Xeon E5-2683 v3
VS
Core i7-6900K

Xeon E5-2683 v3 vs Core i7-6900K

Intel

Xeon E5-2683 v3

14 Cores28 Thrd120 WWMax: 3 GHz2014
VS
Intel

Core i7-6900K

8 Cores16 Thrd140 WWMax: 4 GHz2016

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.

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

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E5-2683 v3

#169
Xeon E-2356G
MSRP: $311|Avg: $544
101%
#171
Xeon W-2140B
MSRP: $294|Avg: $99
100%
#172
Xeon E5-2683 v3
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#176
Xeon 6325P
MSRP: $281|Avg: $281
99%
#178
Xeon Silver 4510
MSRP: $563|Avg: $563
99%
#179
Xeon W-3223
MSRP: $294|Avg: $294
98%
#182
EPYC Embedded 8224P
MSRP: $855|Avg: $1048
97%
#187
Xeon Gold 5520+
MSRP: $1083|Avg: $764
96%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i7-6900K

#287
Core Ultra 9 285T
MSRP: $549|Avg: $549
499%
#288
Ryzen Threadripper 1950
MSRP: $999|Avg: $300
164%
#288
Core i5-12500TE
MSRP: $225|Avg: $225
495%
#289
Athlon Silver PRO 3125GE
MSRP: $108|Avg: $70
491%
#290
Core i9-10900KF
MSRP: $509|Avg: $336
491%
#291
Core i9-7900X
MSRP: $999|Avg: $188
155%
#291
Core i9-14900T
MSRP: $549|Avg: $577
491%
#292
Core i5-13500T
MSRP: $342|Avg: $342
491%
#293
Core i3-10300
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $140.49
491%
#294
Core i9-10900F
MSRP: $464|Avg: $300
490%
#294
Core i9-7920X
MSRP: $1199|Avg: $236
145%
#295
Ryzen 7 5800X3D
MSRP: $449|Avg: $429
489%
#295
Core i9-7940X
MSRP: $1399|Avg: $275
135%
#296
Core i7-9700F
MSRP: $323|Avg: $200
488%
#297
Ryzen Threadripper 9960X
MSRP: $1499|Avg: $1419
485%
#298
Core i5-9500F
MSRP: $187|Avg: $154
481%
#298
Core i9-7960X
MSRP: $1699|Avg: $185
122%
#299
Core i9-11900KB
MSRP: $539|Avg: $350
481%
#299
Core i9-7980XE
MSRP: $1999|Avg: $300
110%
#300
Core i7-10700F
MSRP: $310|Avg: $250
479%
#301
Core i7-10700T
MSRP: $355|Avg: $200
478%
#302
Core i7-6900K
MSRP: $1089|Avg: $1089
100%
#302
Celeron G5920
MSRP: $52|Avg: $40
478%
#303
Core i3-10105T
MSRP: $122|Avg: $122
475%
#303
Core i7-5960X
MSRP: $999|Avg: $83
99%
#304
Core i7-6950X
MSRP: $1723|Avg: $180
76%
#304
Celeron G5900
MSRP: $50|Avg: $42
474%
#305
Core 5 120
MSRP: $340|Avg: $340
472%
#306
Core i7-12700T
MSRP: $339|Avg: $337
467%
#307
Core 3 100HL
MSRP: $306|Avg: $280
466%
#308
Core i9-11900F
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $358.87
456%
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 E5-2683 v3 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightXeon E5-2683 v3Core i7-6900K
Gaming
Lower gaming performance
Superior gaming performance
Workstation
Better multi-core power
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price
More affordable ($0)
⚠️ Higher cost ($1,089)
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Haswell-EP (2014−2015) / 22 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Broadwell-E (2016) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-6900K ($1,089), 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 ($1,089 less, Infinity% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.
InsightXeon E5-2683 v3Core i7-6900K
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
More affordable ($0)
⚠️ Higher cost ($1,089)

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 Xeon E5-2683 v3 and Core i7-6900K

Intel

Xeon E5-2683 v3

The Xeon E5-2683 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture. It features 14 cores and 28 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3 GHz. L3 cache: 35 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 120 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133. Passmark benchmark score: 14,686 points. Launch price was $800.

Intel

Core i7-6900K

The Core i7-6900K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 31 May 2016 (9 years ago). It is based on the Broadwell-E (2016) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 14,682 points. Launch price was $1,020.

Processing Power

The Xeon E5-2683 v3 packs 14 cores / 28 threads, while the Core i7-6900K offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Xeon E5-2683 v3 has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3 GHz on the Xeon E5-2683 v3 versus 4 GHz on the Core i7-6900K — a 28.6% clock advantage for the Core i7-6900K (base: 2 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Xeon E5-2683 v3 uses the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Core i7-6900K uses Broadwell-E (2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5-2683 v3 scores 14,686 against the Core i7-6900K's 14,682 — a 0% lead for the Xeon E5-2683 v3. L3 cache: 35 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-2683 v3 vs 20 MB (total) on the Core i7-6900K.

FeatureXeon E5-2683 v3Core i7-6900K
Cores / Threads
14 / 28+75%
8 / 16
Boost Clock
3 GHz
4 GHz+33%
Base Clock
2 GHz
3.2 GHz+60%
L3 Cache
35 MB (total)+75%
20 MB (total)
L2 Cache
256K (per core)
256 kB (per core)
Process
22 nm
14 nm-36%
Architecture
Haswell-EP (2014−2015)
Broadwell-E (2016)
PassMark
14,686
14,682
Geekbench 6 Single
1,273
Geekbench 6 Multi
7,591
🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the LGA2011 socket with PCIe 4.0.

FeatureXeon E5-2683 v3Core i7-6900K
Socket
LGA2011
LGA2011
PCIe Generation
PCIe 4.0+33%
PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed
DDR4-2400
Max RAM Capacity
128 GB
RAM Channels
4
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
40
🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Xeon E5-2683 v3) / VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-6900K). Primary use case: Core i7-6900K targets High-End Desktop.

FeatureXeon E5-2683 v3Core i7-6900K
Integrated GPU
No
IGPU Model
None
Unlocked
Yes
AVX-512
No
Virtualization
VT-x, VT-d
Target Use
High-End Desktop