i9-9900 vs i7-6700K

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Aggregate performance score

Core i7-6700K
2015
4 cores / 8 threads, 91 Watt
5.63
Core i9-9900
2019
8 cores / 16 threads, 65 Watt
10.37
+84.2%

Core i9-9900 outperforms Core i7-6700K by an impressive 84% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-6700K and Core i9-9900 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking1149753
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation1.198.85
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Core i7 (Desktop)Intel Core i9
Power efficiency5.8615.10
Architecture codenameSkylake (2015−2016)Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)
Release date1 September 2015 (9 years ago)23 April 2019 (5 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$339$439

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i9-9900 has 644% better value for money than i7-6700K.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-6700K and Core i9-9900 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)8 (Octa-Core)
Threads816
Base clock speed4 GHz3.1 GHz
Boost clock speed4.2 GHz5 GHz
Bus typeDMI 3.0DMI 3.0
Bus rate4 × 8 GT/s4 × 8 GT/s
Multiplier40no data
L1 cache256 KB512 KB
L2 cache1 MB2 MB
L3 cache8 MB (shared)16 MB (shared)
Chip lithography14 nm14 nm
Die size122 mm2no data
Maximum core temperatureno data100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)64 °C72 °C
Number of transistors1750 Millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplier+-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-6700K and Core i9-9900 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 (Uniprocessor)
SocketFCLGA1151FCLGA1151
Power consumption (TDP)91 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-6700K and Core i9-9900. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI++
AVX++
vPro++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology2.02.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
TSX++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
SIPP-+

Security technologies

Core i7-6700K and Core i9-9900 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT-+
EDB++
Secure Key++
MPX++
Identity Protection++
SGXYes with Intel® MEYes with Intel® ME
OS Guard++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-6700K and Core i9-9900 are enumerated here.

AMD-V+-
VT-d++
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-6700K and Core i9-9900. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3, DDR4DDR4-2666
Maximum memory size64 GB128 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth34.134 GB/s42.671 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card
Compare
Intel HD Graphics 530Intel UHD Graphics 630
Max video memory64 GB64 GB
Quick Sync Video++
Clear Video++
Clear Video HD++
Graphics max frequency1.15 GHz1.2 GHz
InTru 3D++

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-6700K and Core i9-9900 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported33
eDP+no data
DisplayPort+-
HDMI+-
DVI+no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-6700K and Core i9-9900 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support++
Max resolution over HDMI 1.44096x2304@24Hz4096 x 2304@24Hz
Max resolution over eDP4096x2304@60Hz4096 x 2304@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort4096x2304@60Hz4096 x 2304@60Hz
Max resolution over VGAN/Ano data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-6700K and Core i9-9900 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX1212
OpenGL4.54.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-6700K and Core i9-9900.

PCIe version3.03.0
PCI Express lanes1616

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.

i7-6700K 5.63
i9-9900 10.37
+84.2%

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.

i7-6700K 8936
i9-9900 16468
+84.3%

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.

i7-6700K 1506
i9-9900 1603
+6.4%

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.

i7-6700K 4941
i9-9900 7193
+45.6%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 5.63 10.37
Integrated graphics card 2.60 3.09
Recency 1 September 2015 23 April 2019
Physical cores 4 8
Threads 8 16
Power consumption (TDP) 91 Watt 65 Watt

i9-9900 has a 84.2% higher aggregate performance score, 18.8% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 3 years, 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads, and 40% lower power consumption.

The Core i9-9900 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-6700K in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-6700K and Core i9-9900, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i7-6700K or Core i9-9900, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.