Core i7-6600U vs Xeon X5698

Core i7-6600U

2 Cores4 Thrd15 WWMax: 3.4 GHz2015

Xeon X5698

2 Cores4 Thrd130 WWMax: 4.4 GHz2011

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i7-6600U

2 / 4

3,407

0.0%

3,447

+1.2%

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 Xeon X5698 is on rank 659, so the Xeon X5698 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 i7-6600U

#913

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1636%

#914

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1612%

#915

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1480%

#916

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1474%

#917

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1460%

#919

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1410%

#920

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1352%

#921

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1350%

#922

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1313%

#925

Core i7-6600U

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#928

A8-6410

MSRP: $100|Avg: $40

99%

#933

Athlon X2 L310

MSRP: $100|Avg: $20

97%

#939

FX-7600P

MSRP: $150|Avg: $45

95%

#940

Athlon II M300

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

95%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon X5698

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

12055%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

2276%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

2022%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

1562%

#388

EPYC 9254

MSRP: $3761|Avg: $1099

99%

#389

Xeon Gold 5220R

MSRP: $1780|Avg: $1015

99%

#390

EPYC 9555P

MSRP: $7983|Avg: $6130

98%

#391

Xeon Gold 5218

MSRP: $1273|Avg: $500

98%

#392

EPYC 9374F

MSRP: $4850|Avg: $3466

98%

#393

Xeon Gold 6448Y

MSRP: $3583|Avg: N/A

98%

#394

EPYC 9454

MSRP: $5225|Avg: $576

98%

#395

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5945WX

MSRP: $2399|Avg: $1000

97%

#396

Xeon Platinum 8461V

MSRP: $4491|Avg: $4491

97%

#659

Xeon X5698

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#669

Xeon E5645

MSRP: $294|Avg: N/A

98%

#670

Xeon X5672

MSRP: $300|Avg: $44

97%

#671

Xeon E5-4603

MSRP: $202|Avg: $80

97%

#674

Xeon E3-1265L v4

MSRP: $417|Avg: $80

97%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Use Case Distinction: This is a comparison between a Professional Workstation processor ($0) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon X5698 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core i7-6600U	Xeon X5698
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 (Westmere-EP (2010−2011) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-6600U ($0), however, is optimized for mixed workloads and gaming. For most users, it offers superior single-thread performance and responsiveness at a fraction of the cost ($0 less, NaN% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core i7-6600U	Xeon X5698
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.

Core i7-6600U Benchmark Check

Xeon X5698 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-6600U and Xeon X5698

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.

Xeon X5698

The Xeon X5698 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Westmere-EP (2010−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 4.4 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 12288 kB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1366. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 3,447 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i7-6600U and Xeon X5698 share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.4 GHz on the Core i7-6600U versus 4.4 GHz on the Xeon X5698 — a 25.6% clock advantage for the Xeon X5698 (base: 2.6 GHz vs 4.4 GHz). The Core i7-6600U uses the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon X5698 uses Westmere-EP (2010−2011) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-6600U scores 3,407 against the Xeon X5698's 3,447 — a 1.2% lead for the Xeon X5698. L3 cache: 4 MB on the Core i7-6600U vs 12288 kB (total) on the Xeon X5698.

Feature	Core i7-6600U	Xeon X5698
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	2 / 4
Boost Clock	3.4 GHz	4.4 GHz+29%
Base Clock	2.6 GHz	4.4 GHz+69%
L3 Cache	4 MB	12288 kB (total)+200%
L2 Cache	512 kB+100%	256 kB (per core)
Process	14 nm-56%	32 nm
Architecture	Skylake (2015−2016)	Westmere-EP (2010−2011)
PassMark	3,407	3,447+1%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-6600U uses the BGA1356 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon X5698 uses LGA1366 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-6600U	Xeon X5698
Socket	BGA1356	LGA1366
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0+50%	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3-1333
RAM Channels	—	3
ECC Support	—	✅

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core i7-6600U) / VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Xeon X5698). Primary use case: Xeon X5698 targets Workstation. Direct competitor: Xeon X5698 rivals Core i7-980X.