Pentium 997 vs i7-6600U

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-6600U and Pentium 997 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1849	2868
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Pentium
Power efficiency	13.63	2.84
Architecture codename	Skylake (2015−2016)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	1 September 2015 (9 years ago)	1 September 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$393	$134

Detailed specifications

Core i7-6600U and Pentium 997 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 cores	2 (Dual-core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	4	2
Base clock speed	2.6 GHz	1.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.4 GHz	1.6 GHz
Bus type	OPI	DMI 2.0
Bus rate	4 GT/s	4 × 5 GT/s
Multiplier	26	16
L1 cache	128 KB	64K (per core)
L2 cache	512 KB	256K (per core)
L3 cache	4 MB	2 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Die size	98.57 mm2	131 mm2
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	100 °C
Number of transistors	1750 Million	504 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-6600U and Pentium 997 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 configuration	1 (Uniprocessor)	1 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCBGA1356	FCBGA1023
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	17 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-6600U and Pentium 997. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2
AES-NI	+	-
FMA	-	+
AVX	+	-
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	+	-
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
TSX	+	-
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	+
SIPP	+	-
Smart Response	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	no data	-
FDI	no data	+
Fast Memory Access	no data	+

Security technologies

Core i7-6600U and Pentium 997 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	-
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	no data
MPX	+	-
Identity Protection	+	-
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	no data
OS Guard	+	no data
Anti-Theft	no data	-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-6600U and Pentium 997 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-6600U and Pentium 997. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3, DDR4	DDR3
Maximum memory size	32 GB	16 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	34.134 GB/s	21.335 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 520	Intel® HD Graphics for 2nd Generation Intel® Processors
Max video memory	32 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	-
Graphics max frequency	1.05 GHz	1 GHz
InTru 3D	+	-

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-6600U and Pentium 997 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	2
eDP	+	+
DisplayPort	+	+
HDMI	+	+
DVI	+	no data
SDVO	no data	+
CRT	no data	+

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-6600U and Pentium 997 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	+	no data
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096x2304@24Hz	no data
Max resolution over eDP	4096x2304@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over DisplayPort	4096x2304@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over VGA	N/A	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-6600U and Pentium 997 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	no data
OpenGL	4.5	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-6600U and Pentium 997.

PCIe version	3.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	12	16

Synthetic benchmark performance

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

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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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	2.16	0.51
Recency	1 September 2015	1 September 2012
Threads	4	2
Chip lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	17 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-6600U and Pentium 997, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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