Intel Core i7-8700T vs Intel Core i7-3960X

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i7-8700T CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i7-3960X
Intel Core i7-8700T Intel Core i7-3960X

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Intel Core i7-8700T and the Intel Core i7-3960X and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Intel Core i7-8700T 6 core processor released in Q2/2018 with the Intel Core i7-3960X which has 6 CPU cores and was introduced in Q4/2011.
Intel Core i7 (298) Family Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition (24)
Intel Core i 8000 (20) CPU group Intel Core i 3000X (4)
8 Generation 3
Coffee Lake S Architecture Sandy Bridge E
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
Intel Core i7-7700T Predecessor --
Intel Core i7-9700T Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i7-8700T is a 6 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.40 GHz (4.00 GHz). The processor can compute 12 threads at the same time. The Intel Core i7-3960X clocks with 3.30 GHz (3.90 GHz), has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 12 threads in parallel.

Intel Core i7-8700T Characteristic Intel Core i7-3960X
6 Cores 6
12 Threads 12
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
No Overclocking ? Yes
2.40 GHz Frequency 3.30 GHz
4.00 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 3.90 GHz
3.20 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 3.90 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 i7-8700T Characteristic Intel Core i7-3960X
-- 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.

Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU no iGPU
0.35 GHz GPU frequency --
1.15 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
9.5 GPU Generation --
14 nm Technology
3 Max. displays
24 Compute units --
192 Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
64 GB Max. GPU Memory --
12 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.

Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU no iGPU
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h264 No
Decode / Encode Codec VP9 No
Decode / Encode Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
Decode / Encode Codec AVC No
Decode Codec VC-1 No
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

Up to 128 GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the Intel Core i7-8700T, while the Intel Core i7-3960X supports a maximum of 64 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s enabled.

Intel Core i7-8700T Characteristic Intel Core i7-3960X
DDR4-2666 Memory DDR3-1600
128 GB Max. Memory 64 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 4 (Quad Channel)
42.7 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 51.2 GB/s
No ECC No
-- L2 Cache --
12.00 MB L3 Cache 15.00 MB
3.0 PCIe version 2.0
16 PCIe lanes 40
15.8 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 20.0 GB/s

Thermal Management

The Intel Core i7-8700T has a TDP of 35 W. The TDP of the Intel Core i7-3960X is 130 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Intel Core i7-8700T Characteristic Intel Core i7-3960X
35 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 130 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Intel Core i7-8700T has 12.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 14 nm. The cache of Intel Core i7-3960X is at 15.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 32 nm.

Intel Core i7-8700T Characteristic Intel Core i7-3960X
14 nm Technology 32 nm
Monolithic Chip design Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2 ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX
LGA 1151-2 Socket LGA 2011
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d (C2 Stepping)
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q2/2018 Release date Q4/2011
340 $ Release price 970 $
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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i7-8700T (100%)
Intel Core i7-3960X (74%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 5 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i7-8700T (98%)
Intel Core i7-3960X (88%)

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 i7-8700T Intel Core i7-8700T
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
1061 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3960X Intel Core i7-3960X
6C 12T @ 3.90 GHz
804 (76%)

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 i7-8700T Intel Core i7-8700T
6C 12T @ 3.20 GHz
4931 (99%)
Intel Core i7-3960X Intel Core i7-3960X
6C 12T @ 3.90 GHz
4973 (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 i7-8700T Intel Core i7-8700T
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
1337 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3960X Intel Core i7-3960X
6C 12T @ 3.90 GHz
736 (55%)

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 i7-8700T Intel Core i7-8700T
6C 12T @ 3.20 GHz
5578 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3960X Intel Core i7-3960X
6C 12T @ 3.90 GHz
3488 (63%)

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 i7-8700T Intel Core i7-8700T
6C 12T @ 3.20 GHz
10340 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3960X Intel Core i7-3960X
6C 12T @ 3.90 GHz
8454 (82%)

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 i7-8700T Intel Core i7-8700T
6C 12T @ 2.40 GHz
2804 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3960X Intel Core i7-3960X
6C 12T @ 3.30 GHz
2643 (94%)

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 i7-8700T Intel Core i7-8700T
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
176 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3960X Intel Core i7-3960X
6C 12T @ 3.90 GHz
159 (90%)

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 i7-8700T Intel Core i7-8700T
6C 12T @ 3.20 GHz
1068 (92%)
Intel Core i7-3960X Intel Core i7-3960X
6C 12T @ 3.90 GHz
1158 (100%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Intel Core i7-8700T Intel Core i7-8700T
Intel UHD Graphics 630 @ 1.15 GHz
442 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3960X Intel Core i7-3960X
@ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i7-8700T Intel Core i7-3960X
Unknown Unknown

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