Components

CPUsBrowse GPUsBrowse MotherboardsBrowse RAMBrowse CasesBrowse PSUsBrowse CPU CoolersBrowse StorageBrowse

Peripherals

MonitorsBrowse KeyboardsBrowse MiceBrowse HeadphonesBrowse SpeakersBrowse WebcamsBrowse WiFi CardsBrowse

Smart Wizard

Get a complete build plan based on budget and goals.

Build Comparison

Compare complete builds side by side.

Part Comparison

Check specs, price, and value across parts.

Bottleneck Calculator

Measure CPU and GPU balance before you buy.

Power Calculator

Estimate wattage and PSU headroom.

Will It Run?

Test your hardware against popular games.

Completed Builds

Browse finished community setups.

Forums

Ask questions and join build discussions.

Components

CPUs GPUs Motherboards RAM Cases PSUs CPU Coolers Storage

Peripherals

Monitors Keyboards Mice Headphones Speakers Webcams WiFi Cards

Smart Wizard

Get a complete build plan based on budget and goals.

Build Comparison

Compare complete builds side by side.

Part Comparison

Check specs, price, and value across parts.

Bottleneck Calculator

Measure CPU and GPU balance before you buy.

Power Calculator

Estimate wattage and PSU headroom.

Will It Run?

Test your hardware against popular games.

Completed Builds

Browse finished community setups.

Forums

Ask questions and join build discussions.

Theme

TimeToPick

Build Smarter, Pick Better

TimeToPick helps you research parts, compare builds, compare offers, and make faster decisions across every stage of your next PC upgrade.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Build Tools

Builder Smart Wizard Build Compare Part Compare Bottleneck Calculator Power Calculator Will It Run?

Browse

CPUs GPUs Motherboards RAM Cases PSUs Storage Monitors

Community

Completed Builds Forums Build Guides

Account

My Builds Settings

© 2026 TimeToPick. All rights reserved.

About Contact Affiliate Disclosure Privacy Policy Terms of Service

Components

CPUsBrowse GPUsBrowse MotherboardsBrowse RAMBrowse CasesBrowse PSUsBrowse CPU CoolersBrowse StorageBrowse

Peripherals

MonitorsBrowse KeyboardsBrowse MiceBrowse HeadphonesBrowse SpeakersBrowse WebcamsBrowse WiFi CardsBrowse

Smart Wizard

Get a complete build plan based on budget and goals.

Build Comparison

Compare complete builds side by side.

Part Comparison

Check specs, price, and value across parts.

Bottleneck Calculator

Measure CPU and GPU balance before you buy.

Power Calculator

Estimate wattage and PSU headroom.

Will It Run?

Test your hardware against popular games.

Completed Builds

Browse finished community setups.

Forums

Ask questions and join build discussions.

Components

CPUs GPUs Motherboards RAM Cases PSUs CPU Coolers Storage

Peripherals

Monitors Keyboards Mice Headphones Speakers Webcams WiFi Cards

Smart Wizard

Get a complete build plan based on budget and goals.

Build Comparison

Compare complete builds side by side.

Part Comparison

Check specs, price, and value across parts.

Bottleneck Calculator

Measure CPU and GPU balance before you buy.

Power Calculator

Estimate wattage and PSU headroom.

Will It Run?

Test your hardware against popular games.

Completed Builds

Browse finished community setups.

Forums

Ask questions and join build discussions.

Theme

TimeToPick

Build Smarter, Pick Better

TimeToPick helps you research parts, compare builds, compare offers, and make faster decisions across every stage of your next PC upgrade.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Build Tools

Builder Smart Wizard Build Compare Part Compare Bottleneck Calculator Power Calculator Will It Run?

Browse

CPUs GPUs Motherboards RAM Cases PSUs Storage Monitors

Community

Completed Builds Forums Build Guides

Account

My Builds Settings

© 2026 TimeToPick. All rights reserved.

About Contact Affiliate Disclosure Privacy Policy Terms of Service

Intel Core i7-3960X Price, Specs & Reviews | TimeToPick

Components

CPUsBrowse GPUsBrowse MotherboardsBrowse RAMBrowse CasesBrowse PSUsBrowse CPU CoolersBrowse StorageBrowse

Peripherals

MonitorsBrowse KeyboardsBrowse MiceBrowse HeadphonesBrowse SpeakersBrowse WebcamsBrowse WiFi CardsBrowse

Smart Wizard

Get a complete build plan based on budget and goals.

Build Comparison

Compare complete builds side by side.

Part Comparison

Check specs, price, and value across parts.

Bottleneck Calculator

Measure CPU and GPU balance before you buy.

Power Calculator

Estimate wattage and PSU headroom.

Will It Run?

Test your hardware against popular games.

Completed Builds

Browse finished community setups.

Forums

Ask questions and join build discussions.

