Xeon Gold 6246 vs Core i7-6700

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-6700 and Xeon Gold 6246 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1127	392
Place by popularity	82	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	3.18	7.58
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Series	Intel Core i7 (Desktop)	Intel Xeon Gold
Architecture codename	Skylake (2015−2016)	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)
Release date	1 September 2015 (8 years ago)	2 April 2019 (5 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$303	$3,286
Current price	$92 (0.3x MSRP)	$2260 (0.7x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon Gold 6246 has 138% better value for money than i7-6700.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-6700 and Xeon Gold 6246 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)	12 (Dodeca-Core)
Threads	8	24
Base clock speed	3.4 GHz	3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	4 GHz	4.2 GHz
Bus support	4 × 8 GT/s	4 × 8 GT/s
L1 cache	256 KB	768 KB
L2 cache	1 MB	12 MB
L3 cache	8 MB (shared)	24.75 MB
Chip lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Die size	122 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	71 °C	76 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-6700 and Xeon Gold 6246 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	4 (Multiprocessor)
Socket	FCLGA1151	FCLGA3647
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	165 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-6700 and Xeon Gold 6246. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	no data	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	+	+
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	no data
SIPP	+	no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	no data	-
Status	Launched	Launched

Security technologies

Core i7-6700 and Xeon Gold 6246 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-6700 and Xeon Gold 6246 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-6700 and Xeon Gold 6246. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3, DDR4	DDR4-2933
Maximum memory size	64 GB	1 TB
Max memory channels	2	6
Maximum memory bandwidth	34.1 GB/s	140.8 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	+	no data
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 Xeon Gold 6246 integrated GPUs.

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

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-6700 and Xeon Gold 6246 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 Xeon Gold 6246 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 Xeon Gold 6246.

PCIe version	3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	48

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.

Xeon Gold 6246 outperforms Core i7-6700 by 207% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	5.23	16.05
Recency	1 September 2015	2 April 2019
Physical cores	4	12
Threads	8	24
Cost	$303	$3286
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	165 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-6700 and Xeon Gold 6246, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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