Core i7-6850K vs Core i7-5960X

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-5960X and Core i7-6850K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	840	888
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	6.73	6.81
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	Core i7 (Desktop)	no data
Architecture codename	Haswell-E (2014)	Broadwell-E (2016)
Release date	1 September 2014 (9 years ago)	31 May 2016 (7 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$999	$475
Current price	$140 (0.1x MSRP)	$115 (0.2x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i7-6850K has 1% better value for money than i7-5960X.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-5960X and Core i7-6850K basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores	8 (Octa-Core)	6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads	16	12
Base clock speed	3 GHz	3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.5 GHz	4 GHz
L1 cache	64K (per core)	32 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	20 MB (shared)	15 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	14 nm
Die size	356 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	67 °C	67°
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	72 °C
Number of transistors	2,600 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	Yes

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-5960X and Core i7-6850K compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1
Socket	FCLGA2011	FCLGA2011
Power consumption (TDP)	140 Watt	140 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-5960X and Core i7-6850K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	no data
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	+	no data
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	no data
Smart Response	+	+
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	no data	+
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Core i7-5960X and Core i7-6850K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Identity Protection	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-5960X and Core i7-6850K are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-5960X and Core i7-6850K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4	DDR4
Maximum memory size	64 GB	128 GB
Max memory channels	4	4
Maximum memory bandwidth	68 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	-	-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-5960X and Core i7-6850K.

PCIe version	3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	40	40

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

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Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

Core i7-5960X outperforms Core i7-6850K by 11% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	8.26	7.41
Recency	1 September 2014	31 May 2016
Physical cores	8	6
Threads	16	12
Cost	$999	$475
Chip lithography	22 nm	14 nm

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-5960X and Core i7-6850K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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