Intel Core i7-6900K vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600

Processor comparisons 25-03-2021

   If you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i7-6900K vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and understand which is better for games or normal use for streaming, programming, video editing, rendering, machine learning. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or several benchmarks. A careful analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, 7zip, VeraCrypt, Handbrake, Furmark, UserBenchmark, 3DMark, PassMark, AIDA64, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Dolphin Emulator, SuperPi, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Gears 5, MATLAB, RealBench, WPrime, Blender, Prime95.
   And how good the processors are in games:

Halo Infinite
Rainbow Six Siege
Apex Legends
Fortnite
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Valorant
Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare
Borderlands 3
Cyberpunk 2077
Last Man Standing
Red Dead Redemption 2
Valheim
Grand Theft Auto V
Death Stranding
DOOM: Eternal
Overwatch
Watch Dogs Legion
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Fallout 76

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or Intel Core i7-6900K.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Core i7-6900K

54%

Ryzen 5 2600

54%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-6900K

55%

Ryzen 5 2600

53%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a little game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, DOTA 2A, Monster Hunter World, League of Legends (LOL), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Hitman 3, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghostrunner, Metro Exodus, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Battlefield V, NBA 2K20, Forza Horizon 4, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Half-Life: Alyx, Control, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.2	94.8
Valorant	110.4	107.8
Cyberpunk 2077	61.8	60.4
Apex Legends	103.8	101.3
Call of Duty Warzone	82.8	80.8
Overwatch	89.4	87.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.2	74.4
DOOM Eternal	55.2	53.9
Warzone	86.1	84.1
Assassin's Creed	92.7	90.5
Valheim	91.6	89.5

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers that were in the comparisons not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i7-6900K

24%

Ryzen 5 2600

56%

To make a finishing decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Ryzen 5 2600 is more energy efficient than the Core i7-6900K as it consumes less power: 140W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, programming, video rendering or video editing, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the advantages of multi-core mode are unused.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i7-6900K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	207	164
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1439	1310
Cinbench 20 Single-core	484	374
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3668	2736
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1151	1024
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11326	7220

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i7-6900K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Single-Core	2405	2280
Multi-Core	13871	13255

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i7-6900K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Single-Core	1016	1104
Multi-Core	8971	6712

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i7-6900K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Announcement date	April 01, 2016	April 19, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2011-3	AM4
Core name	Broadwell E	Pinnacle Ridge
Architecture	x86	Zen+
Generation	6	2
Turbo Frequency	3.7 MHz	3.9 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.4 MHz
Cores	8	6
Threads	16	12
Bus rate		4 Ã— 8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	12 nm
Transistors count	2800 millions	3600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	140 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4 2400/2133	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		2933
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache		576KB
L2 cache		3MB
L3 cache	20 MB	16MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		YD2600BBM6IAF YD2600BBAFBOX YD2600BBAFMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 2600 is 5% better than Core i7-6900K in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-6900K has 2 more core than Ryzen 5 2600. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-6900K is better: 25
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is better: 12
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i7-6900K and AMD Ryzen 5 2600 before making a choice which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i7-6900K - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i7-6900K specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600 specs and review.