Intel Core i7-6900K
The current Intel Core i7-6900K price from retailers, its key specifications, and how it performs for each job.
Intel · CPU
Retailer photo of Intel Core i7-6900K OEM/Tray. View this offer in Where to buy
Trade-offs: you want strong value with Balanced priorities specifically
- Cores / threads
- 8C / 16T
- Boost clock
- 3700 MHz
- Socket
- LGA 2011-3
- TDP
- 252 W
Move a slider and the page re-scores this product against the same market frame.
What does it cost today, and is that a good price?
Market confidence: MediumAt $98 the Intel Core i7-6900K is priced 11% below its $110 representative market level. Only one retailer currently backs that price, so the level is a single data point rather than a market.
Limited market: only one retailer currently has a verified offer, so treat this price as a single data point.
Prices & availability
Intel Core i7-6900K: current price and offers
Compare the offers we track for this model, across variants and retailers.
2 tracked offers · 1 retailers
| Variant | Store | Condition | Price (snapshot) | Value · Balanced | Checked | Offer link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Core i7-6900K OEM/Tray | Newegg | New | $98 | 38 | 2026-11-08 | View offer → |
| Intel Core i7-6900K | Newegg | New | $121 | 31 | 2026-11-08 | View offer → |
| Intel Core i7-6900KMultiple variants available | Amazon Affiliate | Varies | Find on Amazon | Not tracked | No price snapshot | Find on Amazon → |
Prices are dated snapshots, not live quotes — confirm the final price at the store. New, refurbished and used offers are listed separately; used offers carry warranty and seller risk.
Performance and where it ranks
Two different questions, side by side. Performance compares what the hardware can do; Value compares what that capability costs at today’s price. A product can rank high on one and low on the other — that gap is the point.
Performance Balanced
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#178 of 270 graded processors
- #175 AMDAMD Ryzen 7 2700 9
- #176 IntelIntel Core i3-14100F 9
- #177 IntelIntel Core i3-14100 9
- #178 IntelIntel Core i7-6900K 9
- #179 IntelIntel Core i7-9700K 8
- #180 IntelIntel Core i7-9700KF 8
- #181 IntelIntel Core i5-10600K 8
Value Balanced
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#116 of 270 currently priced processors
- #113 IntelIntel Core Ultra 7 265K 39
- #114 AMDAMD Ryzen 9 7900 39
- #115 AMDAMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D 39
- #116 IntelIntel Core i7-6900K 38
- #117 IntelIntel Core i5-9400 38
- #118 AMDAMD Ryzen 7 5700 38
- #119 IntelIntel Core i7-7700K 38
Performance Gaming
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#209 of 270 graded processors
- #206 IntelIntel Core i5-9500 53
- #207 IntelIntel Core i5-8600 53
- #208 IntelIntel Core i7-7820X 53
- #209 IntelIntel Core i7-6900K 53
- #210 IntelIntel Core i5-7600K 53
- #211 IntelIntel Core i5-9400F 53
- #212 IntelIntel Xeon E5-2699 v4 53
Value Gaming
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#208 of 270 currently priced processors
- #205 IntelIntel Xeon E5 2620 V3 25
- #206 IntelIntel Core i3-10300 24
- #207 IntelIntel Core i5-9500 24
- #208 IntelIntel Core i7-6900K 24
- #209 IntelIntel Xeon E5 2650 24
- #210 IntelIntel Core i3-13100 23
- #211 AMDAMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX 23
Performance Productivity
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#178 of 270 graded processors
- #175 AMDAMD Ryzen 7 2700 9
- #176 IntelIntel Core i3-14100F 9
- #177 IntelIntel Core i3-14100 9
- #178 IntelIntel Core i7-6900K 9
- #179 IntelIntel Core i7-9700K 8
- #180 IntelIntel Core i7-9700KF 8
- #181 IntelIntel Core i5-10600K 8
Value Productivity
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#193 of 270 currently priced processors
- #190 AMDAMD Threadripper 2920X 25
- #191 IntelIntel Xeon E5-2650 v4 25
- #192 IntelIntel Core i7-8700 25
- #193 IntelIntel Core i7-6900K 25
- #194 IntelIntel Core i5-11600KF 24
- #195 IntelIntel Xeon E5-2699 v4 24
- #196 IntelIntel Core i5-9400 24
Performance Performance per Watt
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#228 of 270 graded processors
- #225 IntelIntel Core i7-4790K 11
- #226 IntelIntel Xeon E5 2620 V3 11
- #227 IntelIntel Xeon E3 1276 V3 11
- #228 IntelIntel Core i7-6900K 10
- #229 IntelIntel Core i7 Extreme 5960X 10
- #230 IntelIntel Core i7-7740X 10
- #231 IntelIntel Core i3-10105F 10
Value Performance per Watt
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#155 of 270 currently priced processors
- #152 IntelIntel Core i7-11700 24
- #153 IntelIntel Core i7-14700F 24
- #154 IntelIntel Core i9-9900K 23
- #155 IntelIntel Core i7-6900K 23
- #156 IntelIntel Core i7-11700KF 23
- #157 IntelIntel Core Ultra 7 265K 23
- #158 IntelIntel Core i9-13900F 23
These ladders follow the preset scenario shown above. Your own weights re-score this product, not the whole field.
