A6-6420K vs i7-2600

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-2600 and A6-6420K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1561	2462
Place by popularity	59	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.48	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Power efficiency	3.35	1.44
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Richland (2013−2014)
Release date	9 January 2011 (13 years ago)	January 2014 (10 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$247	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-2600 and A6-6420K 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	4 (Quad-Core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	8	2
Base clock speed	3.4 GHz	4 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.8 GHz	4.2 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	96 KB
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	1024 KB
L3 cache	8192 KB (shared)	no data
Chip lithography	32 nm	32 nm
Die size	216 mm2	246 mm2
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	70 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	70 °C
Number of transistors	1,160 million	1,303 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	no data
Unlocked multiplier	-	+

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-2600 and A6-6420K 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	LGA1155	FM2
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-2600 and A6-6420K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX	no data
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	-	+
AVX	+	+
PowerNow	-	+
PowerGating	-	+
VirusProtect	-	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i7-2600 and A6-6420K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	no data
EDB	+	no data
Identity Protection	+	-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-2600 and A6-6420K are enumerated here.

AMD-V	-	+
VT-d	+	no data
VT-x	+	no data
EPT	+	no data
IOMMU 2.0	-	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-2600 and A6-6420K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3-1866
Maximum memory size	32 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 2000	AMD Radeon HD 8470D
Number of pipelines	no data	192
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Enduro	-	+
Switchable graphics	-	+
UVD	-	+
Graphics max frequency	1.35 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-2600 and A6-6420K integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	2	no data
DisplayPort	-	+
HDMI	-	+

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-2600 and A6-6420K integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX

no data

DirectX® 11

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-2600 and A6-6420K.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	16	no data

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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	3.36	0.99
Integrated graphics card	0.55	0.97
Physical cores	4	2
Threads	8	2
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	65 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-2600 and A6-6420K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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