Intel Xeon E5-2660 V4 Review
| Category | Server | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
|---|---|---|
| Target | high-end | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Socket Compatibility | LGA2011 | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Integrated Graphics | None | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Cooler Included | No | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Overclock Potential | 0 % | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Year | 2016 Model | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Price | 1445 USD | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Number of Cores | 14 Cores | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |
| Number of Threads | 28 Threads | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |
| Core Frequency | 2 GHz | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Boost Frequency | 3.2 GHz | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Max Stable Overclock | 3.2 GHz | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Power Consumption | 105 W | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Manufacturing Process | 14 nm | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
| L3 Cache | 35 MB | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |
| Maximum Supported Memory | 1536 GB | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |
| Price-Value Score | 33.8 % | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Speed Score | 0 % | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Productivity Score | 0 % | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Gaming Score | 0 % | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Max 1080p Bottleneck | 44.7 % | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Max 1440p Bottleneck | 22.3 % | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Max 4K Bottleneck | 11.2 % | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Overall Score | 33/100 | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
Introducing the Xeon E5-2660 V4! This Server processor is a marvel in Intel's high-end range. Debuted in 2016, it's packed with 14 cores and 28 threads. It operates at a base clock speed of 2GHz, can ramp up to 3.2GHz, and has a power consumption of 105W, ready to supercharge your gaming system. The Xeon E5-2660 V4 is built on the Broadwell-EP 14nm platform and belongs to the esteemed Xeon E5 series.
And guess what? The Xeon E5-2660 V4 is the ultimate successor to Intel's previous-gen gaming champion, the Xeon E5-1660 V2. The Xeon E5-1660 V2 was based on the legendary Ivy Bridge-EP and 22nm process, and it made its grand entrance into the gaming scene back in 2013. But now, it's time for the Xeon E5-2660 V4 to take the throne and conquer the gaming world!
The Intel Xeon E5-2660 V4 is an absolute monster, just like its 14 cores, 28 threads, and hefty price tag suggest. This is the top dog of mainstream processors, the king you've been waiting for. Games, video editing, 3D work – the Xeon E5-2660 V4 handles it all with ease. Bow down to the king!
The Xeon E5-2660 V4 sits just below the mighty Xeon E5-2680 V4 with its fancy 14nm compute die and beefy 14 cores and 28 threads. While the Xeon E5-2680 V4 might seem like the obvious winner, Intel has done some magic to keep the Xeon E5-2660 V4's single compute die design efficient. Plus, the higher TDP allows for more aggressive boost clocks. This means the Xeon E5-2660 V4 could actually compete with the Xeon E5-2680 V4 in some games – who knew?
Heads up, with a simple overclock, the Xeon E5-2650 V4 can actually perform almost as well as the Xeon E5-2660 V4, even when the Xeon E5-2660 V4 is overclocked too. But the Xeon E5-2650 V4 is $70 cheaper! Don't get us wrong, the Xeon E5-2660 V4 is still a beast and offers more overall performance than AMD's Ryzen Threadripper 1950X, but if you're on a budget, the cheaper sibling might be the better call.
We already went deep into the nitty-gritty details of the Broadwell-EP chip design in our reviews of the Intel Xeon E5-2680 V4 and Xeon E5-2650 V4. If you want to learn more about the Xeon E5-2660 V4's architecture (which is identical to the Xeon E5-2650 V4), head over there!
The high number of threads (over 7!) in the Intel Xeon E5-2660 V4 makes it a monster for tasks that use all the cores at once (multi-threaded workloads), especially for the price. If you edit a lot of videos or work with giant spreadsheets, the Xeon E5-2660 V4 will give you a noticeable performance boost.
Heads up! If you already have a Xeon E5-1660 V2, this new generation doesn't offer a huge jump in performance. You might be better off waiting a year to upgrade or spending more on a higher-end CPU.
