- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Features How it compares
- Our Analysis Technical breakdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Intel Core i7 3970X
- 3.5 GHz
- Hexa core
- Unlocked
Released November, 2012
Rated 70% by by Tech Radar (Dec, 2012)As ever, overclocking isn't a precise science, but the 3970X doesn't look like a big step forward.
Conclusion Check out the Intel Core i7 3970X
 | Performance | ||
Overall performance using all cores | |||
| Core i7 3970X |
| ||
| Core i7 3960X |
| ||
| Core i7 3770K |
| ||
| Ingredients: Passmark and GeekBench | |||
 | Single-core Performance | ||
Performance of an individual core | |||
| Core i7 3970X |
| ||
| Core i7 3960X |
| ||
| Core i7 3770K |
| ||
| Ingredients: Passmark (Single Core) | |||
 | Overclocking | ||
How much speed can you get out of the processor? | |||
| Core i7 3970X |
| ||
| Core i7 3960X |
| ||
| Core i7 3770K |
| ||
| Ingredients: Unlocked, Maximum Overclocked Clock Speed (Air) and 2 more | |||
 | Value | ||
Are you paying a premium for performance? | |||
| Core i7 3970X |
| ||
| Core i7 3960X |
| ||
| Core i7 3770K |
| ||
| Ingredients: Performance Per Dollar | |||
| 9.5 CPUBoss Score |
Performance Real world tests of Intel Core i7 3970X
Features Key features of the Intel Core i7 3970X
Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors
pros
-
15 MB -
Maximizes usage of each CPU core -
AES, AVX, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, Supplemental SSE3 -
Built-in -
3.5 GHz -
4 GHz -
An unlocked multiplier allows for easier overclocking -
12 -
LGA 2011 -
21,792 -
12,923 -
11,360 -
65,536 MB -
6 -
2.5 MB/core -
2,047 -
4.7 GHz -
25.44 pt/W -
5.05 GHz -
Nov, 2012
cons
-
A separate graphics adapter is required -
121.88W -
3.53 pt/$ -
0.33 MB/core -
66.8 °C -
131.4 $/year -
36.14 $/year
Reviews Word on the street
 |   
|
|---|---|
 | Rated by 1 users at www.overclock.net |
Desktop
Intel® Core™ i7-3970X Processor Extreme Edition | Rated 70% by by Tech Radar (Dec, 2012)On the other, it's disappointing not to have Intel fully unleash the Sandy Bridge E die for the desktop.
Multicore
Intel® Core™ i7-3970X Processor Extreme Edition | Rated 70% by by Tech Radar (Dec, 2012)Problem is, Intel will sell you an eight-core Xeon chip clocked at 3.2GHz, so the penalty back then was slim to none.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Intel Core i7 3960X OK 3DMark06 CPU score 3960X Extreme Edition vs 3970X Extreme Edition |
 | 2 | Intel Core i7 3770K OK SysMark 2007 overall score 3770K vs 3970X Extreme Edition |
 | 3 | Intel Core i5 3570K Low idle power consumption Core i5 3570K vs Core i7 3970X |
 | 4 | AMD FX 8350 High clock speed AMD FX 8350 vs Intel Core i7 3970X |
 | 5 | Intel Core i7 3930K 7-way tie: Is hyperthreaded 3930K vs 3970X Extreme Edition |
 | 6 | Intel Core i7 4770K Very low typical power consumption 4770K vs 3970X Extreme Edition |
 | 7 | Intel Xeon E5-2690 OK Maximum Operating Temperature Xeon E5-2690 vs Core i7 3970X |
 | 8 | Intel Xeon E7-8870 Lots of l3 cache Xeon E7-8870 vs Core i7 3970X |
New duel?
Let the battle continue or dare to compare.
Popular Questions
April 9, 2013
AMD hands down
Just look at the price, the AMD 8350 you can oc and delivers performance that can be on a par with the i7 9970, and costs 5 times less lmao.
Visitor
4
Answers 
