Intel Core i7-6900K vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600X

Processor comparisons 25-03-2021

   If there are difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i7-6900K vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600X and decide which is better for games or normal use for programming, streaming, video editing, rendering, machine learning. Here you can find all information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications like 7zip, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Handbrake, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PCMark 10, MATLAB, Prime95, DaVinci Resolve Studio, AIDA64, WPrime, UserBenchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, RealBench, Dolphin Emulator, Furmark, Blender, VeraCrypt, PassMark, 3DMark, SuperPi, Gears 5.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 2600X 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 2600X

54%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-6900K

55%

Ryzen 5 2600X

53%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. 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 small game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, Forza Horizon 4, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Horizon Zero Dawn, Half-Life: Alyx, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Metro Exodus, Control, DOTA 2A, Battlefield V, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Hitman 3, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, NBA 2K20, Monster Hunter World, Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.2	94.6
Valorant	110.4	107.5
Cyberpunk 2077	61.8	60.2
Apex Legends	103.8	101.1
Call of Duty Warzone	82.8	80.6
Overwatch	89.4	87.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.2	74.2
DOOM Eternal	55.2	53.8
Warzone	86.1	83.9
Assassin's Creed	92.7	90.3
Valheim	91.6	89.3

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: 4K, 2K or FullHD. Therefore, 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i7-6900K

24%

Ryzen 5 2600X

39%

To make a final decision 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 2600X is more energy efficient than the Core i7-6900K as it consumes less power: 140W vs. 95W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, programming, video rendering or video editing, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the processor turns on all threads and cores 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 find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit 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 2600X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	207	176
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1439	1380
Cinbench 20 Single-core	484	421
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3668	3048
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1151	1074
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11326	7514

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

	Intel Core i7-6900K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Single-Core	2405	2438
Multi-Core	13871	14033

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

	Intel Core i7-6900K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Single-Core	1016	1127
Multi-Core	8971	6497

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. 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, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings 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 2600X
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	4.2 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	8	6
Threads	16	12
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	12 nm
Transistors count	2800 millions	3600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	140 W	95 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		YD260XBCM6IAF YD260XBCAFBOX YD260XBCAFMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 2600X is 11% better than Core i7-6900K in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-6900K has 2 more core than Ryzen 5 2600X. 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: 23
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 2600X is better: 13
Although it should be realized that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i7-6900K and AMD Ryzen 5 2600X before making a selection 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 2600X specs and review.