The Intel has disabled the graphics on the Xeon E5-2660 V4, so it doesn't have any integrated graphics - just like the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X. This makes the Xeon E5-2660 V4 cheaper than the Xeon E5-1660 V2, even though the price difference might not be obvious at first glance. You can find the Xeon E5-2660 V4 for $1445 while the Xeon E5-1660 V2 is still $1809. That's a whopping 25% discount for the newer CPU! It's also cheaper than the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X which costs $999.
We still hold by that recommendation, but we ran some new benchmarks just in case. We focused on gaming performance, which should favor AMD's CPU. For application performance, check out our review of the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X which also included the Xeon E5-1660 V2. The 2.5% factory overclock on the Xeon E5-2660 V4 probably only translates to a 1-2% performance boost compared to those benchmarks.
For gamers, both the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and Xeon E5-2660 V4 are great choices. They're neck and neck, with a slight edge to the AMD CPU if you don't overclock it. The Xeon E5-2660 V4's base performance can be achieved with cheaper RAM (around $90), whereas the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X needs faster RAM ($110-$120) to hit the frame rates we showed. The price difference is small though, and with anything less than an RTX 2070 or Vega 64 graphics card, your GPU will bottleneck your performance anyway. BottleneckAtPlay
Today's review is on the Intel Xeon E5-2660 V4, a 14-core desktop processor launched in Nov 2016. Intel sells the Xeon E5-2660 V4 without integrated graphics, making it perfect for systems with a dedicated graphics card. It costs $1445 and is a great option for those who already have a GPU.
Building on the success of mainstream Xeon E5 CPUs, Intel is now attacking the high-end market with the Xeon E5-2660 V4 processors, available since Nov 2016.
Which GPU to Pick for Intel Xeon E5-2660 V4
Below is a comparison of all graphics cards average FPS performance (using an average of 80+ games at ultra quality settings), combined with the Intel Xeon E5-2660 V4.
| Graphics Card | Price | Cost Per Frame | Avg 1080p | Avg 1440p | Avg 4K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT 8GB | $ 399 | $ 4.5 | 88.9 FPS
|
93.8 FPS
|
63.2 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT 16GB | $ 1,099 | $ 6.7 | 163.1 FPS
|
172.2 FPS
|
113.5 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 7600 8GB | $ 269 | $ 3 | 88.2 FPS
|
93.2 FPS
|
62.7 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB | $ 899 | $ 5 | 179.5 FPS
|
189.5 FPS
|
124.8 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB | $ 999 | $ 5.1 | 197.5 FPS
|
208.4 FPS
|
137.4 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti 24GB | $ 1,999 | $ 12.5 | 160.4 FPS
|
172.4 FPS
|
124.9 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 8GB | $ 200 | $ 2.6 | 76.9 FPS
|
81.3 FPS
|
57.1 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8GB | $ 299 | $ 3.4 | 88.3 FPS
|
94.3 FPS
|
66.2 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB 8GB | $ 399 | $ 4 | 98.6 FPS
|
104.7 FPS
|
73.6 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 12GB | $ 599 | $ 4.2 | 143.4 FPS
|
150.3 FPS
|
107.5 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12GB | $ 799 | $ 4.4 | 182.2 FPS
|
195.7 FPS
|
141.7 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 16GB | $ 1,199 | $ 6.3 | 189.6 FPS
|
203.7 FPS
|
147.6 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Ti 20GB | $ 799 | $ 3.9 | 204.2 FPS
|
219.5 FPS
|
159.1 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 24GB | $ 1,599 | $ 7.3 | 218.8 FPS
|
235.3 FPS
