i7-950 vs i7-2600K

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-2600K
2011
4 cores / 8 threads, 95 Watt
3.46
+70.4%
Core i7-950
2009
4 cores / 8 threads, 130 Watt
2.03

Core i7-2600K outperforms Core i7-950 by an impressive 70% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-2600K and Core i7-950 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking15431911
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.450.16
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Core i7 (Desktop)Core i7 (Desktop)
Power efficiency3.451.48
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Bloomfield (2008−2010)
Release date9 January 2011 (13 years ago)2 June 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$317$290

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i7-2600K has 181% better value for money than i7-950.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-2600K and Core i7-950 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores4 (Quad-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads88
Base clock speed3.4 GHz3.06 GHz
Boost clock speed3.8 GHz3.33 GHz
Bus rate5 GT/s1333 MHz
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)256 KB (per core)
L3 cache8 MB (shared)8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm45 nm
Die size216 mm2263 mm2
Maximum core temperature73 °C68 °C
Number of transistors1,160 million731 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplier+-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-2600K and Core i7-950 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration11
SocketLGA1155FCLGA1366
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-2600K and Core i7-950. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVXIntel® SSE4.2
AES-NI+-
AVX+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology+1.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring+-
Flex Memory Access+no data
Demand Based Switchingno data-
PAEno data36 Bit
FDI+no data
Fast Memory Access+no data

Security technologies

Core i7-2600K and Core i7-950 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT-+
EDB++
Identity Protection+-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-2600K and Core i7-950 are enumerated here.

VT-d-no data
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-2600K and Core i7-950. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size32 GB24 GB
Max memory channels23
Maximum memory bandwidth21 GB/s25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel HD Graphics 3000N/A
Quick Sync Video+-
Clear Video HD+no data
Graphics max frequency1.35 GHzno data
InTru 3D+no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-2600K and Core i7-950 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported2no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-2600K and Core i7-950.

PCIe version2.02.0
PCI Express lanes16no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

i7-2600K 3.46
+70.4%
i7-950 2.03

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

i7-2600K 5491
+70.7%
i7-950 3217

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

i7-2600K 667
+42.5%
i7-950 468

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

i7-2600K 2291
+47.1%
i7-950 1557

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

i7-2600K 4809
+31.7%
i7-950 3652

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

i7-2600K 18608
+27.8%
i7-950 14558

3DMark06 CPU

3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.

i7-2600K 6669
+29.7%
i7-950 5143

wPrime 32

wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.

i7-2600K 10.5
i7-950 8.05
+30.4%

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.

i7-2600K 7
+29.8%
i7-950 5

3DMark Fire Strike Physics

i7-2600K 5020
+2.4%
i7-950 4900

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.46 2.03
Recency 9 January 2011 2 June 2009
Chip lithography 32 nm 45 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 130 Watt

i7-2600K has a 70.4% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, a 40.6% more advanced lithography process, and 36.8% lower power consumption.

The Core i7-2600K is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-950 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-2600K and Core i7-950, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i7-2600K
Core i7-2600K
Intel Core i7-950
Core i7-950

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Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


4.2 1501 vote

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3.3 337 votes

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i7-2600K or Core i7-950, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.