Intel’s latest and highest-end processor for high end desktop system – the Intel Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition Haswell-E CPU is now available, together with the Core i7-5930K and i7-5820K. The Intel Core i7-5960X Extreme is the company’s first flagship processor built for X99 system, featuring 8 native cores and 16 threads, with a maximum Turbo speed of 3.5GHz. It’s not basically designed for gaming, but it is definitely designed for serious and demanding number crunching operations, calculations and heavy multi-tasking. The Core i7-5960X can definitely handle any load you threw at it, but this extreme processor is definitely not for the regular consumers. Check out more of its features, specifications, some benchmarks, as well as price and where to buy below.
Intel Core i7-5960X Extreme Features
The Intel Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition is based on the 22nm manufacturing process that features a total of 8 native physical cores, with 16 threads, running at a base clock speed of 3GHz, up to 3.5GHz via Turbo. It is designed for the latest Intel X99 platform supporting the latest DDR4 memory modules, and features a slightly different socket LGA 2011-v3. The Core i7-5960X is not backwards compatible with the previous generation (Ivy Bridge-E). It has a maximum thermal design power of 140W, 10w higher compared to the previous generation, and it is recommended that you should use a high end CPU air cooler, or a water cooling solution to cool this beast.
It supports a maximum number of 40 PCI Express Lanes making it great for users who plan to install 3 or 4 graphics card into their system. It also comes with 20MB L3 cache, 32KB for each core and 256KB for L2 cache. It’s also able to drive dual or quad channel DDR4 memory modules with speeds up to 2133MHz. Of course you can install DDR4 memory with speeds of 3000MHz and overclock it further. The same principle applies with its clock speed where you can still push it further beyond 3.5GHz.
Check out the rest of its features and specifications below.
Intel Core i7-5960X Specifications vs Core i7-4960X
Below are the Intel Core i7-5960X Extreme processor specifications and the specification of its predecessor, the Core i7-4960X.
| Processor | Intel Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition | Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Code Name | Haswell E | Ivy Bridge E |
| Processor Number | i7-5960X | i7-4960X |
| Number of Cores | 8 | 6 |
| Number of Threads | 16 | 12 |
| Clock Speed | 3 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| Max Turbo Frequency | 3.5 GHz | 4 GHz |
| Cache | 20 MB Intel® Smart Cache | 15 MB Intel® Smart Cache |
| Bus Type | QPI | DMI2 |
| System Bus | 0 GT/s | 5 GT/s |
| Instruction Set | 64-bit | 64-bit |
| Instruction Set Extensions | SSE4.2, AVX 2.0, AES | SSE4.2, AVX, AES |
| Embedded Options Available | No | No |
| Lithography | 22 nm | 22 nm |
| Max TDP | 140 W | 130 W |
| Scalability | 1S Only | |
| Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type) | 64 GB | 64 GB |
| Memory Types | DDR4-1333/1600/2133 | DDR3-1333/1600/1866 |
| Number of Memory Channels | 4 | 4 |
| Max Memory Bandwidth | 68 GB/s | 59.7 GB/s |
| ECC Memory Supported | No | No |
| PCI Express Revision | 3 | 3 |
| Max Number of PCI Express Lanes | 40 | 40 |
| Max CPU Configuration | 1 | 1 |
| Case Temperature | 66.8°C | 66.8°C |
| Package Size | 52.5mm x 45.0mm | 52.5mm x 45.0mm |
| Sockets Supported | LGA2011-v3 | FCLGA2011 |
| Intel® Turbo Boost Technology | 2 | 2 |
| Intel® vPro Technology | No | No |
| Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology | Yes | Yes |
| Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) | Yes | Yes |
| Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) | Yes | Yes |
| Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT) | Yes | Yes |
| Intel® 64 | Yes | Yes |
| Idle States | Yes | Yes |
| Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology | Yes | Yes |
| Intel® Demand Based Switching | No | No |
| Thermal Monitoring Technologies | Yes | Yes |
| Intel® Identity Protection Technology | Yes | Yes |
| Intel® Smart Response Technology | Yes | Yes |
| AES New Instructions | Yes | Yes |
| Trusted Execution Technology | No | No |
| Execute Disable Bit | Yes | Yes |
Price and Where to Buy
The Intel Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition comes with a suggested retail price of $1,000 USD. Note that retail price is subject to change and may vary from one retailer/store to another.
Intel Core i7-5960X Extreme Benchmarks
Below are links to specific pages of tech sites where you can view some Intel Core i7-5960X CPU benchmarks.
- AnandTech – Intel Core i7-5960X CPU Benchmarks
- Tom’sHardware – Core i7-5960X Synthetic and Real World Benchmarks
- Guru3D – Core i7-5960X 3DMark CPU Benchmarks
Based on those benchmark results, Intel’s latest flagship processor did shine and outperform the rest of the processors currently in the market most of the time. However, that’s not the case when it comes to gaming. The Core i7-5960X didn’t perform that great when it comes to PC games, although the results where high, but not as good compared to other processors and the price simply isn’t justifiable for gaming purposes alone. PC gamers might want to stick with the Devil’s Canyon or Core i7-5820K and Core i7-5930K instead.
