Intel Core i7-4960X vs Intel Core i7-5930K

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i7-4960X CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i7-5930K
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-5930K

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Intel Core i7-4960X and the Intel Core i7-5930K and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Intel Core i7-4960X 6 core processor released in Q3/2013 with the Intel Core i7-5930K which has 6 CPU cores and was introduced in Q3/2014.
Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition (24) Family Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition (24)
Intel Core i 4000X (3) CPU group Intel Core i 5000X (3)
4 Generation 5
Ivy Bridge E Architecture Haswell E
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
-- Predecessor Intel Core i7-4930K
Intel Core i7-5960X Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i7-4960X is a 6 core processor with a clock frequency of 3.60 GHz (4.00 GHz). The processor can compute 12 threads at the same time. The Intel Core i7-5930K clocks with 3.50 GHz (3.70 GHz), has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 12 threads in parallel.

Intel Core i7-4960X Characteristic Intel Core i7-5930K
6 Cores 6
12 Threads 12
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
Yes Overclocking ? Yes
3.60 GHz Frequency 3.50 GHz
4.00 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 3.70 GHz
4.00 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 3.60 GHz

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Intel Core i7-4960X Characteristic Intel Core i7-5930K
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

Graphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback.

no iGPU GPU no iGPU
GPU frequency --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
-- GPU Generation --
Technology
Max. displays
-- Compute units --
-- Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory --
-- DirectX Version --

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

no iGPU GPU no iGPU
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
No Codec h264 No
No Codec VP9 No
No Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
No Codec AVC No
No Codec VC-1 No
No Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

Up to 64 GB of memory in a maximum of 4 memory channels is supported by the Intel Core i7-4960X, while the Intel Core i7-5930K supports a maximum of 64 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 68.2 GB/s enabled.

Intel Core i7-4960X Characteristic Intel Core i7-5930K
DDR3-1866 Memory DDR4-2133
64 GB Max. Memory 64 GB
4 (Quad Channel) Memory channels 4 (Quad Channel)
59.7 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 68.2 GB/s
No ECC No
-- L2 Cache --
15.00 MB L3 Cache 15.00 MB
3.0 PCIe version 3.0
40 PCIe lanes 40
39.4 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 39.4 GB/s

Thermal Management

The Intel Core i7-4960X has a TDP of 130 W. The TDP of the Intel Core i7-5930K is 140 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Intel Core i7-4960X Characteristic Intel Core i7-5930K
130 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 140 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Intel Core i7-4960X has 15.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 22 nm. The cache of Intel Core i7-5930K is at 15.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 22 nm.

Intel Core i7-4960X Characteristic Intel Core i7-5930K
22 nm Technology 22 nm
Monolithic Chip design Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2
LGA 2011 Socket LGA 2011-3
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q3/2013 Release date Q3/2014
960 $ Release price 499 $
show more data show more data


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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 5 CPU benchmarks

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
806 (82%)
Intel Core i7-5930K Intel Core i7-5930K
6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz
984 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
5189 (90%)
Intel Core i7-5930K Intel Core i7-5930K
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
5788 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
757 (67%)
Intel Core i7-5930K Intel Core i7-5930K
6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz
1132 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
3062 (51%)
Intel Core i7-5930K Intel Core i7-5930K
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
6032 (100%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
10145 (98%)
Intel Core i7-5930K Intel Core i7-5930K
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
10302 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
2868 (94%)
Intel Core i7-5930K Intel Core i7-5930K
6C 12T @ 3.50 GHz
3043 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
151 (100%)
Intel Core i7-5930K Intel Core i7-5930K
6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz
142 (94%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
1092 (95%)
Intel Core i7-5930K Intel Core i7-5930K
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
1149 (100%)

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-5930K Intel Core i7-5930K
6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz
54 (100%)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-5930K Intel Core i7-5930K
6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz
378 (100%)

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-5930K Intel Core i7-5930K
6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz
409 (100%)

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-5930K Intel Core i7-5930K
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
3052 (100%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-5930K Intel Core i7-5930K
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
313.2 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-5930K
Unknown Unknown

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