i7-6700K vs Xeon E3-1280 v6

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E3-1280 v6 and Core i7-6700K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1145	1149
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	3.05	1.19
Market segment	Server	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Xeon E3	Intel Core i7 (Desktop)
Power efficiency	7.44	5.81
Architecture codename	Kaby Lake (2016−2019)	Skylake (2015−2016)
Release date	28 March 2017 (7 years ago)	5 August 2015 (9 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$612	$339

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E3-1280 v6 has 156% better value for money than i7-6700K.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E3-1280 v6 and Core i7-6700K 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)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	8	8
Base clock speed	3.9 GHz	4 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.2 GHz	4.2 GHz
Bus type	DMI 3.0	DMI 3.0
Bus rate	8 GT/s	4 × 8 GT/s
Multiplier	39	40
L1 cache	256 KB	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	1 MB	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	8 MB	8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Die size	no data	122 mm2
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	64 °C
Number of transistors	no data	1750 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	-	+

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E3-1280 v6 and Core i7-6700K 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	FCLGA1151	FCLGA1151
Power consumption (TDP)	72 Watt	91 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E3-1280 v6 and Core i7-6700K. 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	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+

Security technologies

Xeon E3-1280 v6 and Core i7-6700K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E3-1280 v6 and Core i7-6700K are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E3-1280 v6 and Core i7-6700K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-2400, DDR3L-1866	DDR3, DDR4
Maximum memory size	64 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	38.397 GB/s	34.134 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	no data	Intel HD Graphics 530
Max video memory	no data	64 GB
Quick Sync Video	-	+
Clear Video	-	+
Clear Video HD	-	+
Graphics max frequency	no data	1.15 GHz
InTru 3D	-	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Xeon E3-1280 v6 and Core i7-6700K integrated GPUs.

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

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Xeon E3-1280 v6 and Core i7-6700K integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

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

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Xeon E3-1280 v6 and Core i7-6700K integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	N/A	12
OpenGL	N/A	4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E3-1280 v6 and Core i7-6700K.

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.

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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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	5.69	5.62
Recency	28 March 2017	5 August 2015
Power consumption (TDP)	72 Watt	91 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E3-1280 v6 and Core i7-6700K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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