Intel Core i7-6900K vs AMD Ryzen 5 3500X

Processor comparisons   25-03-2021
   If you have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i7-6900K vs AMD Ryzen 5 3500X and understand which is better for games or simple use for rendering, machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like PCMark 10, VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, SuperPi, 3DMark, MATLAB, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, 7zip, Gears 5, Furmark, Blender, RealBench, PassMark, Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, WPrime, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Prime95, Handbrake.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 3500X 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 3500X

54%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-6900K

55%

Ryzen 5 3500X

53%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.2	94.1
Valorant	110.4	106.9
Cyberpunk 2077	61.8	59.9
Apex Legends	103.8	100.5
Call of Duty Warzone	82.8	80.2
Overwatch	89.4	86.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.2	73.8
DOOM Eternal	55.2	53.5
Warzone	86.1	83.4
Assassin's Creed	92.7	89.8
Valheim	91.6	88.7

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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. 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 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 3500X

65%

To make a final 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 3500X is more energy efficient than the Core i7-6900K as it consumes less power: 140W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was 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 streaming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. 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 can use only one core to work, and all the advantages 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 i7-6900K	AMD Ryzen 5 3500X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	207	188
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1439	1129
Cinbench 20 Single-core	484	464
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3668	2652
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1151	1126
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11326	7797

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

	Intel Core i7-6900K	AMD Ryzen 5 3500X
Single-Core	2405	2562
Multi-Core	13871	13476

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

	Intel Core i7-6900K	AMD Ryzen 5 3500X
Single-Core	1016	1272
Multi-Core	8971	5963

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, 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. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i7-6900K	AMD Ryzen 5 3500X
Announcement date	April 01, 2016	September 24, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2011-3	AM4
Core name	Broadwell E	Matisse
Architecture	x86	Zen 2
Generation	6	3
Turbo Frequency	3.7 MHz	4.1 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	8	6
Threads	16	6
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	2800 millions	4200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	140 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4 2400/2133	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache		384KB
L2 cache		3MB
L3 cache	20 MB	32MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000158 100-100000158CBX 100-100000158MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 3500X 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 3500X. 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 3500X is better: 13
However, it should be understood that all the data that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i7-6900K and AMD Ryzen 5 3500X before making a choice which processor 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 3500X specs and review.