Core i7-2600K vs Core i9-10980XE

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Aggregate performance score

Core i9-10980XE
2019
18 cores / 36 threads, 165 Watt
21.22
+499%

i9-10980XE outperforms i7-2600K by a whopping 499% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i9-10980XE and Core i7-2600K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking2321457
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation15.981.29
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Seriesno dataIntel Core i7 (Desktop)
Architecture codenameCascade Lake-X (2019)Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date19 October 2019 (4 years ago)9 January 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$979$317
Current price$891 (0.9x MSRP)$119 (0.4x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i9-10980XE has 1139% better value for money than i7-2600K.

Detailed specifications

Core i9-10980XE and Core i7-2600K 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 cores18 (Octadeca-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads368
Base clock speed3 GHz3.4 GHz
Boost clock speed4.8 GHz3.8 GHz
L1 cache64K (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache1 MB (per core)256K (per core)
L3 cache24.75 MB (shared)8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography14 nm32 nm
Die sizeno data216 mm2
Maximum core temperature86 °C73 °C
Number of transistorsno data1,160 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility+-
Unlocked multiplierYesYes

Compatibility

Information on Core i9-10980XE and Core i7-2600K 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
SocketFCLGA2066LGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)165 Watt95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-10980XE and Core i7-2600K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
AES-NI++
AVX++
vPro+no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology2.0+
Hyper-Threading Technology++
TSX+no data
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoringno data+
Flex Memory Accessno data+
Turbo Boost Max 3.0+no data
FDIno data+
Fast Memory Accessno data+
StatusLaunchedDiscontinued

Security technologies

Core i9-10980XE and Core i7-2600K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+-
EDB++
Identity Protectionno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-10980XE and Core i7-2600K are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i9-10980XE and Core i7-2600K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4DDR3
Maximum memory size256 GB32 GB
Max memory channels42
Maximum memory bandwidth94 GB/s21 GB/s
ECC memory support--

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel HD Graphics 3000
Quick Sync Videono data+
Clear Video HDno data+
Graphics max frequencyno data1.35 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i9-10980XE and Core i7-2600K integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data2

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i9-10980XE and Core i7-2600K.

PCIe version3.02.0
PCI Express lanes4816

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.

i9-10980XE 21.22
+499%
i7-2600K 3.54

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 499% based on our aggregate 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%

i9-10980XE 32825
+499%
i7-2600K 5483

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 499% 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%

i9-10980XE 1572
+135%
i7-2600K 668

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 135% 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%

i9-10980XE 12048
+421%
i7-2600K 2313

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 421% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

Benchmark coverage: 20%

i9-10980XE 7847
+63.2%
i7-2600K 4809

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 63% in Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core.

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

Benchmark coverage: 19%

i9-10980XE 59479
+220%
i7-2600K 18608

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 220% in Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core.

3DMark06 CPU

3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.

Benchmark coverage: 19%

i9-10980XE 14129
+112%
i7-2600K 6669

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 112% in 3DMark06 CPU.

wPrime 32

wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.

Benchmark coverage: 18%

i9-10980XE 2.81
+274%
i7-2600K 10.5

Core i7-2600K outperforms Core i9-10980XE by 274% in wPrime 32.

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.

Benchmark coverage: 17%

i9-10980XE 38
+468%
i7-2600K 7

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 468% in Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core.

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.

Benchmark coverage: 15%

i9-10980XE 3744
+510%
i7-2600K 614

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 510% in Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core.

Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.

Benchmark coverage: 15%

i9-10980XE 208
+61.2%
i7-2600K 129

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 61% in Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core.

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

i9-10980XE 2.36
+56.3%
i7-2600K 1.51

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 56% in Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core.

TrueCrypt AES

TrueCrypt is a discontinued piece of software that was widely used for on-the-fly-encryption of disk partitions, now superseded by VeraCrypt. It contains several embedded performance tests, one of them being TrueCrypt AES, which measures data encryption speed using AES algorithm. Result is encryption speed in gigabytes per second.

Benchmark coverage: 13%

i9-10980XE 18.2
+452%
i7-2600K 3.3

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 452% in TrueCrypt AES.

WinRAR 4.0

WinRAR 4.0 is an outdated version of a popular file archiver. It contains an internal speed test, using 'Best' setting of RAR compression on large chunks of randomly generated data. Its results are measured in kilobytes per second.

Benchmark coverage: 13%

i9-10980XE 7172
+106%
i7-2600K 3486

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 106% in WinRAR 4.0.

x264 encoding pass 2

x264 Pass 2 is a slower variant of x264 video compression that produces a variable bit rate output file, which results in better quality since the higher bit rate is used when it is needed more. Benchmark result is still measured in frames per second.  

Benchmark coverage: 13%

i9-10980XE 158
+332%
i7-2600K 37

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 332% in x264 encoding pass 2.

x264 encoding pass 1

x264 version 4.0 is a video encoding benchmark uses MPEG 4 x264 compression method to compress a sample HD (720p) video. Pass 1 is a faster variant that produces a constant bit rate output file. Its result is measured in frames per second, which means how many frames of the source video file were encoded per second.  

Benchmark coverage: 13%

i9-10980XE 215
+48.3%
i7-2600K 145

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 48% in x264 encoding pass 1.

Geekbench 3 32-bit multi-core

Benchmark coverage: 5%

i9-10980XE 56351
+388%
i7-2600K 11547

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 388% in Geekbench 3 32-bit multi-core.

Geekbench 3 32-bit single-core

Benchmark coverage: 5%

i9-10980XE 4578
+51.8%
i7-2600K 3015

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 52% in Geekbench 3 32-bit single-core.

Geekbench 2

Benchmark coverage: 5%

i9-10980XE 38219
+393%
i7-2600K 7754

Core i9-10980XE outperforms Core i7-2600K by 393% in Geekbench 2.

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 21.22 3.54
Recency 19 October 2019 9 January 2011
Physical cores 18 4
Threads 36 8
Cost $979 $317
Chip lithography 14 nm 32 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 165 Watt 95 Watt

The Core i9-10980XE is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-2600K in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-10980XE and Core i7-2600K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i9-10980XE
Core i9-10980XE
Intel Core i7-2600K
Core i7-2600K

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