Ryzen 5 6600U vs Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Ryzen 5 6600U processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1069	669
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.23	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7EE	AMD Rembrandt (Zen 3+)
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Rembrandt-U (Zen 3+)
Release date	14 November 2011 (12 years ago)	January 2022 (2 years ago)
Current price	$350	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Ryzen 5 6600U 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	6 (Hexa-Core)	6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads	12	12
Base clock speed	no data	2.9 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.3 GHz	4.5 GHz
Bus support	5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	no data	64K (per core)
L2 cache	1,536 KB	512K (per core)
L3 cache	15 MB	16 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	6 nm
Die size	434.72 mm220.9 mm × 20.8 mm	208 mm2
Maximum core temperature	no data	95 °C
Number of transistors	2270 Million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Ryzen 5 6600U 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 (Uniprocessor)	1
Socket	no data	FP7
Power consumption (TDP)	130 Watt	15 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Ryzen 5 6600U. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	no data	DDR5-4800/LPDDR5-6400 RAM (incl. ECC), PCIe 4, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4A, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, BMI2, ABM, FMA, ADX, SMEP, SMAP, SMT, CPB, AES-NI, RDRAND, RDSEED, SHA, SME
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	no data	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Ryzen 5 6600U are enumerated here.

AMD-V

no data

+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Ryzen 5 6600U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	no data	DDR5
Maximum memory size	64 GB	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card

no data

AMD Radeon 660M

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Ryzen 5 6600U.

PCIe version	2.00	4.0
PCI Express lanes	40	20

Pros & cons summary

---

Performance score	5.75	10.86
Chip lithography	32 nm	6 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	130 Watt	15 Watt

---

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Ryzen 5 6600U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.

---