Intel Core i7-6700K vs AMD Ryzen 7 2700X

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i7-6700K vs AMD Ryzen 7 2700X and decide which is better for games or simple use for rendering, video editing, programming, streaming, machine learning. Here you can find all information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A careful analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications such as Gears 5, 7zip, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, Dolphin Emulator, Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve Studio, WPrime, Furmark, AIDA64, PassMark, SuperPi, VeraCrypt, Prime95, 3DMark, MATLAB, UserBenchmark, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, RealBench, PCMark 10, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 7 2700X or Intel Core i7-6700K.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i7-6700K

52%

Ryzen 7 2700X

55%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 7 2700X is 5% better than Core i7-6700K. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-6700K

53%

Ryzen 7 2700X

54%

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 run games. Because the cost of this processor reaches 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 less popular games in which processors were compared: Monster Hunter World, Horizon Zero Dawn, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Forza Horizon 4, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Battlefield V, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus, Ghostrunner, NBA 2K20, Hitman 3, Control, Microsoft Flight Simulator, League of Legends (LOL), Half-Life: Alyx, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), DOTA 2A, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	93.6	96.4
Valorant	106.4	109.6
Cyberpunk 2077	59.6	61.4
Apex Legends	100.0	103.0
Call of Duty Warzone	79.8	82.2
Overwatch	86.2	88.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.4	75.6
DOOM Eternal	53.2	54.8
Warzone	83.0	85.5
Assassin's Creed	89.4	92.1
Valheim	88.3	91.0

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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. 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

Core i7-6700K

45%

Ryzen 7 2700X

34%

To make a final resolution 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 Core i7-6700K is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 7 2700X as it consumes less power: 95W vs. 105W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, streaming, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the CPU turns on all cores and threads that it has. 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 software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, 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 i7-6700K	AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	180	177
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	888	1817
Cinbench 20 Single-core	421	411
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2059	3951
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1124	1092
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	5640	10545

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

	Intel Core i7-6700K	AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Single-Core	2556	2465
Multi-Core	8984	17664

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

	Intel Core i7-6700K	AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Single-Core	1308	1100
Multi-Core	5516	8275

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 in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i7-6700K	AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Announcement date	April 01, 2015	April 19, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	LGA1151	AM4
Core name	Skylake	Pinnacle Ridge
Architecture	x86	Zen+
Generation	6	2
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.3 MHz
Frequency	4 MHz	3.7 MHz
Cores	4	8
Threads	8	16
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	12 nm
Transistors count	1750 millions	3800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	95 W	105 W
Memory type	DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V	DDR4
Max. Memory	64 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency		2933
Memory bandwidth	34.1 GB/s
L1 cache		768KB
L2 cache		4MB
L3 cache	8 MB	16MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		YD270XBGM88AF YD270XBGAFBOX YD270XBGAFMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i7-6700K is 7% better than Ryzen 7 2700X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 7 2700X has 4 more core than Core i7-6700K. 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 i7-6700K is better: 11
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 7 2700X is better: 25
However, it should be understood that all the figures in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i7-6700K and AMD Ryzen 7 2700X before making a choice which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i7-6700K specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 7 2700X specs and review.