Feex·CPU
Intel · Core i7 · Desktop

Intel® Core™ i7-4960X Extreme Edition

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition is a desktop processor released on July 1, 2013, built on the Ivy Bridge architecture using a 22 nm process. It has 6 cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 3.60 GHz, a maximum boost of 4.00 GHz, 15 MB of L3 cache, a 130 W TDP and the FCLGA2011 socket.

Cores
6
Threads
12
Boost Clock
4.0 GHz
Base Clock
3.6 GHz
Architecture
Ivy Bridge
Socket
FCLGA2011
TDP
130 W
L3 Cache
15 MB
Core layout
PPPPPP
6 Performance 12 Threads
Notable capabilities:Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Overview

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition is a desktop processor with 6 cores and 12 threads, built on the Ivy Bridge architecture. It launched in Jul 2013. Clocks run from 3.6 GHz base to 4.0 GHz boost. A 15-MB L3 cache backs the cores (2.8 MB per core). It addresses DDR3 memory up to 64 GB across 4 channels. The chip drops into the FCLGA2011 socket and exposes PCIe 3.0 (40 lanes). Rated TDP is 130 W. Notable platform capabilities: Extended Page Tables (EPT).

Performance

Overall CPU Performance computed
4,505
18% of reference
Reference ceiling 25,000
Multi-Core Performance PassMark rating
9,899
8% of reference
Reference ceiling 120,000
Single-Core Performance PassMark rating
2,050
37% of reference
Reference ceiling 5,500
Productivity Performance computed
9,304
6% of reference
Reference ceiling 160,000
Creator Performance computed
9,134
7% of reference
Reference ceiling 140,000
Engineering Performance computed
9,837
5% of reference
Reference ceiling 200,000
Gaming Performance computed
8,625
39% of reference
Reference ceiling 22,000
Performance per Core computed
1,650
8% of reference
Reference ceiling 21,053
Performance per Thread computed
825
8% of reference
Reference ceiling 10,527
Performance per Watt computed
76
4% of reference
Reference ceiling 2,000
Efficiency Index computed
395
10% of reference
Reference ceiling 4,000
Performance index computed
56
Intel Core i5-12400 = 100

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition scores 2,050 in single-core performance and 9,899 in multi-core performance (PassMark CPU Mark ratings). From those two ratings Feex computes 4,505 for overall performance, 9,304 for productivity performance, 9,134 for creator performance, 9,837 for engineering performance and 8,625 for gaming performance. Its multi-core throughput works out to 1,650 per core, 825 per thread and 76 per watt. Its computed efficiency index is 395. Its performance index is 56, so its overall performance is 44% below the Intel Core i5-12400 (index 100). Each bar shows the score as a share of a reference ceiling, which is the larger of the 99th-percentile score across the Feex CPU database and a fixed baseline.

How these scores are computed

Single-core and multi-core performance are PassMark CPU Mark single-thread and multi-thread ratings. Every other figure on this page's performance section is computed by Feex from those two ratings plus core count, thread count and TDP, so it is a derived value and not a separate benchmark run.

  • Overall performance is the geometric mean of the two ratings: the square root of single-core times multi-core.
  • Productivity performance is 0.65 times multi-core plus 1.4 times single-core.
  • Creator performance is 0.55 times multi-core plus 1.8 times single-core.
  • Engineering performance is multi-core times the smaller of 1.4 and (0.9 plus cores divided by 64).
  • Gaming performance is 3 times single-core plus 0.25 times multi-core.
  • Performance per core, per thread and per watt divide the multi-core rating by physical cores, logical threads and TDP in watts.
  • The efficiency index is the square root of single-core times multi-core, divided by the square root of TDP.
  • The performance index is overall performance divided by the overall performance of the Intel Core i5-12400 (8,069), times 100.

Workload Benchmarks

Scores for individual PassMark CPU Mark test categories. Higher is better. These are measured test scores, not computed from the single-core and multi-core ratings.

