AMD Ryzen 9 3900X vs Intel Core i7-6850K

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X or AMD Ryzen 9 3900X – which processor offers superior performance? In this comparison, we examine disparities and assess which of these two CPUs outperforms the other. We delve into technical specifications and benchmark outcomes.
The AMD Ryzen 9 3900X features 12 processor cores and has the capability to manage 24 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2019 and belongs to the 3 generation of the AMD Ryzen 9 series.
To use the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, you'll need a motherboard with a AM4 (PGA 1331) socket.
The Intel Core i7-6850K features 6 processor cores and has the capability to manage 12 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q2/2016 and belongs to the 6 generation of the Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition series.
To use the Intel Core i7-6850K, you'll need a motherboard with a LGA 2011-3 socket.
AMD Ryzen 3000 Group Intel Core i 6000
3 Generation 6
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X Name Intel Core i7-6850K
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
AMD Ryzen 9 Family Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The AMD Ryzen 9 3900X has 12 CPU cores and can calculate 24 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X is 3.8 GHz
and turbo frequency for one core is 4.6 GHz.
The number of CPU cores greatly affects the speed of the processor and is an important performance indicator.
The Intel Core i7-6850K has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 12 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Intel Core i7-6850K is 3.6 GHz
and turbo frequency for one core is 3.8 GHz.
4.6 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 core) 3.8 GHz
normal Core architecture normal
3.8 GHz Frequency 3.6 GHz
12 CPU Cores 6
Yes Overclocking Yes
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
12x Cores 6x
24 Threads 12
 
 

Internal Graphics

The AMD Ryzen 9 3900X does not have integrated graphics.
The Intel Core i7-6850K does not have integrated graphics.
-- GPU (Turbo) --
-- Technology --
-- Direct X --
0 bytes Max. GPU Memory 0 bytes
-- Execution units --
-- Release date --
GPU name
-- Shaders --
-- GPU frequency --
-- Generation --
-- Max. displays --
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

-- AI specifications --
-- AI hardware --
 
 

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
-- h265 / HEVC (8 bit) --
-- VP9 --
-- VP8 --
-- VC-1 --
-- JPEG --
-- h264 --
-- h265 / HEVC (10 bit) --
-- AVC --
-- AV1 --
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 128.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 128.0 GB distributed across 4 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
DDR4-3200 Memory type DDR4-2400
51.2 GB/s Bandwidth 76.8 GB/s
Yes AES-NI Yes
Yes ECC No
pci PCIe pci
128.0 GB Max. Memory 128.0 GB
2 Memory channels 4
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 105 W watts.
TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 140 W watts.
142 W TDP (PL2) None
105 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 140 W
95 °C Tjunction max 100 °C
 
 

Technical details

The AMD Ryzen 9 3900X is manufactured using a 7 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 64.0 MB cache.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Intel Core i7-6850K is manufactured using a 14 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 15.0 MB cache.
AMD-V, SVM Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
7 nm Technology 14 nm
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, FMA3, AVX2 ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2
-- Part Number --
Chiplet Chip design Monolithic
Q3/2019 Release date Q2/2016
485 $ Release price 628 $
6.0 MB L2-Cache 0 bytes
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
64.0 MB L3-Cache 15.0 MB
AM4 (PGA 1331) Socket LGA 2011-3
Windows 10, Linux, Windows 11 Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Matisse (Zen 2) Architecture Skylake S
 
 

Benchmarks

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
12C 24T @ 3.8 GHz
32755
32755
Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.6 GHz
11397
11397

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
12C 24T @ 3.8 GHz
12454
12454
Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.6 GHz
6711
6711

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
12C 24T @ 3.8 GHz
10689
10689
Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.6 GHz
6214
6214

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
12C 24T @ 3.8 GHz
8183
8183
Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.6 GHz
3480
3480

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
12C 24T @ 3.8 GHz
1714
1714
Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.6 GHz
1302
1302

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
12C 24T @ 3.8 GHz
1300
1300
Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.6 GHz
1116
1116

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Intel Core i7-6850K
6C 12T @ 3.6 GHz
279.7
279.7
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
12C 24T @ 3.8 GHz
115.9
115.9

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X and Intel Core i7-6850K in leaderboards