Core i3-6006U
VS
Opteron 3260 HE

Core i3-6006U vs Opteron 3260 HE

Intel

Core i3-6006U

2 Cores4 Thrd15 WWMax: 2 GHz2016
VS
AMD

Opteron 3260 HE

4 Cores4 Thrd45 WWMax: 3.7 GHz2012

Performance Spectrum - CPU

About PassMark

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Core i3-6006U is positioned at rank 370 and the Opteron 3260 HE is on rank 214, so the Opteron 3260 HE offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Core i3-6006U

#358
Atom x5-Z8300
MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A
516%
#359
Atom Z3735G
MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A
509%
#360
Core i5-480M
MSRP: $81|Avg: $77
467%
#361
Core i5-460M
MSRP: $80|Avg: $129
465%
#362
Core i5-2540M
MSRP: $266|Avg: $10
461%
#364
Core i5-450M
MSRP: $32|Avg: $31
445%
#365
Core i3-380M
MSRP: $49|Avg: $25
427%
#366
Core i5-430M
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33
426%
#367
Core 2 Duo T6600
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4
414%
#370
Core i3-6006U
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#375
Pentium Dual Core T3200
MSRP: $64|Avg: $5
99%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Opteron 3260 HE

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
3641%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
687%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
611%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
472%
#187
Xeon Gold 5520+
MSRP: $1083|Avg: $764
99%
#188
EPYC 8124P
MSRP: $639|Avg: $639
99%
#196
Xeon 6515P
MSRP: $740|Avg: $886
96%
#214
Opteron 3260 HE
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Opteron 3260 HE delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core i3-6006U in both compute-intensive tasks (0.4% faster) and gaming workloads.
InsightCore i3-6006UOpteron 3260 HE
Gaming
Lower gaming performance
Superior gaming performance
Workstation
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Better multi-core power
Price
Equivalent pricing
Equivalent pricing
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Skylake (2015−2016) / 14 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Zurich (2012) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

InsightCore i3-6006UOpteron 3260 HE
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
Equivalent pricing
Equivalent pricing

Performance Check

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i3-6006U and Opteron 3260 HE

Intel

Core i3-6006U

The Core i3-6006U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 10 November 2016 (9 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 2 GHz. L3 cache: 3 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: 2,273 points. Launch price was $281.

AMD

Opteron 3260 HE

The Opteron 3260 HE is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 20 March 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Zurich (2012) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 4 MB. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: AM3+. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,283 points. Launch price was $125.

Processing Power

The Core i3-6006U packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Opteron 3260 HE offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Opteron 3260 HE has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2 GHz on the Core i3-6006U versus 3.7 GHz on the Opteron 3260 HE — a 59.6% clock advantage for the Opteron 3260 HE (base: 2 GHz vs 2.7 GHz). The Core i3-6006U uses the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture (14 nm), while the Opteron 3260 HE uses Zurich (2012) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Core i3-6006U scores 2,273 against the Opteron 3260 HE's 2,283 — a 0.4% lead for the Opteron 3260 HE. L3 cache: 3 MB on the Core i3-6006U vs 4 MB (total) on the Opteron 3260 HE.

FeatureCore i3-6006UOpteron 3260 HE
Cores / Threads
2 / 4
4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock
2 GHz
3.7 GHz+85%
Base Clock
2 GHz
2.7 GHz+35%
L3 Cache
3 MB
4 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache
512 kB
4 MB+700%
Process
14 nm-56%
32 nm
Architecture
Skylake (2015−2016)
Zurich (2012)
PassMark
2,273
2,283
Cinebench R23 Multi
2,200
Geekbench 6 Single
630
Geekbench 6 Multi
1,313
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i3-6006U uses the BGA1356 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Opteron 3260 HE uses AM3+ (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureCore i3-6006UOpteron 3260 HE
Socket
BGA1356
AM3+
PCIe Generation
PCIe 3.0+50%
PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed
DDR4-2133
Max RAM Capacity
32 GB
RAM Channels
2
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
12
🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: Yes (Core i3-6006U) / not specified (Opteron 3260 HE). The Core i3-6006U includes integrated graphics (HD Graphics 520), while the Opteron 3260 HE requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-6006U targets Mobile.

FeatureCore i3-6006UOpteron 3260 HE
Integrated GPU
Yes
IGPU Model
HD Graphics 520
Unlocked
No
AVX-512
No
Virtualization
Yes
Target Use
Mobile