Intel Core i7-6950X vs Intel Core i5-11400

Processor comparisons   24-03-2021
   For example you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the Intel Core i7-6950X vs Intel Core i5-11400 tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for streaming, rendering, video editing, machine learning, programming. Here you can find useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software such as Furmark, Gears 5, Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, UserBenchmark, Blender, Handbrake, 3DMark, Blender, 7zip, PCMark 10, SuperPi, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, WPrime, Prime95, DaVinci Resolve Studio, PassMark, RealBench, MATLAB, VeraCrypt, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-11400 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%

Core i5-11400

55%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-6950X

56%

Core i5-11400

55%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. 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. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a low game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Ghostrunner, Battlefield V, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3, NBA 2K20, Metro Exodus, Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Forza Horizon 4, League of Legends (LOL), Control, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Horizon Zero Dawn, DOTA 2A, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	99.4	98.5
Valorant	113.0	111.9
Cyberpunk 2077	63.3	62.7
Apex Legends	106.2	105.2
Call of Duty Warzone	84.7	83.9
Overwatch	91.5	90.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	77.9	77.2
DOOM Eternal	56.5	56.0
Warzone	88.1	87.3
Assassin's Creed	94.9	94.0
Valheim	93.8	92.9

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 comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i7-6950X

28%

Core i5-11400

119%

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 i5-11400 is more energy efficient than the Core i7-6950X as it consumes less power: 140W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful 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

For example you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, video rendering or video editing, streaming, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the CPU includes all threads and cores 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	Intel Core i5-11400
Cinbench 15 Single-core	152	182
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1819	1743
Cinbench 20 Single-core	498	425
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4827	3904
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1091	1110
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12713	10336

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

	Intel Core i7-6950X	Intel Core i5-11400
Single-Core	2377	2476
Multi-Core	17125	18858

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

	Intel Core i7-6950X	Intel Core i5-11400
Single-Core	1204	2332
Multi-Core	11187	10287

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i7-6950X	Intel Core i5-11400
Announcement date	April 01, 2016	January 20, 2021
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	LGA2011-v3	FCLGA1200
Core name	Broadwell E	Rocket Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	6	11
Turbo Frequency	3.5 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	3 MHz	2.6 MHz
Cores	10	6
Threads	20	12
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count		5400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	140 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4 2400/2133	DDR4-3200
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth		50 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache		3 MB
L3 cache	25 MB	12 MB
Overclocking	No	No
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 i7-6950X is 13% better than Core i5-11400 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-6950X has 4 more core than Core i5-11400. 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: 20
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-11400 is better: 14
However, it should be understood that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i7-6950X and Intel Core i5-11400 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.

Intel Core i5-11400 - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-11400 specs and review.