Intel Core i7-6950X vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600

Processor comparisons   24-03-2021
   You may have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Intel Core i7-6950X vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, machine learning, programming, rendering, streaming. Here you can find useful information from many benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like MATLAB, PCMark 10, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, 3DMark, WPrime, UserBenchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Handbrake, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Prime95, 7zip, VeraCrypt, Gears 5, AIDA64, RealBench, PassMark, Furmark, Dolphin Emulator, SuperPi.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or Intel Core i7-6950X.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i7-6950X

55%

Ryzen 5 2600

54%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i7-6950X is 1% better than Ryzen 5 2600. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-6950X

56%

Ryzen 5 2600

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	99.4	94.8
Valorant	113.0	107.8
Cyberpunk 2077	63.3	60.4
Apex Legends	106.2	101.3
Call of Duty Warzone	84.7	80.8
Overwatch	91.5	87.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	77.9	74.4
DOOM Eternal	56.5	53.9
Warzone	88.1	84.1
Assassin's Creed	94.9	90.5
Valheim	93.8	89.5

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: FullHD, 2K or 4K. 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i7-6950X

28%

Ryzen 5 2600

56%

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 2600 is more energy efficient than the Core i7-6950X since it has less power consumption: 140W vs. 65W. 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, machine learning, programming, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to run, 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 i7-6950X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	152	164
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1819	1310
Cinbench 20 Single-core	498	374
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4827	2736
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1091	1024
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12713	7220

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

	Intel Core i7-6950X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Single-Core	2377	2280
Multi-Core	17125	13255

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

	Intel Core i7-6950X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Single-Core	1204	1104
Multi-Core	11187	6712

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 i7-6950X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Announcement date	April 01, 2016	April 19, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	LGA2011-v3	AM4
Core name	Broadwell E	Pinnacle Ridge
Architecture	x86	Zen+
Generation	6	2
Turbo Frequency	3.5 MHz	3.9 MHz
Frequency	3 MHz	3.4 MHz
Cores	10	6
Threads	20	12
Bus rate		4 Ã— 8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	12 nm
Transistors count		3600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	140 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4 2400/2133	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		2933
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache		576KB
L2 cache		3MB
L3 cache	25 MB	16MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		YD2600BBM6IAF YD2600BBAFBOX YD2600BBAFMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 2600 is 11% better than Core i7-6950X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-6950X has 4 more core than Ryzen 5 2600. 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 i7-6950X is better: 25
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is better: 12
However, it should be understood that the summary data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i7-6950X and AMD Ryzen 5 2600 before making a decision which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i7-6950X - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i7-6950X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600 specs and review.