Intel Core i7-6700K vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Intel Core i7-6700K vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and see which is better for games or normal use for video editing, programming, rendering, streaming, machine learning. Here is all information from various benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like RealBench, MATLAB, AIDA64, VeraCrypt, SuperPi, UserBenchmark, Dolphin Emulator, PassMark, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Furmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 3DMark, Gears 5, WPrime, 7zip, Prime95, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, Handbrake, Blender.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or Intel Core i7-6700K.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i7-6700K

52%

Ryzen 5 2600

54%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 5 2600 is 3% better than Core i7-6700K. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-6700K

53%

Ryzen 5 2600

53%

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. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a little 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: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Control, Metro Exodus, League of Legends (LOL), Hitman 3, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, DOTA 2A, NBA 2K20, Monster Hunter World, Half-Life: Alyx, Horizon Zero Dawn, Battlefield V, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Ghostrunner, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Forza Horizon 4, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	93.6	94.8
Valorant	106.4	107.8
Cyberpunk 2077	59.6	60.4
Apex Legends	100.0	101.3
Call of Duty Warzone	79.8	80.8
Overwatch	86.2	87.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.4	74.4
DOOM Eternal	53.2	53.9
Warzone	83.0	84.1
Assassin's Creed	89.4	90.5
Valheim	88.3	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 tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. 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 i7-6700K

45%

Ryzen 5 2600

56%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Ryzen 5 2600 is more energy efficient than the Core i7-6700K as it consumes less power: 95W 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 want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, machine learning, programming, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the software 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 work, 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 i7-6700K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	180	164
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	888	1310
Cinbench 20 Single-core	421	374
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2059	2736
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1124	1024
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	5640	7220

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

	Intel Core i7-6700K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Single-Core	2556	2280
Multi-Core	8984	13255

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

	Intel Core i7-6700K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Single-Core	1308	1104
Multi-Core	5516	6712

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. 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. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in the newest games. It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i7-6700K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Announcement date	April 01, 2015	April 19, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	LGA1151	AM4
Core name	Skylake	Pinnacle Ridge
Architecture	x86	Zen+
Generation	6	2
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	3.9 MHz
Frequency	4 MHz	3.4 MHz
Cores	4	6
Threads	8	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s	4 Ã— 8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	12 nm
Transistors count	1750 millions	3600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	95 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V	DDR4
Max. Memory	64 Gb
Memory Frequency		2933
Memory bandwidth	34.1 GB/s
L1 cache		576KB
L2 cache		3MB
L3 cache	8 MB	16MB
Overclocking	Yes	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 Core i7-6700K is 15% better than Ryzen 5 2600 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 5 2600 has 2 more core than Core i7-6700K. 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 i7-6700K is better: 12
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is better: 25
Although it should be realized that the summary data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i7-6700K and AMD Ryzen 5 2600 before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i7-6700K specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600 specs and review.