Intel Core i3-1210U vs Intel Core i7-6900K

Processor comparisons   10-01-2022
   Let's say you have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i3-1210U vs Intel Core i7-6900K and understand which is better for games or simple use for streaming, video editing, programming, rendering, machine learning. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or several benchmarks. A careful review of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications like Gears 5, VeraCrypt, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Furmark, PassMark, RealBench, MATLAB, 7zip, Blender, Handbrake, 3DMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PCMark 10, SuperPi, Dolphin Emulator, UserBenchmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, WPrime, Prime95, AIDA64, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-6900K or Intel Core i3-1210U.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i3-1210U

54%

Core i7-6900K

54%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-1210U

53%

Core i7-6900K

55%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.3	97.2
Valorant	107.1	110.4
Cyberpunk 2077	60.0	61.8
Apex Legends	100.7	103.8
Call of Duty Warzone	80.3	82.8
Overwatch	86.8	89.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.9	76.2
DOOM Eternal	53.6	55.2
Warzone	83.6	86.1
Assassin's Creed	90.0	92.7
Valheim	88.9	91.6

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 participating in the comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i3-1210U

409%

Core i7-6900K

24%

To make a finishing resolution 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 Core i3-1210U is more energy efficient than the Core i7-6900K since it has less power consumption: 9W vs. 140W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will find out 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 can use only one core to work, and all the benefit of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i3-1210U	Intel Core i7-6900K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	204	207
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1495	1439
Cinbench 20 Single-core	490	484
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3395	3668
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1147	1151
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11189	11326

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

	Intel Core i3-1210U	Intel Core i7-6900K
Single-Core	2684	2405
Multi-Core	15665	13871

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

	Intel Core i3-1210U	Intel Core i7-6900K
Single-Core	1106	1016
Multi-Core	6143	8971

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful 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 later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i3-1210U	Intel Core i7-6900K
Announcement date	January 07, 2022	April 01, 2016
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	FCBGA1744	FCLGA2011-3
Core name	Alder Lake-U	Broadwell E
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	12	6
Turbo Frequency	4.4 MHz	3.7 MHz
Frequency	1 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	6	8
Threads	8	16
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	10 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	9800 millions	2800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	9 W	140 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s Up to LPDDR5 5200 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s	DDR4 2400/2133
Max. Memory	64 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	45.8 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	24 MB	20 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i7-6900K is 68% better than Core i3-1210U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-6900K has 2 more core than Core i3-1210U. 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 i3-1210U is better: 14
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-6900K is better: 20
Although it should be realized that all the number in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i3-1210U and Intel Core i7-6900K before making a choice which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i3-1210U - all data

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

• Intel Core i3-1210U specs and review.

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.