A6-7400K vs Core i7-2600

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-2600 and A6-7400K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1447	2312
Place by popularity	49	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.81	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Kaveri (2014−2015)
Release date	9 January 2011 (13 years ago)	31 July 2014 (9 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$247	no data
Current price	$93 (0.4x MSRP)	$61

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-2600 and A6-7400K 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	3.5 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.8 GHz	3.9 GHz
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	128 KB
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	1024 KB
L3 cache	8192 KB (shared)	no data
Chip lithography	32 nm	28 nm
Die size	216 mm2	245 mm2
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	70 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	72 °C
Number of transistors	1,160 million	2,411 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	no data
Unlocked multiplier	No	Yes

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-2600 and A6-7400K 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 A6-7400K. 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	no data	+
AVX	+	+
FRTC	no data	1
FreeSync	no data	1
PowerTune	no data	-
TrueAudio	no data	+
PowerNow	no data	+
PowerGating	no data	+
Out-of-band client management	no data	+
VirusProtect	no data	+
HSA	no data	1
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	no data
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
Status	Discontinued	no data

Security technologies

Core i7-2600 and A6-7400K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-2600 and A6-7400K are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-2600 and A6-7400K. 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
ECC memory support	-	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 2000	AMD Radeon R5 Graphics
iGPU core count	no data	4
Number of pipelines	no data	256
Quick Sync Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Enduro	no data	+
Switchable graphics	no data	1
UVD	no data	+
VCE	no data	+
Graphics max frequency	1.35 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-2600 and A6-7400K integrated GPUs.

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

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-2600 and A6-7400K integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	no data	DirectX® 12
Vulkan	no data	1

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-2600 and A6-7400K.

PCIe version	2.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	16

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 i7-2600 outperforms A6-7400K by 230% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	3.46	1.05
Recency	9 January 2011	31 July 2014
Physical cores	4	2
Threads	8	2
Chip lithography	32 nm	28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	65 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-2600 and A6-7400K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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