Intel Core i7-6950X vs AMD Ryzen 7 2700X

Processor comparisons 24-03-2021

   Let's say you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice after reading the full tests Intel Core i7-6950X vs AMD Ryzen 7 2700X and decide which is better for games or simple use for rendering, streaming, machine learning, programming, video editing. Here you can find useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A thorough review of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests such as 3DMark, Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Prime95, GeekBench 6, 5.2, MATLAB, RealBench, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, SuperPi, WPrime, PCMark 10, Blender, AIDA64, Blender, Dolphin Emulator, PassMark, Furmark, UserBenchmark, VeraCrypt, 7zip, Gears 5.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 7 2700X 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 7 2700X

55%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-6950X

56%

Ryzen 7 2700X

54%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will run 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 little 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: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, DOTA 2A, League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, Monster Hunter World, Hitman 3, Battlefield V, Horizon Zero Dawn, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Metro Exodus, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Control, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Half-Life: Alyx, NBA 2K20.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	99.4	96.4
Valorant	113.0	109.6
Cyberpunk 2077	63.3	61.4
Apex Legends	106.2	103.0
Call of Duty Warzone	84.7	82.2
Overwatch	91.5	88.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	77.9	75.6
DOOM Eternal	56.5	54.8
Warzone	88.1	85.5
Assassin's Creed	94.9	92.1
Valheim	93.8	91.0

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 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: 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 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 7 2700X

34%

To make a finishing choice 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 7 2700X is more energy efficient than the Core i7-6950X since it has less power consumption: 140W vs. 105W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, programming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all cores and threads 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 program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since 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 7 2700X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	152	177
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1819	1817
Cinbench 20 Single-core	498	411
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4827	3951
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1091	1092
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12713	10545

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

	Intel Core i7-6950X	AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Single-Core	2377	2465
Multi-Core	17125	17664

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

	Intel Core i7-6950X	AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Single-Core	1204	1100
Multi-Core	11187	8275

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 i7-6950X	AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
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	4.3 MHz
Frequency	3 MHz	3.7 MHz
Cores	10	8
Threads	20	16
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	12 nm
Transistors count		3800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	140 W	105 W
Memory type	DDR4 2400/2133	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency		2933
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache		768KB
L2 cache		4MB
L3 cache	25 MB	16MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		YD270XBGM88AF YD270XBGAFBOX YD270XBGAFMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 7 2700X is 18% better than Core i7-6950X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-6950X has 2 more core than Ryzen 7 2700X. 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: 22
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 7 2700X is better: 14
Although it should be realized that all the number in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i7-6950X and AMD Ryzen 7 2700X before deciding which of the processors 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 7 2700X specs and review.