Sandy Bridge-E: Core i7-3960X Is Fast, But Is It Any More Efficient?

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Ironically, when it comes to performance, Intel’s Core i7-3960X is the real Bulldozer. Since its power consumption levels are lower than the Gulftown-based Core i7, it should also deliver amazing performance per watt as well. Is that really the case?

Efficiency Score And Power Diagram

Translated into our efficiency score, which relates total performance to consumed power, Sandy Bridge-E, manifest as Core i7-3960X, is the most efficient processor with more than four cores. Keep in mind that it’s also the fastest by far, but it cannot beat its four-core Sandy Bridge-based derivatives when efficiency matters more than performance.

Patrick Schmid
Patrick Schmid
Editor-in-Chief (2005-2006)

Patrick Schmid was the editor-in-chief for Tom's Hardware from 2005 to 2006. He wrote numerous articles on a wide range of hardware topics, including storage, CPUs, and system builds.