i7-6950X vs Ryzen Threadripper 1950X

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Aggregate performance score

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
2017
16 cores / 32 threads, 180 Watt
17.43
+59.6%
Core i7-6950X
2016
10 cores / 20 threads, 140 Watt
10.92

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X outperforms Core i7-6950X by an impressive 60% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and Core i7-6950X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking365719
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation5.060.89
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesAMD Ryzen ThreadripperIntel Core i7 (Desktop)
Power efficiency9.167.38
Architecture codenameZen (2017−2020)Broadwell-E (2016)
Release date13 July 2017 (7 years ago)31 May 2016 (8 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$999$1,723

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X has 469% better value for money than i7-6950X.

Detailed specifications

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and Core i7-6950X 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 cores16 (Hexadeca-Core)10 (Deca-Core)
Threads3220
Base clock speed3.4 GHz3 GHz
Boost clock speed3.4 GHz4 GHz
Bus rate4 × 8 GT/s9.6 GT/s / QPI
Multiplier34no data
L1 cache1.5 MB32K (per core)
L2 cache8 MB256K (per core)
L3 cache32 MB25 MB (shared)
Chip lithography14 nm14 nm
Die size213 mm2246 mm2
Maximum core temperature68 °Cno data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data72 °C
Number of transistors9600 Million3,800 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplier++

Compatibility

Information on Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and Core i7-6950X 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
SocketSP3r2FCLGA2011
Power consumption (TDP)180 Watt140 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and Core i7-6950X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsSSE4.2, SSE4A, AMD-V, AES, AVX2, FMA3, SHAno data
AES-NI++
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)no data+
Turbo Boost Technologyno data2.0
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
Idle Statesno data+
Smart Responseno data+
Turbo Boost Max 3.0no data+

Security technologies

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and Core i7-6950X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data+
EDBno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and Core i7-6950X are enumerated here.

AMD-V+-
VT-dno data+
VT-xno data+
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and Core i7-6950X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4 Quad-channelDDR4
Maximum memory size2 TiB128 GB
Max memory channels44
Maximum memory bandwidth85.33 GB/sno data
ECC memory support+-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and Core i7-6950X.

PCIe version3.03.0
PCI Express lanes6040

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.

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X 17.43
+59.6%
i7-6950X 10.92

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.

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X 27681
+59.6%
i7-6950X 17340

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.

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X 1186
i7-6950X 1316
+11%

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.

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X 8034
i7-6950X 8570
+6.7%

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.

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X 4754
i7-6950X 6231
+31.1%

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.

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X 41814
+3.6%
i7-6950X 40378

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.

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X 3.34
+4.8%
i7-6950X 3.5

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.

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X 23
+15.7%
i7-6950X 20

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

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

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X 2997
+61.2%
i7-6950X 1859

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.

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X 159
+2.3%
i7-6950X 156

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.

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X 1.73
i7-6950X 1.9
+9.8%

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.

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X 19
+81%
i7-6950X 10.5

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.

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X 4150
i7-6950X 8450
+104%

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.  

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X 134
+33%
i7-6950X 101

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.  

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X 190
i7-6950X 196
+3.4%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 17.43 10.92
Recency 13 July 2017 31 May 2016
Physical cores 16 10
Threads 32 20
Power consumption (TDP) 180 Watt 140 Watt

Ryzen Threadripper 1950X has a 59.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, and 60% more physical cores and 60% more threads.

i7-6950X, on the other hand, has 28.6% lower power consumption.

The Ryzen Threadripper 1950X is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-6950X in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and Core i7-6950X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
Intel Core i7-6950X
Core i7-6950X

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