i7-5820K vs i7-6950X

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-6950X
2016
10 cores / 20 threads, 140 Watt
10.92
+76.1%
Core i7-5820K
2014
6 cores / 12 threads, 140 Watt
6.20

Core i7-6950X outperforms Core i7-5820K by an impressive 76% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-6950X and Core i7-5820K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking7191087
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.891.19
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Core i7 (Desktop)no data
Power efficiency7.384.19
Architecture codenameBroadwell-E (2016)Haswell-E (2014)
Release date31 May 2016 (8 years ago)1 September 2014 (10 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$1,723$410

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i7-5820K has 34% better value for money than i7-6950X.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-6950X and Core i7-5820K 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 cores10 (Deca-Core)6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads2012
Base clock speed3 GHz3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed4 GHz3.6 GHz
Bus rate9.6 GT/s / QPI0 GT/s
L1 cache32K (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)256 KB (per core)
L3 cache25 MB (shared)15 MB (shared)
Chip lithography14 nm22 nm
Die size246 mm2356 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data67 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)72 °Cno data
Number of transistors3,800 million2,600 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplier++

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-6950X and Core i7-5820K 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
SocketFCLGA2011FCLGA2011
Power consumption (TDP)140 Watt140 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-6950X and Core i7-5820K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI++
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology2.02.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
TSX-+
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring-+
Smart Response++
Demand Based Switchingno data-
Turbo Boost Max 3.0+no data

Security technologies

Core i7-6950X and Core i7-5820K 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 i7-6950X and Core i7-5820K are enumerated here.

VT-d++
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-6950X and Core i7-5820K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4DDR4
Maximum memory size128 GB64 GB
Max memory channels44
Maximum memory bandwidthno data68 GB/s

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-6950X and Core i7-5820K.

PCIe version3.03.0
PCI Express lanes4028

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.

i7-6950X 10.92
+76.1%
i7-5820K 6.20

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.

i7-6950X 17340
+76.2%
i7-5820K 9841

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.

i7-6950X 1316
+12.4%
i7-5820K 1171

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.

i7-6950X 8570
+57.1%
i7-5820K 5454

3DMark Fire Strike Physics

i7-6950X 19410
+56.2%
i7-5820K 12430

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 10.92 6.20
Recency 31 May 2016 1 September 2014
Physical cores 10 6
Threads 20 12
Chip lithography 14 nm 22 nm

i7-6950X has a 76.1% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, 66.7% more physical cores and 66.7% more threads, and a 57.1% more advanced lithography process.

The Core i7-6950X is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-5820K in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-6950X and Core i7-5820K, 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 i7-6950X
Core i7-6950X
Intel Core i7-5820K
Core i7-5820K

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.


3.9 254 votes

Rate Core i7-6950X on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
3.7 389 votes

Rate Core i7-5820K on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i7-6950X or Core i7-5820K, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.