Atom C3958 vs i7-6700

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-6700 and Atom C3958 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1209	1750
Place by popularity	51	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.03	0.55
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Series	Intel Core i7 (Desktop)	Intel Atom
Power efficiency	7.40	7.54
Architecture codename	Skylake (2015−2016)	Goldmont (2016−2017)
Release date	1 July 2015 (9 years ago)	15 August 2017 (7 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$303	$449

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i7-6700 has 87% better value for money than Atom C3958.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-6700 and Atom C3958 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)	16 (Hexadeca-Core)
Threads	8	16
Base clock speed	3.4 GHz	2 GHz
Boost clock speed	4 GHz	2 GHz
Bus type	DMI 3.0	no data
Bus rate	4 × 8 GT/s	no data
Multiplier	34	20
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	896 KB
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	16 MB
L3 cache	8 MB (shared)	16 MB
Chip lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Die size	122 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	no data	83 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	71 °C	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-6700 and Atom C3958 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 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCLGA1151	FCBGA1310
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	31 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-6700 and Atom C3958. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	no data
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	-
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
QuickAssist	no data	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
TSX	+	-
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
SIPP	+	-

Security technologies

Core i7-6700 and Atom C3958 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	no data
EDB	+	+
Secure Boot	no data	+
Secure Key	+	+
MPX	+	-
Identity Protection	+	-
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	-
OS Guard	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-6700 and Atom C3958 are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	-
VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-6700 and Atom C3958. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3, DDR4	DDR4: 2400
Maximum memory size	64 GB	256 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	34.134 GB/s	38.397 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 530	no data
Max video memory	64 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.15 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-6700 and Atom C3958 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	no data
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
DVI	+	no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-6700 and Atom C3958 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	+	no data
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096x2304@24Hz	no data
Max resolution over eDP	4096x2304@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over DisplayPort	4096x2304@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over VGA	N/A	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-6700 and Atom C3958 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	no data
OpenGL	4.5	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-6700 and Atom C3958.

PCIe version	3.0	3
PCI Express lanes	16	16
USB revision	no data	3
Total number of SATA ports	no data	16
Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports	no data	16
Number of USB ports	no data	8
Integrated LAN	no data	4x10/2.5/1 GBE

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	5.08	2.47
Recency	1 July 2015	15 August 2017
Physical cores	4	16
Threads	8	16
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	31 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-6700 and Atom C3958, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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