Ryzen 5 3600 vs i7-6970HQ

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-6970HQ
2016
4 cores / 8 threads, 45 Watt
2.92
Ryzen 5 3600
2019
6 cores / 12 threads, 65 Watt
11.17
+283%

Ryzen 5 3600 outperforms Core i7-6970HQ by a whopping 283% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking1664702
Place by popularitynot in top-1008
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data22.81
Market segmentLaptopDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Core i7AMD Ryzen 5
Power efficiency6.1416.26
Architecture codenameSkylake (2015−2016)Matisse (2019−2020)
Release date2 January 2016 (8 years ago)7 July 2019 (5 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$623$199

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600 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)6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads812
Base clock speed2.8 GHz3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed3.7 GHz4.2 GHz
Bus typeDMI 3.0no data
Bus rate4 × 8 GT/sno data
Multiplier28no data
L1 cache256 KB384 KB
L2 cache1 MB3 MB
L3 cache8 MB32 MB (shared)
Chip lithography14 nm7 nm, 12 nm
Maximum core temperature100 °Cno data
Number of transistorsno data4,800 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplier-+

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600 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)
SocketFCBGA1440AM4
Power consumption (TDP)45 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2no data
AES-NI++
AVX++
vPro-no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
eDRAM128 MBno data
Turbo Boost Technology2.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology+no data
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+-
Smart Response+no data
Precision Boost 2no data+

Security technologies

Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+no data
EDB+no data
Secure Key+no data
MPX+-
SGXYes with Intel® MEno data
OS Guard+no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3, DDR4DDR4 Dual-channel
Maximum memory size64 GB128 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth34.134 GB/s51.196 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel Iris Pro Graphics 580-
Max video memory64 GB-
Quick Sync Video+-
Clear Video HD+-
Graphics max frequency1.05 GHz-

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported3-
eDP+-
DisplayPort+-
HDMI+-
DVI+-

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support+-
Max resolution over HDMI 1.44096x2304@24Hz-
Max resolution over eDP4096x2304@60Hz-
Max resolution over DisplayPort4096x2304@60Hz-

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX12-
OpenGL4.5-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600.

PCIe version3.0no data
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.

i7-6970HQ 2.92
Ryzen 5 3600 11.17
+283%

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.

i7-6970HQ 4632
Ryzen 5 3600 17742
+283%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 2.92 11.17
Recency 2 January 2016 7 July 2019
Physical cores 4 6
Threads 8 12
Chip lithography 14 nm 7 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 45 Watt 65 Watt

i7-6970HQ has 44.4% lower power consumption.

Ryzen 5 3600, on the other hand, has a 282.5% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads, and a 100% more advanced lithography process.

The Ryzen 5 3600 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-6970HQ in performance tests.

Be aware that Core i7-6970HQ is a notebook processor while Ryzen 5 3600 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-6970HQ and Ryzen 5 3600, 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 i7-6970HQ
Core i7-6970HQ
AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Ryzen 5 3600

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.


2.1 13 votes

Rate Core i7-6970HQ on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
4.4 17583 votes

Rate Ryzen 5 3600 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i7-6970HQ or Ryzen 5 3600, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.