i7-5960X Extreme Edition vs i7-6850K

VS

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking983not rated
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation1.27no data
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Seriesno dataIntel Core i7EE
Power efficiency4.87no data
Architecture codenameBroadwell-E (2016)Haswell (2013−2015)
Release date31 May 2016 (8 years ago)29 August 2014 (10 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$475no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition 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 cores6 (Hexa-Core)8 (Octa-Core)
Threads1216
Base clock speed3.6 GHzno data
Boost clock speed4 GHz3 GHz
Bus typeno dataDMI 2.0
Bus rateno data5 GT/s
Multiplierno data30
L1 cache32 KB (per core)no data
L2 cache256 KB (per core)2 MB
L3 cache15 MB (shared)20 MB
Chip lithography14 nm22 nm
Die sizeno data355.52 mm2
Maximum case temperature (TCase)72 °Cno data
Number of transistorsno data2600 Million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-no data
Unlocked multiplier+-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition 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 configuration1no data
SocketFCLGA2011no data
Power consumption (TDP)140 Watt140 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

AES-NI++
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology2.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology+no data
Idle States+no data
Smart Response+no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0+no data

Security technologies

Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+no data
EDB+no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4no data
Maximum memory size128 GB64 GB
Max memory channels4no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition.

PCIe version3.03.00
PCI Express lanes4040

Pros & cons summary


Recency 31 May 2016 29 August 2014
Physical cores 6 8
Threads 12 16
Chip lithography 14 nm 22 nm

i7-6850K has an age advantage of 1 year, and a 57.1% more advanced lithography process.

i7-5960X Extreme Edition, on the other hand, has 33.3% more physical cores and 33.3% more threads.

We couldn't decide between Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition. We've got no test results to judge.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-6850K and Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition, 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 i7-6850K
Core i7-6850K
Intel Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition
Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition

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.


4.3 150 votes

Rate Core i7-6850K on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
5 3 votes

Rate Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i7-6850K or Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.