i7-5960X Extreme Edition vs i7-6850K
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 979 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 1.31 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Series | no data | Intel Core i7EE |
| Power efficiency | 4.88 | no data |
| Architecture codename | Broadwell-E (2016) | Haswell (2013−2015) |
| Release date | 31 May 2016 (8 years ago) | 29 August 2014 (10 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $475 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition 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) | 8 (Octa-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 16 |
| Base clock speed | 3.6 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 4 GHz | 3 GHz |
| Bus type | no data | DMI 2.0 |
| Bus rate | no data | 5 GT/s |
| Multiplier | no data | 30 |
| L1 cache | 32 KB (per core) | no data |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 2 MB |
| L3 cache | 15 MB (shared) | 20 MB |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 22 nm |
| Die size | no data | 355.52 mm2 |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | no data | 2600 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | no data |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition 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 | no data |
| Socket | FCLGA2011 | no data |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 140 Watt | 140 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Smart Response | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | + | no data |
Security technologies
Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | no data |
| EDB | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | no data |
| VT-x | + | no data |
| EPT | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4 | no data |
| Maximum memory size | 128 GB | 64 GB |
| Max memory channels | 4 | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.00 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 40 |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 31 May 2016 | 29 August 2014 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 8 |
| Threads | 12 | 16 |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 22 nm |
i7-6850K has an age advantage of 1 year, and a 57.1% more advanced lithography process.
i7-5960X Extreme Edition, on the other hand, has 33.3% more physical cores and 33.3% more threads.
We couldn't decide between Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition. We've got no test results to judge.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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