! The 5960X is only compatible with Intel's new X99 chipset which requires new DDR4 RAM and is currently far more expensive, with little consumer benefit, than DDR3. All in all the i7-5960X processor is largely irrelevant for consumers as it's far far too expensive. [Sep '14 CPUPro]

Poor: 70%Average: 80.5% Great: 94%
Gaming
Gaming 80%
Aircraft carrier
Desktop
Desktop 80%
Aircraft carrier
Workstation
Workstation 77%
Battleship

Popular builds with this CPU

Very good average bench

The Intel Core i7-5960X averaged just 19.5% lower than the peak scores attained by the group leaders. This is an excellent result which ranks the Intel Core i7-5960X near the top of the comparison list.

Strengths

Avg. Memory Latency 87Pts
Avg. Quad Core Speed 398Pts

Good consistency

The range of scores (95th - 5th percentile) for the Intel Core i7-5960X is 24%. This is a relatively narrow range which indicates that the Intel Core i7-5960X performs reasonably consistently under varying real world conditions.

Weaknesses

Avg. Octa Core Speed 718Pts
Avg. Multi Core Speed 1,075Pts

Average Bench

(Based on 15,468 samples)
Rank 24780.5%
Min Avg Max
77.1 Memory 87 95.3
74.4 1-Core 100 128
160 2-Core 201 254
74.5% 129 Pts
Min Avg Max
313 4-Core 398 502
552 8-Core 718 920
67% 558 Pts
Min Avg Max
849 64-Core 1,075 1,353
66.5% 1,075 Pts
User Benchmarks BenchNormalHeavyServer
The fastest CPU (mainstream) averages a speed of 100%
SOCKET 2011, 1 CPU, 8 cores, 16 threads
Base clock 3 GHz, turbo 3.55 GHz (avg)
88% Excellent
Memory 93.5
1-Core 82.3
2-Core 208
73% 128 Pts
4-Core 444
8-Core 818
76% 631 Pts
64-Core 1,163
72% 1,163 Pts
SOCKET 2011, 1 CPU, 8 cores, 16 threads
Base clock 3 GHz, turbo 4.1 GHz (avg)
86.9% Excellent
Memory 88
1-Core 115
2-Core 229
81% 144 Pts
4-Core 460
8-Core 839
78% 650 Pts
64-Core 1,230
76% 1,230 Pts
SOCKET 0, 1 CPU, 8 cores, 16 threads
Base clock 3 GHz, turbo 3.15 GHz (avg)
78.3% Very good
Memory 86.5
1-Core 94.3
2-Core 186
71% 122 Pts
4-Core 377
8-Core 716
65% 547 Pts
64-Core 1,042
64% 1,042 Pts
SOCKET 2011, 1 CPU, 8 cores, 16 threads
Base clock 3 GHz, turbo 2.95 GHz (avg)
76.2% Very good
Memory 84.1
1-Core 92.3
2-Core 177
69% 118 Pts
4-Core 367
8-Core 698
63% 532 Pts
64-Core 985
61% 985 Pts
15,468 MORE »

 Market Share (See Leaders)

The number of benchmark samples for this model as a percentage of all 69,046,997 CPUs tested

 Prices

If you buy via one of these links, our site may earn a commission

MSRP ≈ $1049 @ launch in Aug '14
EbayUS $18922 mins
AmazonUS $1,0269 years
BHPhotoUS $1,0707 years
Send price feedback
Custom PC Builder (Start a new build) Build your perfect PC: compare component prices, popularity, speed and value for money

CHOOSE A COMPONENT:

CPU GPU SSD HDD RAM MBD
Typical Core i7-5960X Builds (Compare 2,148 builds) See popular component choices, score breakdowns and rankings
Gaming
Gaming 101%
UFO
Desktop
Desktop 84%
Aircraft carrier
Workstation
Workstation 97%
Nuclear submarine

Motherboard: Asus RAMPAGE V EXTREME - $122

CPU
Core i7-5960XIntel  $189Bench 80%, 15,468 samples486x
GPU
GTX 1080-TiNvidia  $237Bench 124%, 840,268 samples223x
GTX 1080Nvidia  $195Bench 102%, 1,082,454 samples205x
GTX 980Nvidia  $500Bench 59%, 167,107 samples128x
SSD
850 Evo 500GBSamsung  $85Bench 112%, 695,664 samples80x
950 NVMe PCIe M.2 512GBSamsung  $330Bench 223%, 54,978 samples61x
970 Evo Plus NVMe PCIe M.2 1TBSamsung  $117Bench 310%, 455,997 samples61x
RAM
Vengeance LPX DDR4 2666 C16 4x8GBCorsair  $70Bench 85%, 8,498 samples40x
Vengeance LPX DDR4 2800 C16 4x4GBCorsair  $210Bench 88%, 3,970 samples36x
Vengeance LPX DDR4 2666 C16 4x4GBCorsair  $115Bench 88%, 5,380 samples28x
EDIT WITH CUSTOM PC BUILDER Value: 107% - Outstanding Total price: $703

Popular Core i7-5960X compatible motherboards:

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Processor Rankings (Price vs Performance) November 2024 CPU Rankings

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]

Group Test Results

  • Best user rated - User sentiment trumps benchmarks for this comparison.
  • Best value for money - Value for money is based on real world performance.
  • Fastest real world speed - Real World Speed measures performance for typical consumers.