|
170.4 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R7 265 2GB | $ 149 | $ 8 | 18.7 FPS
|
17.4 FPS
|
11.9 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 280 3GB | $ 279 | $ 11.3 | 24.6 FPS
|
25.2 FPS
|
15.9 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 285 2GB | $ 249 | $ 9.8 | 25.4 FPS
|
25.8 FPS
|
16.6 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 295X2 4GB | $ 1,499 | $ 23.1 | 65 FPS
|
65.9 FPS
|
47.1 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB | $ 149 | $ 8.9 | 16.7 FPS
|
14.8 FPS
|
10.3 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK 6GB | $ 999 | $ 22.9 | 43.6 FPS
|
43.7 FPS
|
30.7 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R7 370 2GB | $ 149 | $ 7.9 | 18.8 FPS
|
18 FPS
|
12.3 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 380 2GB | $ 199 | $ 7.9 | 25.2 FPS
|
25.6 FPS
|
16.6 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 380X 4GB | $ 229 | $ 8.1 | 28.3 FPS
|
28.7 FPS
|
19.5 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 390 8GB | $ 329 | $ 8.6 | 38.2 FPS
|
38.9 FPS
|
24.9 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 390X 8GB | $ 429 | $ 10.5 | 40.9 FPS
|
42.6 FPS
|
28.9 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 FURY 4GB | $ 549 | $ 12.9 | 42.5 FPS
|
44.5 FPS
|
30 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 FURY X 4GB | $ 649 | $ 13.1 | 49.4 FPS
|
52.8 FPS
|
36.3 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 Nano 4GB | $ 649 | $ 14.5 | 44.9 FPS
|
47.2 FPS
|
32.3 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 2GB | $ 159 | $ 8.3 | 19.2 FPS
|
19.1 FPS
|
13 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 2GB | $ 199 | $ 8.2 | 24.3 FPS
|
24.5 FPS
|
16.2 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB | $ 329 | $ 8.3 | 39.5 FPS
|
39.4 FPS
|
27.4 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 4GB | $ 549 | $ 11.8 | 46.6 FPS
|
47.1 FPS
|
31.8 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB | $ 649 | $ 11.9 | 54.4 FPS
|
55.6 FPS
|
37.2 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X 12GB | $ 999 | $ 16 | 62.5 FPS
|
63.5 FPS
|
42.5 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 460 4GB | $ 140 | $ 8.1 | 17.3 FPS
|
17.3 FPS
|
11.4 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 470 4GB | $ 179 | $ 5.3 | 33.6 FPS
|
34.4 FPS
|
23 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 480 8GB | $ 400 | $ 10.4 | 38.4 FPS
|
39.7 FPS
|
27.2 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB | $ 399 | $ 6.6 | 60.8 FPS
|
63.3 FPS
|
42.3 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 8GB | $ 499 | $ 7.7 | 64.8 FPS
|
67.7 FPS
|
45.2 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 2GB | $ 79 | $ 6.1 | 13 FPS
|
13 FPS
|
8.3 FPS
|
| NVIDIA TITAN V 12GB | $ 2,999 | $ 33.9 | 88.4 FPS
|
94.6 FPS
|
66.2 FPS
|
| NVIDIA TITAN Xp 12GB | $ 1,199 | $ 15 | 80.1 FPS
|
84.2 FPS
|
58.7 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 550 2GB | $ 79 | $ 5.8 | 13.6 FPS
|
13.7 FPS
|
9 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB 8GB | $ 199 | $ 4.3 | 46.8 FPS
|
46.7 FPS
|
30.5 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 4GB 4GB | $ 169 | $ 4 | 42 FPS
|
42 FPS
|
27.3 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 560 4GB | $ 99 | $ 5.1 | 19.5 FPS
|
19.5 FPS
|
12.8 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT 6GB | $ 279 | $ 4.1 | 67.4 FPS
|
69.8 FPS
|
46.6 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 570 4GB | $ 169 | $ 4.5 | 37.7 FPS
|
38.4 FPS
|
25.2 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 5700 8GB | $ 349 | $ 4.9 | 71.5 FPS
|
74.6 FPS
|
49.9 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB | $ 399 | $ 5.1 | 78 FPS
|
81.3 FPS
|
54.5 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB | $ 229 | $ 5 | 45.7 FPS
