i7-8086K vs i7-6970HQ

Place in the ranking	1649	846
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	5.54
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Core i7
Power efficiency	6.14	8.95
Architecture codename	Skylake (2015−2016)	Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018)
Release date	2 January 2016 (8 years ago)	4 June 2018 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$623	$425

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-6970HQ and Core i7-8086K 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)	6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads	8	12
Base clock speed	2.8 GHz	4 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.7 GHz	5 GHz
Bus type	DMI 3.0	DMI 3.0
Bus rate	4 × 8 GT/s	4 × 8 GT/s
Multiplier	28	40
L1 cache	256 KB	384 KB
L2 cache	1 MB	1.5 MB
L3 cache	8 MB	12 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Die size	no data	149 mm²
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	72 °C
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+
Unlocked multiplier	-	+

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-6970HQ and Core i7-8086K 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 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCBGA1440	1151
Power consumption (TDP)	45 Watt	95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Core i7-8086K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
eDRAM	128 MB	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	-	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Smart Response	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i7-6970HQ and Core i7-8086K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	+
MPX	+	+
Identity Protection	-	+
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	Yes with Intel® ME
OS Guard	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Core i7-8086K are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	+
VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Core i7-8086K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3, DDR4	DDR3, DDR4
Maximum memory size	64 GB	128 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	34.134 GB/s	42.671 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580	Intel UHD Graphics 630
Max video memory	64 GB	64 GB
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video	no data	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.05 GHz	1.2 GHz
InTru 3D	no data	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-6970HQ and Core i7-8086K integrated GPUs.

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

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Core i7-8086K integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	+	+
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096x2304@24Hz	4096 x 2304@24Hz
Max resolution over eDP	4096x2304@60Hz	4096 x 2304@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	4096x2304@60Hz	4096 x 2304@60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Core i7-8086K integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	12
OpenGL	4.5	4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Core i7-8086K.

PCIe version	3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	16

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.

i7-6970HQ 3.03

i7-8086K 9.32
+208%

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.

i7-6970HQ 4632

i7-8086K 14265
+208%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	3.03	9.32
Integrated graphics card	4.77	3.09
Recency	2 January 2016	4 June 2018
Physical cores	4	6
Threads	8	12
Power consumption (TDP)	45 Watt	95 Watt

i7-6970HQ has 54.4% faster integrated GPU, and 111.1% lower power consumption.

i7-8086K, on the other hand, has a 207.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, and 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads.

The Core i7-8086K is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-6970HQ in performance tests.

Be aware that Core i7-6970HQ is a notebook processor while Core i7-8086K is a desktop one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-6970HQ and Core i7-8086K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.