 Specifications

Essentials

DescriptionIntel® Core™ i7-5960X Processor Extreme Edition (20M Cache, up to 3.50 GHz)
Code NameHaswell E
Launch DateQ3'14
Processor Numberi7-5960X
# of Cores8
# of Threads16
Cache20 MB SmartCache
Instruction Set64-bit
Instruction Set ExtensionsSSE4.2, AVX 2.0, AES
Embedded Options AvailableNo
Lithography22 nm
Recommended Price$999.00 - $1059.00
Clock Speed3 GHz
Max Turbo Frequency3.5 GHz
Bus Speed0 GT/s
Scalability1S Only
Max TDP140 W

Graphics

Processor GraphicsNone

Memory

Max Memory Size64 GB
Memory TypesDDR4 1333/1600/2133
Memory Channels4
Memory Bandwidth68 GB/s
ECC Memory SupportedNo

Expansion Options

PCI Express Revision3.0
Max # of PCI Express Lanes40

Data Protection

AES New InstructionsYes

Advanced Technologies

Virtualization Tech (VT-x)Yes
Intel 64Yes
Idle StatesYes
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® TechYes
Thermal Monitoring TechnologiesYes
Turbo Boost Tech2.0
Hyper-Threading TechYes
Virtualization for Directed I/O (VT-d)Yes
VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)Yes
Demand Based SwitchingNo
vPro TechNo
Identity Protection TechYes
Smart Response TechYes

Package

Package Size52.5mm x 45.0mm
Max CPU Configuration1
Sockets SupportedLGA2011-v3

Platform Protection

Execute Disable BitYes
Trusted Execution TechNo

 Comments

CPUPro
Avatar level
2,119

Official site ark.intel.com/...

LGA2011-V3

Added 10 years ago.
USA-User
Avatar level
10,046

Poor (edit your comment) Add link

7 months ago.

Great CPU, at time of release, much better than i7-4790K, plus despite being Haswell, DDR4 RAM! Still runs great paired with a EVGA GTX 1070 FTW & wouldn't bottleneck 2000 gen RTX 2070/2080 at minimum. Rocking hard 10 years later! This is how powerful CPU's should still be today, using the wasted resources for onboard GPU for more CPU power.

Comment 

Running Windows 11 using a TPM module on ASUS x99a Deluxe MB with intel raid and 1TB Nvme C: drive. Updated the GPU lately and still play any games no problem.—May '23

GBR-User
Avatar level
5,908

Good

24 months ago.

Had a 5960x, lasted me years Great CPU, run games like Tarkov with ease

POL-User
Avatar level
4,672

Poor

19 months ago.

Superior to 6700k but inferior to anything else above it

IRN-User
Avatar level
4,092

Terrible

23 months ago.

very good cpu effective speed up to 95

ZAF-User
Avatar level
2,868

Excellent

7 years ago.

welp,ryzens dead. sayonara amd

CHE-User
Avatar level
2,656

Excellent

3 years ago.

Still a MONSTER !!!! It´s a keeper ;)

FIN-User
Avatar level
2,598

Excellent

4 years ago.

Old cpu but keeps outperforming

CPUPro
Avatar level
2,119

Outstanding

10 years ago.

Thomass
Avatar level
74

Outstanding

8 years ago.

This CPU will take whatever you throw at it, and demolish it. This thing is a true beast for everything and will do what you want

Otaku
Avatar level
20

Excellent

6 years ago.

Bought used on eBay, better than overpriced 9900K, Quad Channel + 40 PCI-E lane :) Overclocked to 4.7Ghz ofc :)

JOCUFO
Avatar level
2

Excellent

9 years ago.

Easy to overclock and easy to tame CPU temp on air

PCMenon
Avatar level
2

Excellent

6 years ago.

Awesome CPU. Bult in 2014 and much better then most processors of 2018. Lifetime processor !!!

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Speed Comparisons

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1468 Processors (Compared) Thousands of user benchmarks compiled into one comparison list

See how consistently different CPUs perform with varying real world conditions. The charts also illustrate overall performance, popularity and rank.

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The Best
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-13600K $210Nvidia RTX 4060 $285WD Black SN850X M.2 2TB $130
Intel Core i5-12600K $160Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $389WD Black SN850X M.2 1TB $80
Intel Core i5-12400F $111Nvidia RTX 4070 $500Crucial T700 M.2 4TB $330
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