Core i7-6600U vs Athlon X4 860K
Core i7-6600U
Athlon X4 860K
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 i7-6600U is positioned at rank 925 and the Athlon X4 860K is on rank 480, so the Athlon X4 860K offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Core i7-6600U
Performance Per Dollar Athlon X4 860K
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Core i7-6600U | Athlon X4 860K |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($20) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Skylake (2015−2016) / 14 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Kaveri (2014−2015) / 28 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Core i7-6600U | Athlon X4 860K |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($20) |
Performance Check
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 i7-6600U and Athlon X4 860K
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.
Athlon X4 860K
The Athlon X4 860K is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Kaveri (2014−2015) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L2 cache: 4 MB. Built on 28 nm process technology. Socket: FM2+. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR3-2133. Passmark benchmark score: 3,425 points. Launch price was $149.
Processing Power
The Core i7-6600U packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Athlon X4 860K offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Athlon X4 860K has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.4 GHz on the Core i7-6600U versus 4 GHz on the Athlon X4 860K — a 16.2% clock advantage for the Athlon X4 860K (base: 2.6 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The Core i7-6600U uses the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture (14 nm), while the Athlon X4 860K uses Kaveri (2014−2015) (28 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-6600U scores 3,407 against the Athlon X4 860K's 3,425 — a 0.5% lead for the Athlon X4 860K.
| Feature | Core i7-6600U | Athlon X4 860K |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 4 | 4 / 4+100% |
| Boost Clock | 3.4 GHz | 4 GHz+18% |
| Base Clock | 2.6 GHz | 3.7 GHz+42% |
| L3 Cache | 4 MB | — |
| L2 Cache | 512 kB | 4 MB+700% |
| Process | 14 nm-50% | 28 nm |
| Architecture | Skylake (2015−2016) | Kaveri (2014−2015) |
| PassMark | 3,407 | 3,425 |
Memory & Platform
The Core i7-6600U uses the BGA1356 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Athlon X4 860K uses FM2+ (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Core i7-6600U | Athlon X4 860K |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | BGA1356 | FM2+ |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | — | DDR3-2133 |
| Max RAM Capacity | — | 64 GB |
| RAM Channels | — | 2 |
| ECC Support | — | ❌ |
| PCIe Lanes | — | 16 |
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The most powerful cpus ranked by PassMark CPU Mark benchmark scores.
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