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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core i7-6700K

2015

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.6% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).
✅300% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 4) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (8,933 vs 9,063).
❌Launch MSRP is still $350 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 7520U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌506.7% higher power demand at 91W vs 15W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1151 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 7520U moves to FT6 and DDR5.

Ryzen 5 7520U

2022

Why buy it

✅+1.5% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 15W instead of 91W, a 76W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FT6 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-6700K across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 8 MB).

Core i7-6700K

2015

Ryzen 5 7520U

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.6% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).
✅300% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 4) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅+1.5% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 15W instead of 91W, a 76W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FT6 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (8,933 vs 9,063).
❌Launch MSRP is still $350 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 7520U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌506.7% higher power demand at 91W vs 15W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1151 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 7520U moves to FT6 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-6700K across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 8 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 7520U better than Core i7-6700K?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i7-6700K is ahead with a 9.6% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 7520U pulls ahead with 1.5% better PassMark. Core i7-6700K also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 7520U is the better fit. You are getting 1.5% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 8 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 7520U is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Ryzen 5 7520U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $350 MSRP, and it gives you 1.5% better PassMark. Core i7-6700K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2015 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (25.5 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a very cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on LGA1151.

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

Ryzen 5 7520U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2015), a healthier platform with FT6 and DDR5 instead of LGA1151, and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 8 threads instead of 4/8. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

Games Benchmarks

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 i7-6700K Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 7520U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-6700K	Ryzen 5 7520U
1080p
low	207 FPS	170 FPS
medium	164 FPS	135 FPS
high	131 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	86 FPS
1440p
low	179 FPS	143 FPS
medium	141 FPS	112 FPS
high	111 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	72 FPS	76 FPS
medium	60 FPS	64 FPS
high	47 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	40 FPS

Open Core i7-6700K Open Ryzen 5 7520U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-6700K	Ryzen 5 7520U
1080p
low	223 FPS	227 FPS
medium	220 FPS	227 FPS
high	199 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	168 FPS	175 FPS
1440p
low	223 FPS	227 FPS
medium	196 FPS	199 FPS
high	177 FPS	181 FPS
ultra	150 FPS	154 FPS
4K
low	182 FPS	174 FPS
medium	159 FPS	153 FPS
high	135 FPS	127 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	107 FPS

Open Core i7-6700K Open Ryzen 5 7520U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-6700K	Ryzen 5 7520U
1080p
low	223 FPS	227 FPS
medium	223 FPS	227 FPS
high	223 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	223 FPS	227 FPS
1440p
low	223 FPS	227 FPS
medium	223 FPS	227 FPS
high	223 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	223 FPS	227 FPS
4K
low	223 FPS	227 FPS
medium	223 FPS	227 FPS
high	223 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	223 FPS	219 FPS

Open Core i7-6700K Open Ryzen 5 7520U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-6700K	Ryzen 5 7520U
1080p
low	223 FPS	227 FPS
medium	223 FPS	227 FPS
high	223 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	223 FPS	227 FPS
1440p
low	223 FPS	227 FPS
medium	223 FPS	227 FPS
high	223 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	223 FPS	227 FPS
4K
low	223 FPS	227 FPS
medium	223 FPS	227 FPS
high	223 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	223 FPS	227 FPS

Open Core i7-6700K Open Ryzen 5 7520U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-6700K and Ryzen 5 7520U

Core i7-6700K

The Core i7-6700K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 5 August 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 91 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 8,933 points. Launch price was $339.

Ryzen 5 7520U

The Ryzen 5 7520U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 20 September 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Mendocino-U (Zen 2) (2022) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.3 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 6 nm process technology. Socket: FT6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 9,063 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i7-6700K and Ryzen 5 7520U share an identical 4-core/8-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the Core i7-6700K versus 4.3 GHz on the Ryzen 5 7520U — a 2.4% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 7520U (base: 4 GHz vs 2.8 GHz). The Core i7-6700K uses the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 7520U uses Mendocino-U (Zen 2) (2022) (6 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-6700K scores 8,933 against the Ryzen 5 7520U's 9,063 — a 1.4% lead for the Ryzen 5 7520U. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Core i7-6700K vs 4 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 7520U.

Feature	Core i7-6700K	Ryzen 5 7520U
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz	4.3 GHz+2%
Base Clock	4 GHz+43%	2.8 GHz
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)+100%	4 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	512 kB (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	6 nm-57%
Architecture	Skylake (2015−2016)	Mendocino-U (Zen 2) (2022)
PassMark	8,933	9,063+1%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	4,527
Geekbench 6 Single	—	797
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	2,744

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-6700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 5 7520U uses FT6 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2133 on the Core i7-6700K versus LPDDR5-5500 on the Ryzen 5 7520U — the Ryzen 5 7520U supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i7-6700K supports up to 64 GB of RAM compared to 16 GB — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-6700K) vs 4 (Ryzen 5 7520U) — the Core i7-6700K offers 12 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Core i7-6700K	Ryzen 5 7520U
Socket	LGA1151	FT6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2133	LPDDR5-5500+25%
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB+300%	16 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	16+300%	4

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i7-6700K has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-6700K) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 5 7520U). Both include integrated graphics — HD Graphics 530 (Core i7-6700K) and Radeon 610M (Ryzen 5 7520U) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-6700K targets Desktop.