Intel Core i7-6900K vs Intel Core i5-10500

Processor comparisons   25-03-2021
   If you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i7-6900K vs Intel Core i5-10500 and understand which is better for games or normal use for machine learning, rendering, programming, streaming, video editing. Here you can find useful information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like RealBench, 3DMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, UserBenchmark, 7zip, AIDA64, PassMark, Prime95, Gears 5, Furmark, VeraCrypt, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Dolphin Emulator, SuperPi, Handbrake, MATLAB, PCMark 10, Blender, Blender.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-10500 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%

Core i5-10500

54%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-6900K

55%

Core i5-10500

54%

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 this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a low game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Ghostrunner, NBA 2K20, Hitman 3, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), DOTA 2A, Metro Exodus, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Control, Half-Life: Alyx, League of Legends (LOL), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Forza Horizon 4, Monster Hunter World, Battlefield V, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.2	95.4
Valorant	110.4	108.4
Cyberpunk 2077	61.8	60.7
Apex Legends	103.8	101.9
Call of Duty Warzone	82.8	81.3
Overwatch	89.4	87.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.2	74.8
DOOM Eternal	55.2	54.2
Warzone	86.1	84.5
Assassin's Creed	92.7	91.0
Valheim	91.6	90.0

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 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, FullHD or 4K. So 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 i7-6900K

24%

Core i5-10500

61%

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 Core i5-10500 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can 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 i7-6900K	Intel Core i5-10500
Cinbench 15 Single-core	207	201
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1439	1491
Cinbench 20 Single-core	484	467
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3668	3392
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1151	1082
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11326	8209

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

	Intel Core i7-6900K	Intel Core i5-10500
Single-Core	2405	2743
Multi-Core	13871	13414

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

	Intel Core i7-6900K	Intel Core i5-10500
Single-Core	1016	1196
Multi-Core	8971	7233

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i7-6900K	Intel Core i5-10500
Announcement date	April 01, 2016	April 01, 2020
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2011-3	FCLGA1200
Core name	Broadwell E	Comet Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	6	10
Turbo Frequency	3.7 MHz	4.5 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.1 MHz
Cores	8	6
Threads	16	12
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	2800 millions	4800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	140 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4 2400/2133	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth		41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	20 MB	12 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
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 3% better than Core i5-10500 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-6900K has 2 more core than Core i5-10500. 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: 22
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-10500 is better: 11
Although it should be realized that all the figures in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i7-6900K and Intel Core i5-10500 before deciding which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

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.

• Intel Core i5-10500 specs and review.