Xeon E5-1603 vs Core i7-6900K

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-6900K and Xeon E5-1603 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	771	1743
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	6.42	0.51
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Architecture codename	Broadwell-E (2016)	no data
Release date	31 May 2016 (8 years ago)	1 January 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,020	no data
Current price	$184 (0.2x MSRP)	$13.59

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i7-6900K has 1159% better value for money than Xeon E5-1603.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-6900K and Xeon E5-1603 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	8 (Octa-Core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	16	4
Base clock speed	3.2 GHz	2.8 GHz
Boost clock speed	4 GHz	no data
L1 cache	32 KB (per core)	no data
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	no data
L3 cache	20 MB (shared)	10 MB
Chip lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Maximum core temperature	67°	64 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	No
VID voltage range	no data	0.6V - 1.35V

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-6900K and Xeon E5-1603 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	1
Socket	FCLGA2011	FCLGA2011
Power consumption (TDP)	140 Watt	130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-6900K and Xeon E5-1603. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	no data	Intel® AVX
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	no data
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	no data	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	+
Smart Response	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	no data	+
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	+	no data
Status	Discontinued	Launched

Security technologies

Core i7-6900K and Xeon E5-1603 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-6900K and Xeon E5-1603 are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-6900K and Xeon E5-1603. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4	DDR3-800, DDR3-1066
Maximum memory size	128 GB	375 GB
Max memory channels	4	4
Maximum memory bandwidth	no data	31.4 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-6900K and Xeon E5-1603.

PCIe version	3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	40	40

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.

Core i7-6900K outperforms Xeon E5-1603 by 317% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	9.33	2.24
Recency	31 May 2016	1 January 2012
Physical cores	8	4
Threads	16	4
Chip lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	140 Watt	130 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-6900K and Xeon E5-1603, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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