Atom Z3740 vs Core i7-6600U

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Atom Z3740 vs Core i7-6600U FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with GeForce RTX 5090 to isolate CPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Atom Z3740 vs Core i7-6600U: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

Atom Z3740

2013

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +4.7% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 2W instead of 15W, a 13W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), while Core i7-6600U needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (3,380 vs 3,407).

Core i7-6600U

2015

Why buy it

✅+0.8% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Atom Z3740 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌650% higher power demand at 15W vs 2W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Atom Z3740 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i7-6600U better than Atom Z3740?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Atom Z3740 is ahead with a 4.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-6600U pulls ahead with 0.8% better PassMark.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-6600U is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.8% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 4 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Core i7-6600U still makes the most sense overall. Core i7-6600U comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you 0.8% better PassMark.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Core i7-6600U makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2015 vs 2013) and more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 4 threads instead of 4/4. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Atom Z3740 vs Core i7-6600U Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

Atom Z3740

The Atom Z3740 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 27 September 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Bay Trail-T (2013−2014) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.33 GHz, with boost up to 1.86 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: UTFCBGA1380. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 3,380 points. Launch price was $32.

Core i7-6600U

The Core i7-6600U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1356. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 3,407 points. Launch price was $393.

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Processing Power

The Atom Z3740 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Core i7-6600U offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Atom Z3740 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 1.86 GHz on the Atom Z3740 versus 3.4 GHz on the Core i7-6600U — a 58.6% clock advantage for the Core i7-6600U (base: 1.33 GHz vs 2.6 GHz). The Atom Z3740 uses the Bay Trail-T (2013−2014) architecture (22 nm), while the Core i7-6600U uses Skylake (2015−2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Atom Z3740 scores 3,380 against the Core i7-6600U's 3,407 — a 0.8% lead for the Core i7-6600U. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Atom Z3740 vs 4 MB on the Core i7-6600U.

Feature	Atom Z3740	Core i7-6600U
Cores / Threads	4 / 4+100%	2 / 4
Boost Clock	1.86 GHz	3.4 GHz+83%
Base Clock	1.33 GHz	2.6 GHz+95%
L3 Cache	0 kB	4 MB
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512 kB
Process	22 nm	14 nm-36%
Architecture	Bay Trail-T (2013−2014)	Skylake (2015−2016)
PassMark	3,380	3,407

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Memory & Platform

The Atom Z3740 uses the UTFCBGA1380 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i7-6600U uses BGA1356 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Atom Z3740	Core i7-6600U
Socket	UTFCBGA1380	BGA1356
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed	LPDDR3-1066	—
Max RAM Capacity	4 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	0	—