Integer Math Throughput
35,974
6% of reference
Reference ceiling 617,811
39% below the Intel Core i5-12400 (58,893)
Raw integer arithmetic throughput across cores.
Floating-Point Math
18,147
3% of reference
Reference ceiling 600,000
60% below the Intel Core i5-12400 (45,899)
Heavy floating-point math, mixed precision.
Compression Performance
163,397
7% of reference
Reference ceiling 2,309,868
28% below the Intel Core i5-12400 (228,054)
Throughput on lossless compression workloads.
Cryptography Performance
2,952
2% of reference
Reference ceiling 137,106
74% below the Intel Core i5-12400 (11,489)
Symmetric encryption and hashing throughput.
Physics Simulation
782
6% of reference
Reference ceiling 12,291
28% below the Intel Core i5-12400 (1,090)
Iterative physics & rigid-body simulation.
Vector / SIMD Throughput
7,022
4% of reference
Reference ceiling 172,975
55% below the Intel Core i5-12400 (15,509)
Wide-vector SIMD intrinsics performance.
Prime Sieve
48
4% of reference
Reference ceiling 1,067
28% below the Intel Core i5-12400 (67)
Searching for prime numbers (branch-heavy work).
Sort Performance
22,192
9% of reference
Reference ceiling 260,323
2% below the Intel Core i5-12400 (22,652)
Random string sorting throughput.

In the individual workload tests the Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition scores 35,974 in integer math, 18,147 in floating-point math, 163,397 in compression, 2,952 in cryptography, 782 in physics simulation, 7,022 in vector SIMD, 48 in the prime sieve and 22,192 in sorting. Higher is better. Compared with the Intel Core i5-12400, it is 39% below in integer math, 60% below in floating-point math, 28% below in compression, 74% below in cryptography, 28% below in physics simulation, 55% below in vector SIMD, 28% below in the prime sieve and 2% below in sorting. Each bar shows the score as a share of that workload's reference ceiling, the larger of the 99th-percentile score across CPUs with a recorded value and a fixed baseline.

Core Configuration

Cores
6
Threads
12
Threads per Core
2
Base Clock
3.6 GHz
Boost Clock
4.0 GHz

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition has 6 physical cores and runs 12 logical threads. It runs 2 threads per core. It runs at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts up to 4.00 GHz.

Architecture & Generation

Manufacturer
Intel
Family
Core i7
Segment
Desktop
Generation
Intel Core X-series Processors
Architecture
Ivy Bridge
Codename
Ivy Bridge E
Lithography
22 nm
Release Date
Jul 2013

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition is a desktop processor, belongs to the Intel Core i7 family, uses the Ivy Bridge architecture, carries the codename Ivy Bridge E and is manufactured on a 22 nm process. It launched in Jul 2013.

Cache

L1 Cache (Total)
384 KB
L2 Cache (Total)
1.5 MB
L2 Cache (per Core)
256 KB
L3 Cache
15 MB
Cache per Core
2.8 MB
Total Cache
16.9 MB

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition has 384 KB of L1 cache, 1.50 MB of L2 cache and 15 MB of L3 cache. That adds up to about 16.9 MB of cache, or 2.81 MB per core. Each core has 256 KB of private L2 cache.

Cache Hierarchy

L1L2L3
L1 384 KBL2 1.5 MBL3 15 MB

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition has a 3-level cache hierarchy: L1 at 384 KB, L2 at 1.5 MB and L3 at 15 MB. L3 is the largest level and makes up about 89% of the cache listed here.

Memory Support

Max Memory
64 GB
Memory Channels
4
Memory Types
DDR3
DDR5 Support
No
DDR4 Support
No
LPDDR Support
No

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition supports DDR3 memory, addresses up to 64 GB of memory and uses 4 memory channels. It does not support DDR5, DDR4 and LPDDR memory.

Platform & Compatibility

Socket
FCLGA2011
PCIe Generation
3.0
PCIe Lanes
40

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition uses the FCLGA2011 socket, supports PCI Express 3.0 and provides up to 40 PCIe lanes.

Power & Thermals

TDP
130 W

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition has a rated TDP of 130 W.

