Intel Core i7-6950X Processor

The Intel Core i7-6950X Processor — 10 cores and 20 threads, 3.0 GHz base rising to 3.5 GHz with Turbo Boost, 25 MB Intel Smart Cache, 140 W processor base power, LGA2011-3. Supplied from stock with a 1-year warranty.

The ten-core flagship of Broadwell-E

The i7-6950X is the flagship Core X part of the Broadwell-E range: ten cores with Hyper-Threading — twenty threads — at 3.00 GHz with a 3.50 GHz Turbo, 25 MB of cache, a 140 W envelope and an unlocked multiplier, launched Q2 2016. It was the first consumer desktop processor to reach ten cores.

Twenty threads with quad-channel DDR4-2400 and forty lanes of PCI Express 3.0 made it the workstation choice of its era for rendering, simulation and heavy virtualization. Like all Core X parts it has no integrated graphics — a discrete card is required.

Technical specifications

Instruction set extensions: Intel SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX and AVX2. Security and virtualisation: AES-NI, Intel VT-x with EPT and VT-d.

Which systems take this processor

Anything on the LGA 2011-3 socket with an Intel X99 chipset (or the C612 workstation variant). This is the HEDT platform of the Broadwell-E era: quad-channel DDR4 memory, 28 to 40 lanes of PCI Express 3.0 from the CPU and ATX or E-ATX boards.

• Workstations and compute boxes — ASUS X99-A / X99 Deluxe, MSI X99A RAIDER, Gigabyte X99-UD4, Supermicro X10SRA on C612. Four memory channels suit NVMe arrays and memory-bandwidth-hungry work.
• Upgrade path — an X99 board accepts the whole Core X (Broadwell-E) range up to 10 cores, and used X99 boards remain inexpensive.

One caveat: LGA 2011-3 is not interchangeable with LGA2011 (Sandy/Ivy Bridge-E) or LGA2066 — different pin layout, cooler mounting and memory. Broadwell-E also needs a board BIOS from 2016 or later. Tell us the board model when you enquire and we will confirm.

How it compares across the i7 line

Within Broadwell-E it has no equal — the 6900K is the eight-core below it. The 9800X is the Skylake-X successor: fewer cores at launch but newer architecture, AVX-512 and the LGA2066 platform.

How each processor is tested before it ships

1. Visual inspection of the integrated heat spreader, substrate and contact pads; the sSpec laser marking (SR2PA on our i7-6950X stock) is verified against the Intel specification sheet.
2. Burn-in on a matched diagnostic board with four matched memory modules (all four channels must be populated to reach the rated bandwidth).
3. All populated memory channels and the primary PCIe lanes are validated, then the processor is identified in the BIOS and in the operating system.
4. A sustained multi-threaded load test at full core count, with the clock and thermal readings recorded.
5. Thermal paste cleaned off, final inspection, then packaging in an anti-static tray with foam — which is how it arrives to you.

Warranty and lead time

Every processor is covered by a 1-year warranty against defects in workmanship and function. If a part fails within the period we replace it or refund it, and we cover return shipping on a verified fault. Stock is held in our own warehouse and normally dispatches within three to seven working days; tracking is issued at dispatch.

Purchasing and volume enquiries

The minimum order quantity for this processor is 2 units. Price is quotation-based rather than listed, because CPU pricing moves with each incoming batch — send us the quantity you need and we will come back with a firm quote and the current lead time. Larger quantities ship from the same production batch so the sSpec and the stepping stay consistent across your order.