Intel Core i7-6700K Review: Inching Toward Extreme
Test System and Testing Procedures
| Processor | Intel Core i7-6700K (ES), Intel Core i7-5775C (ES), Intel Core i7-4770K (Retail), AMD A10-7850K (Retail)* |
| CPU Cooler |
Noctua NH-D15 with NT-H1 Thermal Compound |
| Power Supply |
Corsair HX850W 80 Plus Gold PSU |
| Memory | Mushkin Stealth 2x4GB DDR3 @ 2133MHz CL11, Crucial Ballistix Elite 2x4GB DDR4 @ 2133MHz CL11, 2400 CL14, 2666 CL16 |
| Storage | OCZ Agility 4 256GB SSD (OS) |
| Graphics | Integrated CPU Graphics, Gigabyte GTx 960 Windforce 3x OC |
| Drivers | Intel 10.1.1.7 (Z170), Intel 10.0.2.1 (Z97), AMD Catalyst 15.7 WHQL (FM2+), NVIDIA 353.62 WHQL (Discrete) |
| Motherboard(s) | EVGA Z170 FTW (V1.01), ASRock Z97 Extreme4 (P2.10), ASUS A88X-Pro (2001) |
| Operating System | Windows 8.1 Pro x64 |
Latest working BIOS, updates and drivers were used at the time of the review. Each test was conducted at least three times for accuracy. *AMD A10-7850K system only used for Integrated graphics performance comparison.
System Benchmarks
- Aida64 Engineer 5.30
- CineBench R15
- PCMark 8 v2.4.304
- WinRAR 5.01
- x.264 FHD 1.0.1
- x.265 0.1.4
Gaming Benchmarks
- 3DMark Firestrike
- 3DMark SkyDiver
- Unigine Heaven 4.0
- Unigine Valley 1.0
- Alien Isolation
- Tomb Raider
- Bioshock Infinite
- Metro Last Light
Price Comparison (tested CPUs in bold):
| Launch Price (Box) | Current Price* | |
| Intel Core i7-6700K | $350 | $339 |
| Intel Core i7-5820K | $396 | $389 |
| Intel Core i7-5775C | $377 | – |
| Intel Core i7-4790K | $350 | $339 |
| Intel Core i7-4770K | $350 | $348 |
| AMD A10-7870K | $137 | $151 |
| AMD A10-7850K | $179 | $129 |
*Current listed price via PCPartPicker.com as of Aug 2015. Priority listing NewEgg.com prices if available. AMD A10-7850K only included for integrated graphics benchmarks.
The new ‘Skylake’ i7-6700K is introduced as a direct replacement of the i7-4790K price-wise and costs less than the ‘Broadwell’ i7-5775C. The high price of the i7-5775C is quite obvious sitting very close to the i7-5820K HEDT part price-wise. Even without architectural knowledge of Skylake, the lower price tips that there is no eDRAM on the i7-6700K nor does it have the same impressive integrated graphics capabilities.
i7-4770K vs i7-5775C vs i7-4770K Features Comparison: http://ark.intel.com/compare/88195,88040,75123
DDR3L refers to a set of specifications, most notably voltage, for DDR3 DIMMs including, but not limited to, SODIMMs. It’s not just for laptops, and it’s not just the small sticks.
Thank you very much. Information verified and article has now been updated.