Intel Core i7-6950X vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT

Processor comparisons 24-03-2021

   Perhaps you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i7-6950X vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT and decide which is better for games or normal use for rendering, programming, machine learning, video editing, streaming. Here you can find useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or different benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), VeraCrypt, Handbrake, AIDA64, 3DMark, PassMark, RealBench, 7zip, Furmark, WPrime, Prime95, SuperPi, Gears 5, PCMark 10, UserBenchmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT 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 3600XT

55%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-6950X

56%

Ryzen 5 3600XT

54%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And it is clear that 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. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small 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: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Control, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Ghostrunner, Hitman 3, DOTA 2A, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Monster Hunter World, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Microsoft Flight Simulator, League of Legends (LOL), Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, Half-Life: Alyx, NBA 2K20, Battlefield V.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	99.4	96.6
Valorant	113.0	109.7
Cyberpunk 2077	63.3	61.4
Apex Legends	106.2	103.1
Call of Duty Warzone	84.7	82.3
Overwatch	91.5	88.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	77.9	75.7
DOOM Eternal	56.5	54.9
Warzone	88.1	85.6
Assassin's Creed	94.9	92.2
Valheim	93.8	91.1

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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. 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 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 3600XT

48%

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 Ryzen 5 3600XT is more energy efficient than the Core i7-6950X since it has less power consumption: 140W vs. 95W. 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing or video rendering, 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 find out 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. Since 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 i7-6950X	AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT
Cinbench 15 Single-core	152	207
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1819	1671
Cinbench 20 Single-core	498	519
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4827	3855
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1091	1330
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12713	9945

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

	Intel Core i7-6950X	AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT
Single-Core	2377	2831
Multi-Core	17125	18815

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

	Intel Core i7-6950X	AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT
Single-Core	1204	1386
Multi-Core	11187	8390

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 can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i7-6950X	AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT
Announcement date	April 01, 2016	July 23, 2020
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	LGA2011-v3	AM4
Core name	Broadwell E	Matisse
Architecture	x86	Zen 2
Generation	6	3
Turbo Frequency	3.5 MHz	4.5 MHz
Frequency	3 MHz	3.8 MHz
Cores	10	6
Threads	20	12
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Transistors count		4200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	140 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4 2400/2133	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache
L2 cache		3MB
L3 cache	25 MB	32MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-100000281BOX

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 3600XT is 21% better than Core i7-6950X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-6950X has 4 more core than Ryzen 5 3600XT. 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: 19
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT is better: 16
Although it should be realized that all the figures in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i7-6950X and AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

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 3600XT specs and review.