Components

CPUs GPUs Motherboards RAM Cases PSUs CPU Coolers Storage

Peripherals

Monitors Keyboards Mice Headphones Speakers Webcams WiFi Cards

Smart Wizard

Get a complete build plan based on budget and goals.

Build Comparison

Compare complete builds side by side.

Part Comparison

Check specs, price, and value across parts.

Bottleneck Calculator

Measure CPU and GPU balance before you buy.

Power Calculator

Estimate wattage and PSU headroom.

Will It Run?

Test your hardware against popular games.

Completed Builds

Browse finished community setups.

Forums

Ask questions and join build discussions.

Theme

Home
CPUs
Intel Core i7-3960X

Intel

Intel Core i7-3960X

2011DDR36C / 12T130WSandy Bridge-E32nmEnd-of-life3.90 GHz Boost

Price

$0

CPU image not available yet

Full Specifications

Detailed architecture, platform, memory, and feature data for this CPU.

Total Cores6

Total Threads12

Base Clock3.30 GHz

Boost Clock3.90 GHz

BCLK / Multiplier100 MHz / 33.0xx (Unlocked)

CodenameSandy Bridge-E

MicroarchitectureSandy Bridge-E

Process Node32nm

FoundryIntel

Die Size435.0 mm²

Transistors2.27 billion

Production StatusEnd-of-life

Market SegmentDesktop

Launch DateNov 14, 2011

Launch Price$990.00

Instruction Sets

MMXSSESSE2SSE3SSSE3SSE4.2AVXEISTIntel 64XD bitVT-xVT-dHTTAES-NI

Similar Products

Intel Core i7-3820

Intel Core i7-3820

10 MB L3 Cache vs 15 MB

N/A

Similar Products

Intel Core i7-3910K

12 MB L3 Cache vs 15 MB

N/A

Intel Core i7-3930K

Intel Core i7-3930K

12 MB L3 Cache vs 15 MB

N/A

Intel Core i7-3970X

Intel Core i7-3970X

4 GHz Boost Clock vs 3.90 GHz

N/A

Intel Core i7-4820K

Intel Core i7-4820K

10 MB L3 Cache vs 15 MB

$220.10

Intel Core i7-4930K

Intel Core i7-4930K

12 MB L3 Cache vs 15 MB

$82.10

Available Prices

NeweggOut of Stock

$256.53

Free shipping

Merchant	Base	Promo	Shipping	Availability	Total
Newegg	$256.53	—	FREE	Out of Stock	$256.53

About This Product

The Intel Core i7-3960X is a 6-core, 12-thread desktop CPU from the Sandy Bridge-E generation, released in 2011. It offers a base clock of 3.3 GHz and a boost clock of 3.9 GHz. At its current price, it is an outdated platform, significantly outperformed by modern CPUs in both single-core and multi-core tasks, making it unsuitable for current high-performance gaming or demanding applications.

Best for: Legacy system upgrade

Pros

6 cores, 12 threads
Unlocked multiplier for overclocking
Supports quad-channel DDR3 memory

Cons

Outdated architecture and performance
High power consumption (130W TDP)
Requires expensive, legacy X79 motherboard

Verdict
“Not recommended for new builds; only for upgrading existing, compatible Sandy Bridge-E systems.”

Performance Benchmarks

Cross-source performance, value, and efficiency at a glance

Scores are grouped by benchmark family so it is easy to compare raw speed, threaded output, and real-world value without mixing scales.

PassMark

Large Sample Pool

PassMark

Overall

8,41513%

Single-Thread

70%

PassMark rank: #1,764

Gaming Performance

Real-world FPS snapshots for Core i7-3960X

These results come from real submitted gameplay sessions, so the reference GPU matters as much as the CPU itself.

FPS data from real user submissions across various settings

Reference GPU

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER

1 game in this sample

Star Trek Online

Mixed player settings

43 FPS

Playable

Min 31Max 53GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER

Snapshot Summary

Average FPS

43

Gaming Tier

C-Tier

PCGameBenchmark data blends user settings, RAM sizes, and GPUs, so treat this as a real-world performance spread rather than a lab-perfect apples-to-apples chart.

Compatible Motherboards (0)

See full guide →

No compatible motherboards are in our catalog yet for this socket.

Compatible RAM (3722)

See full guide →

Mushkin Blackline 16 GB

2x8GBDDR3-1600

N/A

Mushkin Blackline 16 GB

2x8GBDDR3-2400

N/A

Mushkin Blackline 16 GB

2x8GBDDR3-2400

N/A

Mushkin Blackline 16 GB

2x8GBDDR3-2133

N/A

Compatible CPU Coolers (0)

No compatible CPU coolers are in our catalog yet for this socket.

Complete the build

Build a PC with Intel Core i7-3960X

Create a fully compatible build with our System Builder.

Manual Builder →Smart Wizard →

User Reviews

Be the first to share your experience

Login to Review

Rating

0.0/5

No reviews yet

Sort byLogin to Review