Ryzen 5 3600 vs Core i7-6970HQ

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1567	633
Place by popularity	not in top-100	11
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	35.13
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core i7	AMD Ryzen 5
Architecture codename	Skylake (2015−2016)	Matisse (2019−2020)
Release date	24 January 2016 (8 years ago)	7 July 2019 (4 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$623	$199
Current price	$54 (0.1x MSRP)	$163 (0.8x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600 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	3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.7 GHz	4.2 GHz
L1 cache	256 KB	96K (per core)
L2 cache	1 MB	512K (per core)
L3 cache	8 MB	32 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	7 nm, 12 nm
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	no data
Number of transistors	no data	4,800 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+
Unlocked multiplier	No	Yes

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600 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 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCBGA1440	AM4
Power consumption (TDP)	45 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

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

Security technologies

Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	no data
EDB	+	no data
Secure Key	+	no data
MPX	+	no data
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	no data
OS Guard	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3, DDR4	DDR4 Dual-channel
Maximum memory size	64 GB	128 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	34.1 GB/s	51.196 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580	-
Max video memory	64 GB	-
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	-
Graphics max frequency	1.05 GHz	-

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	-
eDP	+	-
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
DVI	+	-

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

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

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	-
OpenGL	4.5	-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600.

PCIe version	3.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	16	no data

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.

Ryzen 5 3600 outperforms Core i7-6970HQ by 284% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	2.99	11.48
Recency	24 January 2016	7 July 2019
Physical cores	4	6
Threads	8	12
Cost	$623	$199
Chip lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	45 Watt	65 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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