AMD Ryzen 5 2600X vs Intel Core i7-6900K

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Combined performance score

i7-6900K
9.45
+4.2%

Core i7-6900K outperforms Ryzen 5 2600X by 4% in our combined benchmark results.

General info

Comparing Core i7-6900K and Ryzen 5 2600X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking723753
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Value for money5.0721.93
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Seriesno dataAMD Ryzen 5
Architecture codenameBroadwell-E (2016)Zen+ (2018−2020)
Release date31 May 2016 (7 years old)19 April 2018 (5 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)$1,020$229
Current price$290 (0.3x MSRP)$155 (0.7x MSRP)
Value for money

Performance per price, higher is better.

Ryzen 5 2600X has 333% better value for money than i7-6900K.

Technical specs

Core i7-6900K and Ryzen 5 2600X 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 cores8 (Octa-Core)6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads1612
Base clock speed3.2 GHz3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed4 GHz4.25 GHz
L1 cache32 KB (per core)96K (per core)
L2 cache256 KB (per core)512K (per core)
L3 cache20 MB (shared)16 MB (shared)
Chip lithography14 nm12 nm
Die sizeno data192 mm2
Maximum core temperature67°no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)72 °Cno data
Number of transistorsno data4,800 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplierYesYes

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-6900K and Ryzen 5 2600X 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 configuration11 (Uniprocessor)
SocketFCLGA2011AM4
Power consumption (TDP)140 Watt95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-6900K and Ryzen 5 2600X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataSSE4.2, SSE4A, AMD-V, AES, AVX2, FMA3, SHA
AES-NI++
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Turbo Boost Technology2.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology+no data
Idle States+no data
Smart Response+no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0+no data
StatusDiscontinuedno data

Security technologies

Core i7-6900K and Ryzen 5 2600X 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 i7-6900K and Ryzen 5 2600X are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-6900K and Ryzen 5 2600X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4DDR4 Dual-channel
Maximum memory size128 GB64 GB
Max memory channels42
Maximum memory bandwidthno data46.933 GB/s
ECC memory support-+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-6900K and Ryzen 5 2600X.

PCIe version3.03.0
PCI Express lanes4020

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


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.

i7-6900K 9.45
+4.2%
Ryzen 5 2600X 9.07

Core i7-6900K outperforms Ryzen 5 2600X by 4% in our combined benchmark results.


Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

Benchmark coverage: 68%

i7-6900K 14517
+4.2%
Ryzen 5 2600X 13926

Core i7-6900K outperforms Ryzen 5 2600X by 4% in Passmark.

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

Benchmark coverage: 42%

i7-6900K 1260
+1.9%
Ryzen 5 2600X 1237

Core i7-6900K outperforms Ryzen 5 2600X by 2% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

Benchmark coverage: 42%

i7-6900K 7122
+35.4%
Ryzen 5 2600X 5261

Core i7-6900K outperforms Ryzen 5 2600X by 35% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.

Gaming performance

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 9.45 9.07
Recency 31 May 2016 19 April 2018
Physical cores 8 6
Threads 16 12
Cost $1020 $229
Chip lithography 14 nm 12 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 140 Watt 95 Watt

We couldn't decide between Core i7-6900K and Ryzen 5 2600X. The differences in performance seem too small.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-6900K and Ryzen 5 2600X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

User ratings

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


Intel Core i7-6900K
Core i7-6900K
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Ryzen 5 2600X

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Questions and comments

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