AMD Ryzen 5 3550U vs Intel Core i7-6700K

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   For example there are difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the full tests AMD Ryzen 5 3550U vs Intel Core i7-6700K and understand which is better for games or normal use for streaming, machine learning, programming, rendering, video editing. Here you can find useful information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests such as VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, Handbrake, AIDA64, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, 3DMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PCMark 10, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Gears 5, 7zip, Prime95, Furmark, PassMark, SuperPi, Blender, RealBench.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-6700K or AMD Ryzen 5 3550U.

Summary benchmark results

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

Ryzen 5 3550U

52%

Core i7-6700K

52%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 5 3550U

51%

Core i7-6700K

53%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: DOTA 2A, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Battlefield V, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Forza Horizon 4, League of Legends (LOL), Half-Life: Alyx, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Horizon Zero Dawn, NBA 2K20, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Metro Exodus, Ghostrunner, Control, Hitman 3, Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	91.1	93.6
Valorant	103.6	106.4
Cyberpunk 2077	58.0	59.6
Apex Legends	97.4	100.0
Call of Duty Warzone	77.7	79.8
Overwatch	83.9	86.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.5	73.4
DOOM Eternal	51.8	53.2
Warzone	80.8	83.0
Assassin's Creed	87.0	89.4
Valheim	86.0	88.3

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 tested computers not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. 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

Ryzen 5 3550U

197%

Core i7-6700K

45%

To make a finishing choice on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Ryzen 5 3550U is more energy efficient than the Core i7-6700K as it consumes less power: 15W vs. 95W. 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video editing or video rendering, streaming, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that 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

	AMD Ryzen 5 3550U	Intel Core i7-6700K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	134	180
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	707	888
Cinbench 20 Single-core	343	421
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1581	2059
Cinbench 23 Single-core	900	1124
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	4232	5640

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 3550U	Intel Core i7-6700K
Single-Core	2032	2556
Multi-Core	7704	8984

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 3550U	Intel Core i7-6700K
Single-Core	888	1308
Multi-Core	3078	5516

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	AMD Ryzen 5 3550U	Intel Core i7-6700K
Announcement date	April 01, 2020	April 01, 2015
Type	Unknown	Desktop
Socket	FP5	LGA1151
Core name	Raven Ridge	Skylake
Architecture	Zen	x86
Generation	1	6
Turbo Frequency	3.7 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	2.1 MHz	4 MHz
Cores	4	4
Threads	8	8
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	12 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	4200 millions	1750 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	95 W
Memory type		DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V
Max. Memory		64 Gb
Memory Frequency	2400
Memory bandwidth		34.1 GB/s
L1 cache	384KB
L2 cache	2MB
L3 cache	4MB	8 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	YM3500C4T4MFG n/a

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i7-6700K is 47% better than Ryzen 5 3550U in terms of CPU frequency. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 3550U is better: 7
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-6700K is better: 29
Although it should be understood that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 5 3550U and Intel Core i7-6700K before making a choice which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• AMD Ryzen 5 3550U specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-6700K specs and review.