A8-6600K vs i7-2820QM

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-2820QM
2011
4 cores / 8 threads, 45 Watt
2.76
+46%
A8-6600K
2013
4 cores / 4 threads, 100 Watt
1.89

Core i7-2820QM outperforms A8-6600K by a considerable 46% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-2820QM and A8-6600K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking16881966
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data0.29
Market segmentLaptopDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Core i7AMD A-Series (Desktop)
Power efficiency5.801.79
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Richland (2013−2014)
Release date3 January 2011 (13 years ago)1 June 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$568$142

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-2820QM and A8-6600K 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)
Threads84
Base clock speed2.3 GHz3.9 GHz
Boost clock speed3.4 GHz4.2 GHz
Bus typeDMI 2.0no data
Bus rate4 × 5 GT/sno data
Multiplier23no data
L1 cache64K (per core)192 KB
L2 cache256K (per core)4096 KB
L3 cache8 MB (shared)0 KB
Chip lithography32 nm32 nm
Die size216 mm2246 mm2
Maximum core temperature100 °C74 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data74 °C
Number of transistors1,160 million1,178 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplier-+

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-2820QM and A8-6600K 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 configuration1 (Uniprocessor)1
SocketFCBGA1224,FCPGA988,PPGA988FM2
Power consumption (TDP)45 Watt100 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-2820QM and A8-6600K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® AVXno data
AES-NI++
FMA+FMA4
AVX+AVX
PowerNow-+
PowerGating-+
VirusProtect-+
vPro+no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
My WiFi+no data
Turbo Boost Technology2.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology+no data
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+-
Flex Memory Access+no data
Demand Based Switching-no data
FDI+no data
Fast Memory Access+no data

Security technologies

Core i7-2820QM and A8-6600K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+no data
EDB+no data
Identity Protection+-
Anti-Theft+no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-2820QM and A8-6600K are enumerated here.

AMD-V++
VT-d+no data
VT-x+no data
EPT+no data
IOMMU 2.0-+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-2820QM and A8-6600K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3-1066, DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600DDR3-1866
Maximum memory size32 GBno data
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth25.598 GB/sno data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card
Compare
Intel HD Graphics 3000AMD Radeon HD 8570D
Number of pipelinesno data256
Quick Sync Video+-
Clear Video HD+no data
Enduro-+
Switchable graphics-+
UVD-+
VCE-+
Graphics max frequency1.3 GHzno data
InTru 3D+no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-2820QM and A8-6600K integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported2no data
eDP+no data
DisplayPort++
HDMI++
SDVO+no data
CRT+no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-2820QM and A8-6600K integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectXno dataDirectX® 11

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-2820QM and A8-6600K.

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.

i7-2820QM 2.76
+46%
A8-6600K 1.89

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.

i7-2820QM 4379
+45.8%
A8-6600K 3004

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.

i7-2820QM 517
+14.9%
A8-6600K 450

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.

i7-2820QM 1623
+50.6%
A8-6600K 1078

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.

i7-2820QM 4250
+31.6%
A8-6600K 3230

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.

i7-2820QM 15044
+87.1%
A8-6600K 8040

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.

i7-2820QM 5819
+23.8%
A8-6600K 4701

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.

i7-2820QM 10
+79%
A8-6600K 17.9

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.

i7-2820QM 5
+60.7%
A8-6600K 3

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 2.76 1.89
Integrated graphics card 0.66 1.12
Recency 3 January 2011 1 June 2013
Threads 8 4
Power consumption (TDP) 45 Watt 100 Watt

i7-2820QM has a 46% higher aggregate performance score, 100% more threads, and 122.2% lower power consumption.

A8-6600K, on the other hand, has 69.7% faster integrated GPU, and an age advantage of 2 years.

The Core i7-2820QM is our recommended choice as it beats the A8-6600K in performance tests.

Be aware that Core i7-2820QM is a notebook processor while A8-6600K is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-2820QM and A8-6600K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.


Intel Core i7-2820QM
Core i7-2820QM
AMD A8-6600K
A8-6600K

Similar processor comparisons

We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.

Community ratings

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


4.1 171 vote

Rate Core i7-2820QM on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
3.9 449 votes

Rate A8-6600K on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i7-2820QM or A8-6600K, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.