Intel Core i7-6950X vs Intel Core i7-6850K

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i7-6950X CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i7-6850K
Intel Core i7-6950X Intel Core i7-6850K

CPU comparison

Intel Core i7-6950X or Intel Core i7-6850K - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The Intel Core i7-6950X has 10 cores with 20 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.50 GHz. Up to 128 GB of memory is supported in 4 memory channels. The Intel Core i7-6950X was released in Q2/2016.

The Intel Core i7-6850K has 6 cores with 12 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.80 GHz. The CPU supports up to 128 GB of memory in 4 memory channels. The Intel Core i7-6850K was released in Q2/2016.
Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition (24) Family Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition (24)
Intel Core i 6000X (1) CPU group Intel Core i 6000 (24)
6 Generation 6
Broadwell E Architecture Skylake S
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i7-6950X is a 10 core processor with a clock frequency of 3.00 GHz (3.50 GHz). The Intel Core i7-6850K has 6 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 3.60 GHz (3.80 GHz).

Intel Core i7-6950X Characteristic Intel Core i7-6850K
10 Cores 6
20 Threads 12
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
Yes Overclocking ? Yes
3.00 GHz Frequency 3.60 GHz
3.50 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 3.80 GHz
3.50 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) --

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Intel Core i7-6950X Characteristic Intel Core i7-6850K
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

The integrated graphics unit of a processor is not only responsible for the pure image output on the system, but can also significantly increase the efficiency of the system with the support of modern video codecs.

no iGPU GPU no iGPU
GPU frequency --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
-- GPU Generation --
Technology
Max. displays
-- Compute units --
-- Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory --
-- DirectX Version --

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

no iGPU GPU no iGPU
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
No Codec h264 No
No Codec VP9 No
No Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
No Codec AVC No
No Codec VC-1 No
No Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

The Intel Core i7-6950X supports a maximum of 128 GB of memory in 4 memory channels. The Intel Core i7-6850K can connect up to 128 GB of memory in 4 memory channels.

Intel Core i7-6950X Characteristic Intel Core i7-6850K
DDR4-2400 Memory DDR4-2400
128 GB Max. Memory 128 GB
4 (Quad Channel) Memory channels 4 (Quad Channel)
76.8 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 76.8 GB/s
No ECC No
-- L2 Cache --
25.00 MB L3 Cache 15.00 MB
3.0 PCIe version 3.0
40 PCIe lanes 40
39.4 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 39.4 GB/s

Thermal Management

The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of a processor specifies the required cooling solution. The Intel Core i7-6950X has a TDP of 140 W, that of the Intel Core i7-6850K is 140 W.

Intel Core i7-6950X Characteristic Intel Core i7-6850K
140 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 140 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. 100 °C

Technical details

The Intel Core i7-6950X has a 25.00 MB cache, while the Intel Core i7-6850K cache has a total of 15.00 MB.

Intel Core i7-6950X Characteristic Intel Core i7-6850K
14 nm Technology 14 nm
Monolithic Chip design Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2 ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2
LGA 2011-3 Socket LGA 2011-3
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q2/2016 Release date Q2/2016
-- Release price 628 $
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Intel Core i7-6950X to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.0 stars (1 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Intel Core i7-6850K to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 5.0 stars (1 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i7-6950X (91%)
Intel Core i7-6850K (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i7-6950X (100%)
Intel Core i7-6850K (71%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-6950X Intel Core i7-6950X
10C 20T @ 3.50 GHz
974 (87%)
Intel Core i7-6850K Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
1116 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-6950X Intel Core i7-6950X
10C 20T @ 3.50 GHz
8993 (100%)
Intel Core i7-6850K Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
6711 (75%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Intel Core i7-6950X Intel Core i7-6950X
10C 20T @ 3.50 GHz
1237 (95%)
Intel Core i7-6850K Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
1302 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Intel Core i7-6950X Intel Core i7-6950X
10C 20T @ 3.50 GHz
7421 (100%)
Intel Core i7-6850K Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
6214 (84%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Intel Core i7-6950X Intel Core i7-6950X
10C 20T @ 3.50 GHz
17377 (100%)
Intel Core i7-6850K Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
11397 (66%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i7-6950X Intel Core i7-6950X
10C 20T @ 3.00 GHz
5950 (100%)
Intel Core i7-6850K Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
3480 (58%)

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-6950X Intel Core i7-6950X
10C 20T @ 3.50 GHz
1091 (100%)
Intel Core i7-6850K Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-6950X Intel Core i7-6950X
10C 20T @ 3.50 GHz
12713 (100%)
Intel Core i7-6850K Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
Intel Core i7-6950X Intel Core i7-6950X
10C 20T @ 3.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-6850K Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
279.7 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-6950X Intel Core i7-6950X
10C 20T @ 3.50 GHz
152 (100%)
Intel Core i7-6850K Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-6950X Intel Core i7-6950X
10C 20T @ 3.50 GHz
1819 (100%)
Intel Core i7-6850K Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i7-6950X Intel Core i7-6850K
Unknown Unknown

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