i7-2600K vs i9-7900X

Aggregate performance score

Core i9-7900X
2017
10 cores / 20 threads, 140 Watt
13.76
+283%

Core i9-7900X outperforms Core i7-2600K by a whopping 283% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i9-7900X and Core i7-2600K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking5581538
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation2.900.41
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesCore i9 (Desktop)Intel Core i7 (Desktop)
Power efficiency8.963.45
Architecture codenameSkylake (server) (2017−2019)Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date30 May 2017 (7 years ago)9 January 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$999$317

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i9-7900X has 607% better value for money than i7-2600K.

Detailed specifications

Core i9-7900X and Core i7-2600K 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)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads208
Base clock speed3.3 GHz3.4 GHz
Boost clock speed4.5 GHz3.8 GHz
Bus typeDMI 3.0no data
Bus rate4 × 8 GT/s5 GT/s
Multiplier33no data
L1 cache640 KB64 KB (per core)
L2 cache10 MB256K (per core)
L3 cache13.75 MB8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography14 nm32 nm
Die sizeno data216 mm2
Maximum core temperature95 °C73 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)72 °Cno data
Number of transistorsno data1,160 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility+-
Unlocked multiplier++

Compatibility

Information on Core i9-7900X and Core i7-2600K 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
SocketSocket R4LGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)140 Watt95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-7900X and Core i7-2600K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
AES-NI++
AVX++
vPro+no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology2.0+
Hyper-Threading Technology++
TSX+-
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoring-+
Flex Memory Accessno data+
Turbo Boost Max 3.0+no data
FDIno data+
Fast Memory Accessno data+

Security technologies

Core i9-7900X and Core i7-2600K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data-
EDB++
Identity Protection-+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-7900X and Core i7-2600K are enumerated here.

AMD-V+-
VT-d+-
VT-x++
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i9-7900X and Core i7-2600K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4DDR3
Maximum memory size128 GB32 GB
Max memory channels42
Maximum memory bandwidth85.33 GB/s21 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardN/AIntel HD Graphics 3000
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Video HDno data+
Graphics max frequencyno data1.35 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i9-7900X and Core i7-2600K integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data2

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i9-7900X and Core i7-2600K.

PCIe version3.02.0
PCI Express lanes4416

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.

i9-7900X 13.76
+283%
i7-2600K 3.59

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.

i9-7900X 21059
+284%
i7-2600K 5490

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.

i9-7900X 1443
+116%
i7-2600K 667

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.

i9-7900X 8848
+286%
i7-2600K 2292

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

i9-7900X 7287
+51.5%
i7-2600K 4809

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

i9-7900X 49738
+167%
i7-2600K 18608

3DMark06 CPU

3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.

i9-7900X 12678
+90.1%
i7-2600K 6669

wPrime 32

wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.

i9-7900X 2.91
+261%
i7-2600K 10.5

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.

i9-7900X 24
+253%
i7-2600K 7

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.

i9-7900X 2148
+250%
i7-2600K 614

Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.

i9-7900X 193
+49.4%
i7-2600K 129

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.

i9-7900X 2.2
+45.7%
i7-2600K 1.51

TrueCrypt AES

TrueCrypt is a discontinued piece of software that was widely used for on-the-fly-encryption of disk partitions, now superseded by VeraCrypt. It contains several embedded performance tests, one of them being TrueCrypt AES, which measures data encryption speed using AES algorithm. Result is encryption speed in gigabytes per second.

i9-7900X 12.1
+267%
i7-2600K 3.3

x264 encoding pass 2

x264 Pass 2 is a slower variant of x264 video compression that produces a variable bit rate output file, which results in better quality since the higher bit rate is used when it is needed more. Benchmark result is still measured in frames per second.  

i9-7900X 121
+232%
i7-2600K 37

x264 encoding pass 1

x264 version 4.0 is a video encoding benchmark uses MPEG 4 x264 compression method to compress a sample HD (720p) video. Pass 1 is a faster variant that produces a constant bit rate output file. Its result is measured in frames per second, which means how many frames of the source video file were encoded per second.  

i9-7900X 217
+49.7%
i7-2600K 145

WinRAR 4.0

WinRAR 4.0 is an outdated version of a popular file archiver. It contains an internal speed test, using 'Best' setting of RAR compression on large chunks of randomly generated data. Its results are measured in kilobytes per second.

i9-7900X 5918
+69.8%
i7-2600K 3486

Geekbench 2

i9-7900X 26145
+237%
i7-2600K 7754

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 13.76 3.59
Recency 30 May 2017 9 January 2011
Physical cores 10 4
Threads 20 8
Chip lithography 14 nm 32 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 140 Watt 95 Watt

i9-7900X has a 283.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 6 years, 150% more physical cores and 150% more threads, and a 128.6% more advanced lithography process.

i7-2600K, on the other hand, has 47.4% lower power consumption.

The Core i9-7900X is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-2600K in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-7900X and Core i7-2600K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i9-7900X
Core i9-7900X
Intel Core i7-2600K
Core i7-2600K

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