Intel Core i7-3970X
Intel Core i9-10940X
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Intel Core i7-3970X vs Intel Core i9-10940X

Overall score
star star star star star
Released
Q4/2012
Released
Q4/2019
Overall score
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Which one of the central processing units is better: Intel Core i7-3970X or Intel Core i9-10940X? On this page we compare the technical data and benchmark results of different CPUs.

The Intel Core i7-3970X has 6 cores and 12 threads with maximum working frequency of 4.00 GHz. The Intel Core i7-3970X was released on Q4/2012.

The Intel Core i9-10940X has 14 cores with 12 threads and 4.00 GHz of frequency. The Intel Core i9-10940X was released on Q4/2019.

Differences
Reasons to consider
Intel Core i7-3970X
Report a bug
  • Higher clock speed
    3.50 GHz left arrow 3.30 GHz
    Around -6% better clock speed
  • Performance per watt
    150 W left arrow 165 W
    About 1.1 0.97 times less performance per watt
Reasons to consider
Intel Core i9-10940X
Report a bug
  • More number of cores
    14 left arrow 6
    2 times more cores
  • Higher turbo clock speed
    4.80 GHz left arrow 4.00 GHz
    Around 17 % better overclocked clock speed
Specifications
Complete list of technical specifications
Intel Core i7-3970X Intel Core i7-3970X
Intel Core i9-10940X Intel Core i9-10940X
CPU generation and family

Let's find out which one of Intel Core i7-3970X and Intel Core i9-10940X is of a more recent generation, and what segment it belongs to.

  • Name
    Intel Core i7-3970X left arrow Intel Core i9-10940X
  • Segment
    Desktop / Server left arrow Desktop / Server
  • Family
    Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition left arrow Intel Core i9
  • Generation
    3 left arrow 10
  • CPU group
    Intel Core i 3000X left arrow Intel Core i 10000X
CPU Cores and Base Frequency

In this block we are going to compare Intel Core i7-3970X vs Intel Core i9-10940X by main technical specifications: number of cores and threads, base and maximum frequencies, process technology and cache size. The higher these specifications are, the more powerful your CPU will be.

  • Frequency
    3.50 GHz left arrow 3.30 GHz
  • CPU Cores
    6 left arrow 14
  • Turbo (1 Core)
    4.00 GHz left arrow 4.80 GHz
  • CPU Threads
    12 left arrow 28
  • Hyperthreading
    Yes left arrow Yes
  • Overclocking
    Yes left arrow Yes
  • Core architecture
    normal left arrow normal
Internal Graphics

Common specifications for integrated graphics cards in Intel Core i7-3970X and Intel Core i9-10940X along with supported interfaces and connection options. This block has no effect on the final efficiency of the CPU.

  • GPU name
    no iGPU left arrow no iGPU
  • GPU (Turbo)
    No turbo left arrow No turbo
Hardware codec support

Let's compare the support of video codecs between Intel Core i7-3970X and Intel Core i9-10940X. Hardware support of video decoding by embedded graphics cards directly affects the speed and quality of rendering videos.

  • h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
    No left arrow No
  • h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
    No left arrow No
  • h264
    No left arrow No
  • VP9
    No left arrow No
  • VP8
    No left arrow No
  • AV1
    No left arrow No
  • AVC
    No left arrow No
  • VC-1
    No left arrow No
  • JPEG
    No left arrow No
Memory & PCIe

To choose the best model between Intel Core i7-3970X and Intel Core i9-10940X you need to pay special attention to memory type, clock frequency, multi-channel features, and PCIe version. The higher these numbers are, the better your CPU will be. Keep in mind that the maximum memory and frequency may also depend on the model of the motherboard.

  • Memory type
    DDR3-1600 left arrow DDR4-2933
  • Max. Memory
    left arrow 256 GB
  • ECC
    No left arrow No
  • Memory channels
    4 left arrow 4
  • PCIe version
    left arrow 3.0
  • PCIe lanes
    left arrow 48
Encryption

AES-NI encryption support for CPUs Intel Core i7-3970X and Intel Core i9-10940X.

  • AES-NI
    Yes left arrow Yes
Thermal Management

Let's find out what TDP value would be better for Intel Core i7-3970X or Intel Core i9-10940X? The Thermal Design Power (TDP) indicates the maximum amount of heat that should be dissipated by the chip cooling system. However, the value of TDP gives only a rough indication of the real power consumption of the CPU.

  • TDP (PL1)
    150 W left arrow 165 W
  • Tjunction max.
    -- left arrow 86 °C
Technical details

Here you can find a comparison of 2nd and 3rd level cache sizes for Intel Core i7-3970X and Intel Core i9-10940X CPUs along with a list of ISA extensions.

  • Instruction set (ISA)
    x86-64 (64 bit) left arrow x86-64 (64 bit)
  • Virtualization
    VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d (C2 Stepping) left arrow VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
  • ISA extensions
    SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX left arrow SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX-512
  • L3-Cache
    15.00 MB left arrow 19.00 MB
  • Architecture
    Sandy Bridge E left arrow Cascade Lake
  • Technology
    32 nm left arrow 14 nm
  • Socket
    LGA 2011 left arrow LGA 2066
  • Release date
    Q4/2012 left arrow Q4/2019
Devices using this processor

List of devices based on Intel Core i7-3970X and Intel Core i9-10940X.

  • Used in
    Unknown left arrow Unknown
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