i5-12600KF vs i7-6950X Extreme Edition
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition and Core i5-12600KF processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | not rated | 351 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 46.89 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Core i7EE | Intel Core i5 |
| Power efficiency | no data | 13.31 |
| Architecture codename | Broadwell (2015−2019) | Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021) |
| Release date | no data (2024 years ago) | 27 October 2021 (3 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1,743 | $264 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition and Core i5-12600KF 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 | 10 (Deca-Core) | 10 (Deca-Core) |
| Threads | 20 | 16 |
| Base clock speed | no data | 3.7 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3 GHz | 4.9 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 2.0 | DMI 4.0 |
| Bus rate | no data | 8 × 16 GT/s |
| Multiplier | 30 | 37 |
| L1 cache | no data | 384 KB |
| L2 cache | 2.5 MB | 9.5 MB |
| L3 cache | 25 MB | 2 MB |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | Intel 7 nm |
| Die size | 246 mm2 | 215.25 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 100 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 72 °C |
| Number of transistors | 3400 Million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition and Core i5-12600KF 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 |
| Socket | no data | FCLGA1700 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 140 Watt | 125 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition and Core i5-12600KF. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Speed Shift | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | - | + |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | no data | - |
| Deep Learning Boost | - | + |
Security technologies
Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition and Core i5-12600KF technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| EDB | no data | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition and Core i5-12600KF 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 i7-6950X Extreme Edition and Core i5-12600KF. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 |
| Maximum memory size | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 76.805 GB/s |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition and Core i5-12600KF.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 5.0 and 4.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 20 |
Pros & cons summary
| Threads | 20 | 16 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 140 Watt | 125 Watt |
i7-6950X Extreme Edition has 25% more threads.
i5-12600KF, on the other hand, has 12% lower power consumption.
We couldn't decide between Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition and Core i5-12600KF. We've got no test results to judge.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition and Core i5-12600KF, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
