Intel Core i7-6900K vs Intel Core i7-10870H

Processor comparisons 25-03-2021

   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision by looking at the Intel Core i7-6900K vs Intel Core i7-10870H tests and see which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, streaming, video editing, rendering, programming. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A careful review 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 special testing software such as Blender, VeraCrypt, Furmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, MATLAB, Handbrake, PassMark, WPrime, DaVinci Resolve Studio, RealBench, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), UserBenchmark, Gears 5, SuperPi, Blender, 3DMark, Dolphin Emulator, PCMark 10, AIDA64, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 7zip, Prime95.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-10870H 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 i7-10870H

54%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-6900K

55%

Core i7-10870H

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.2	96.0
Valorant	110.4	109.1
Cyberpunk 2077	61.8	61.1
Apex Legends	103.8	102.5
Call of Duty Warzone	82.8	81.8
Overwatch	89.4	88.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.2	75.3
DOOM Eternal	55.2	54.5
Warzone	86.1	85.1
Assassin's Creed	92.7	91.6
Valheim	91.6	90.5

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 comparing 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. 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 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%

Core i7-10870H

94%

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 i7-10870H is more energy efficient than the Core i7-6900K since it has less power consumption: 140W vs. 45W. 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on 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 using 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 advantages 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	Intel Core i7-10870H
Cinbench 15 Single-core	207	208
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1439	1522
Cinbench 20 Single-core	484	499
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3668	3457
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1151	1167
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11326	11396

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

	Intel Core i7-6900K	Intel Core i7-10870H
Single-Core	2405	2734
Multi-Core	13871	15954

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

	Intel Core i7-6900K	Intel Core i7-10870H
Single-Core	1016	1271
Multi-Core	8971	7816

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 you. 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 still be able to produce maximum FPS even in the newest games. The savings 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 i7-10870H
Announcement date	April 01, 2016	October 01, 2020
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Socket	FCLGA2011-3	FCBGA1440
Core name	Broadwell E	Comet Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	6	10
Turbo Frequency	3.7 MHz	5 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	2.2 MHz
Cores	8	8
Threads	16	16
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	2800 millions	6800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	140 W	45 W
Memory type	DDR4 2400/2133	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth		45.8 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	20 MB	16 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 31% better than Core i7-10870H in terms of CPU frequency. 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: 15
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-10870H is better: 16
However, it should be realized that all the data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i7-6900K and Intel Core i7-10870H 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 i7-10870H specs and review.