Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition vs Ryzen 9 3950X

Primary details

Comparing Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	178	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	16.60	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	AMD Ryzen 9	Intel Core i7EE
Architecture codename	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)	Broadwell (2015−2019)
Release date	14 November 2019 (4 years ago)	no data
Launch price (MSRP)	$799	$1,743
Current price	$1108 (1.4x MSRP)	$627 (0.4x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition 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	16 (Hexadeca-Core)	10 (Deca-Core)
Threads	32	20
Base clock speed	3.5 GHz	no data
Boost clock speed	4.7 GHz	3 GHz
L1 cache	96K (per core)	no data
L2 cache	512K (per core)	2.5 MB
L3 cache	64 MB	25 MB
Chip lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Die size	2 x 72 mm + 125 mm (IO-Die) mm2	246 mm2
Number of transistors	19,200 million	3400 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	-
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	No

Compatibility

Information on Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition 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	AM4	no data
Power consumption (TDP)	105 Watt	140 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	86x MMX(+), SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A,-64, AMD-V, AES, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, SHA, Precision Boost 2	no data
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	no data	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition are enumerated here.

AMD-V

+

no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4 Dual-channel	no data
Maximum memory size	128 GB	128 GB
Maximum memory bandwidth	51.196 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	+	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition.

PCIe version	no data	3.0
PCI Express lanes	no data	40

Pros & cons summary

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Physical cores	16	10
Threads	32	20
Cost	$799	$1743
Chip lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	105 Watt	140 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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