|
45.5 FPS
|
29.6 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 590 8GB | $ 279 | $ 5.4 | 51.5 FPS
|
51.4 FPS
|
33.6 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 3GB | $ 169 | $ 8 | 21.1 FPS
|
21.3 FPS
|
14 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB | $ 169 | $ 6.8 | 24.8 FPS
|
25.3 FPS
|
16.9 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB | $ 254 | $ 6 | 42.3 FPS
|
42.6 FPS
|
28.5 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB | $ 170 | $ 4.2 | 40.2 FPS
|
40.5 FPS
|
27.1 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB | $ 399 | $ 6.7 | 59.2 FPS
|
60.3 FPS
|
40.1 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB | $ 409 | $ 6.4 | 64.3 FPS
|
66 FPS
|
44.2 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB | $ 499 | $ 7.2 | 69.4 FPS
|
71.3 FPS
|
47.9 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB | $ 759 | $ 9.3 | 81.7 FPS
|
87.2 FPS
|
59.5 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB | $ 149 | $ 4.1 | 36 FPS
|
36.7 FPS
|
24.5 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB | $ 160 | $ 3.4 | 47.3 FPS
|
48.4 FPS
|
32.4 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 6GB | $ 220 | $ 4.1 | 54.3 FPS
|
55.8 FPS
|
37.3 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6GB | $ 229 | $ 4 | 57.6 FPS
|
59.3 FPS
|
39.8 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB | $ 279 | $ 4.6 | 61.1 FPS
|
62.9 FPS
|
42 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB | $ 350 | $ 5.1 | 68.5 FPS
|
67.3 FPS
|
44.8 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8GB | $ 400 | $ 5.5 | 72.8 FPS
|
73.2 FPS
|
49.6 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8GB | $ 499 | $ 6.5 | 76.9 FPS
|
78.6 FPS
|
54.3 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB | $ 499 | $ 6.1 | 81.2 FPS
|
84.2 FPS
|
57.3 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 8GB | $ 699 | $ 8 | 87.1 FPS
|
91.4 FPS
|
61.9 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8GB | $ 699 | $ 7.6 | 92.2 FPS
|
97.7 FPS
|
66.7 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11GB | $ 1,299 | $ 12.8 | 101.6 FPS
|
108.8 FPS
|
74.6 FPS
|
| NVIDIA TITAN RTX 24GB | $ 2,499 | $ 24 | 104.3 FPS
|
111.7 FPS
|
76.7 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon VII 16GB | $ 699 | $ 8.7 | 80.1 FPS
|
83.6 FPS
|
56 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT 8GB | $ 379 | $ 4.5 | 83.4 FPS
|
87.6 FPS
|
58.7 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB | $ 479 | $ 4.8 | 100.3 FPS
|
105.3 FPS
|
69.7 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 6800 16GB | $ 579 | $ 4.9 | 119.1 FPS
|
124.2 FPS
|
83.3 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT 16GB | $ 649 | $ 4.3 | 150.4 FPS
|
156.9 FPS
|
105.2 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT 16GB | $ 999 | $ 6.3 | 159.8 FPS
|
166.6 FPS
|
111.7 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 6GB | $ 249 | $ 4 | 62.9 FPS
|
64.1 FPS
|
43.7 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB | $ 329 | $ 4.3 | 76.4 FPS
|
79.4 FPS
|
54.7 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB | $ 399 | $ 4.3 | 93.1 FPS
|
99.1 FPS
|
68.9 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB | $ 499 | $ 4.4 | 113.6 FPS
|
117.8 FPS
|
80.3 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 10GB | $ 599 | $ 4.7 | 127.4 FPS
|
133.2 FPS
|
92.5 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 10GB | $ 699 | $ 4.7 | 148.5 FPS
|
154 FPS
|
105 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB | $ 799 | $ 5.4 | 148.6 FPS
|
157.1 FPS
|
111.1 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 24GB | $ 1,499 | $ 8.8 | 170.4 FPS
|
176.7 FPS
|
120.5 FPS
|
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