Platform Capabilities

Instruction sets, security, virtualization, AI acceleration and OS readiness. Features are listed as supported, explicitly not supported, or not recorded; a feature that is not recorded is not the same as unsupported.

Instruction Sets

3 supported
Supported
AVX64-bit (x86-64)SSE4.2
Not recorded
AES-NIAMXAVX-512AVX2AVX-VNNICET

Security and Reliability

0 supported
Not recorded
AES-NIControl-flow Enforcement (CET)Execute Disable (NX)Boot GuardHardware RNGHardware Shield

Virtualization

3 supported
Supported
Extended Page Tables (EPT)VT-d (DMA Remapping)VT-x (Hardware Virtualization)
Not recorded
VT-x with EPTIOMMUSecond-Level Address TranslationUnrestricted Guest

OS Compatibility

0 supported
Not supported
Windows 11 eligible

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition supports AVX, 64-bit (x86-64) and SSE4.2 among its instruction set features. Feex has no record for AES-NI, AMX, AVX-512, AVX2, AVX-VNNI and CET, which is different from being unsupported.

Feex has no record for AES-NI, Control-flow Enforcement (CET), Execute Disable (NX), Boot Guard, Hardware RNG and Hardware Shield, which is different from being unsupported.

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition supports Extended Page Tables (EPT), VT-d (DMA Remapping) and VT-x (Hardware Virtualization) among its virtualization features. Feex has no record for VT-x with EPT, IOMMU, Second-Level Address Translation and Unrestricted Guest, which is different from being unsupported.

Feex records these as not true for the Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition: Windows 11 eligible.

Naming & Aliases

Display Name
Intel® Core™ i7-4960X Extreme Edition
Model Number
i7-4960X
Product line brand
Core

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition is also identified by the model number i7-4960X.

Real-world compute in the Feex fleet

No Feex fleet machines with the Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition have reported compute telemetry yet, so real-world compute for this processor is not recorded.

How fleet compute is measured · Fleet compute leaderboard · JSON

Data Coverage

Feex has recorded 54% of the specifications it tracks for the Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition. Values Feex does not hold are shown as "Not recorded" rather than estimated.

Not recorded: Core Configuration: Performance Cores, Efficiency Cores, Hybrid Architecture, All-Core Boost and Unlocked Multiplier. Architecture & Generation: ISA Family and Market Status. Cache: L4 Cache. Memory Support: Memory Bandwidth, ECC Memory and Max Memory Speed. Graphics: Integrated Graphics, Graphics Model, Graphics Base Clock, Graphics Max Clock, Execution Units, Display Outputs and Max Video Memory. Platform & Compatibility: Package and Package Size. Power & Thermals: Base Power, Maximum Turbo Power, Configurable TDP (Min), Configurable TDP (Max), Max Junction Temperature and Tcase. Physical & Manufacturing: Transistor Count, Die Size, Die Count, Foundry and Launch Price. Naming & Aliases: Normalized Name, SKU, Processor Number and Part Number.

Common questions

How many cores and threads does the Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition have?

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition has 6 cores and 12 threads.

What architecture does the Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition use?

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition is built on the Ivy Bridge architecture.

What socket does the Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition use?

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition uses the FCLGA2011 socket.

What memory does the Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition support?

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition supports DDR3 up to 64 GB across 4 channels.

How fast does the Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition run?

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition can boost up to 4.0 GHz, with a 3.6 GHz base clock.

What is the TDP of the Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition?

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition has a TDP of 130 W.

How does the Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition perform?

In the Feex normalized performance dataset, the Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition scores 9,899 multi-core and 2,050 single-core.

What advanced capabilities does the Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition support?

Notable platform capabilities reported for the Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition include Extended Page Tables (EPT).

How much cache does the Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition have?

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition has 384 KB of L1 cache, 1536 KB of L2 cache and 15 MB of L3 cache.

How does the Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition compare with the Intel Core i5-12400?

The Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition has a computed performance index of 56, which is 44% below the Intel Core i5-12400 (index 100). The index is derived from the single-core and multi-core ratings.