Intel Core i7-980 vs Intel Atom C3958

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i7-980 CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Atom C3958
Intel Core i7-980 Intel Atom C3958

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Intel Core i7-980 and the Intel Atom C3958 and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Intel Core i7-980 6 core processor released in Q2/2011 with the Intel Atom C3958 which has 16 CPU cores and was introduced in Q3/2017.
Intel Core i7 (298) Family Intel Atom (108)
Intel Core i7 900 (4) CPU group Intel Atom C3000 (20)
1 Generation 5
Gulftown Architecture Denverton
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i7-980 is a 6 core processor with a clock frequency of 3.33 GHz (3.60 GHz). The processor can compute 12 threads at the same time. The Intel Atom C3958 clocks with 2.00 GHz, has 16 CPU cores and can calculate 16 threads in parallel.

Intel Core i7-980 Characteristic Intel Atom C3958
6 Cores 16
12 Threads 16
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
3.33 GHz Frequency 2.00 GHz
3.60 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) --
-- Turbo Frequency (All Cores) --

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 i7-980 Characteristic Intel Atom C3958
-- 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 24 GB of memory in a maximum of 3 memory channels is supported by the Intel Core i7-980, while the Intel Atom C3958 supports a maximum of 256 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s enabled.

Intel Core i7-980 Characteristic Intel Atom C3958
DDR3-1066 Memory DDR4-2400
24 GB Max. Memory 256 GB
3 Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
25.6 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 38.4 GB/s
No ECC Yes
1.50 MB L2 Cache 16.00 MB
12.00 MB L3 Cache --
-- PCIe version 3.0
-- PCIe lanes 16
-- PCIe Bandwidth 15.8 GB/s

Thermal Management

The Intel Core i7-980 has a TDP of 130 W. The TDP of the Intel Atom C3958 is 31 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Intel Core i7-980 Characteristic Intel Atom C3958
130 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 31 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. 100 °C

Technical details

The Intel Core i7-980 has 13.50 MB cache and is manufactured in 32 nm. The cache of Intel Atom C3958 is at 16.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 14 nm.

Intel Core i7-980 Characteristic Intel Atom C3958
32 nm Technology 14 nm
Monolithic Chip design Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2 ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2
LGA 1366 Socket BGA 1310
VT-x, VT-x EPT Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
No AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q2/2011 Release date Q3/2017
594 $ Release price 449 $
show more data show more data


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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i7-980 (100%)
Intel Atom C3958 (54%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i7-980 (91%)
Intel Atom C3958 (81%)

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 i7-980 Intel Core i7-980
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
614 (100%)
Intel Atom C3958 Intel Atom C3958
16C 16T @ 2.00 GHz
332 (54%)

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 i7-980 Intel Core i7-980
6C 12T @ 3.33 GHz
3370 (82%)
Intel Atom C3958 Intel Atom C3958
16C 16T @ 2.00 GHz
4134 (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 i7-980 Intel Core i7-980
6C 12T @ 3.33 GHz
6895 (100%)
Intel Atom C3958 Intel Atom C3958
16C 16T @ 2.00 GHz
4281 (62%)

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 i7-980 Intel Core i7-980
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
645 (100%)
Intel Atom C3958 Intel Atom C3958
16C 16T @ 2.00 GHz
0 (0%)

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 i7-980 Intel Core i7-980
6C 12T @ 3.33 GHz
2714 (100%)
Intel Atom C3958 Intel Atom C3958
16C 16T @ 2.00 GHz
0 (0%)

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 i7-980 Intel Core i7-980
6C 12T @ 3.33 GHz
2275 (100%)
Intel Atom C3958 Intel Atom C3958
16C 16T @ 2.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i7-980 Intel Atom C3958
Unknown Unknown

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