What it is good for
| Scenario | this productCapability grade · Value at current price | Higher capability | Higher Value with current priorities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced (all-round)Weighted all-round view | GradeNo grade Value38 | Higher capability AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 46 +53% capability · +13% price | Higher Value with current priorities AMD Ryzen 5 7500F 94 +52% capability · +8% price |
| GamingScenario capability | GradeB Value24 | Higher capability Higher capability · Higher Value with current priorities AMD Ryzen 5 7500F A 100 +30% capability · +8% price | |
| ProductivityScenario capability | GradeD Value25 | Higher capability AMD Ryzen 7 3700X C 32 +53% capability · +13% price | Higher Value with current priorities AMD Ryzen 5 7500F C 61 +52% capability · +8% price |
| Performance per WattScenario capability | GradeF Value23 | Higher capability AMD Ryzen 7 3700X B 42 +350% capability · +13% price | Higher Value with current priorities AMD Ryzen 5 5500 C 100 +288% capability |
Balanced has no letter: it is a weighting preset, not a capability rubric. A grade answers “how well does this handle that job?” — price is never part of it. Relative Value puts the current market price back in.
Compare these grades with the full tier list
Browse shortlists for different uses
Trade-offs
Works well if
- Gaming is your main prioritygraded B for Gaming on the same rubric as the tier list
Consider other options if
- You want strong value with Balanced priorities specificallyat today's market no realistic price for this model reaches strong value with Balanced priorities — the calculation only gets there near $47, against a cheapest tracked $98
- Not the pick if Performance per Watt is your main useit grades only F there
Works well if
- Gaming is your main prioritygraded B for Gaming on the same rubric as the tier list
Consider other options if
- You want strong value for Gaming specificallycompeting products deliver so much more for Gaming per dollar that no price this model realistically trades at reaches the strong-value mark for this job
- Not the pick if Performance per Watt is your main useit grades only F there
- You are buying for Gaming and want no asterisksthe rubric caps this grade: gaming index estimated from single-thread speed, cache and x3d — not a measured game benchmark for this exact chip
For the selected scenario this is not a strong fit — the grade above is the reason, and the models below suit it better.
Works well if
- Productivity is not actually your main job — Gaming isit grades D for Productivity, but B for Gaming
Consider other options if
- Not the pick if Productivity is your main useit grades D there; AMD Ryzen 7 3700X grades C at $111
- You want strong value for Productivity specificallycompeting products deliver so much more for Productivity per dollar that no price this model realistically trades at reaches the strong-value mark for this job
For the selected scenario this is not a strong fit — the grade above is the reason, and the models below suit it better.
Works well if
- Performance per Watt is not actually your main job — Gaming isit grades F for Performance per Watt, but B for Gaming
Consider other options if
- Not the pick if Performance per Watt is your main useit grades F there; AMD Ryzen 7 3700X grades B at $111
- You want strong value for Performance per Watt specificallyat today's market no realistic price for this model reaches strong value for Performance per Watt — the calculation only gets there near $28, against a cheapest tracked $98
- Value for money matters more to you than this exact modelAMD Ryzen 5 5500 holds Relative Value 100 against its 23 for Performance per Watt. Check on Amazon.
Models that suit Performance per Watt better, at this budget
Every line states the fact it was derived from, for the scenario selected above. Thresholds are calculated points on our value curve — information about where the maths turns, not instructions about what to pay.
Similar options to the Intel Core i7-6900K
Chosen for Balanced
Chosen for Gaming
Chosen for Productivity
Chosen for Performance per Watt
Alternatives stay near this product’s price range. Step-up options may exceed the standard budget envelope when the capability gain is meaningful.
More head-to-head comparisons in this category
Upgrade planner
Judge the change in the active scenario, then make the cash gap explicit.
Using page scenarioWhat are you upgrading from? These are the axes we compare on, and where this product stands in the current market.
We rank upgrades by out-of-pocket cost — the new price minus what yours is worth — not by sticker price.
Only candidates that clear the configured meaningful-upgrade gate will be shown; roles are omitted rather than filled.
Capability differences are expressed as tiers and index points, not as benchmark percentages we did not measure.
Specifications and compatibility
What this product is, and what to check before it goes into your build.
Core / Performance
- Cores
- 8
- Threads
- 16
- Performance cores
- 8
- Efficiency cores
- 0
- Base clock
- 3200 MHz
- Boost clock
- 3700 MHz
Power / Interface
- TDP
- 252 W
- Maximum turbo power
- 252 W
- Socket
- LGA 2011-3
- Maximum memory
- 128 GB
- Integrated graphics
- No
- Process node
- 14 nm
Show all specifications
Core / Performance
- L2 cache
- 2 MB
- L3 cache
- 20 MB
- Unlocked multiplier
- Yes
Warranty & release
- Warranty
- 3 years
- Release year
- 2014
- Manufacturer part number
- CM8067102056010
Hover any value to see where it came from: a manufacturer specification, or a figure The Comparator calculated.
Sources: Comparator offer frame 2026-11-02–2026-11-09
What to check in your build
LGA 2011-3 required
Your motherboard must use socket LGA 2011-3. A different socket does not fit — this is a physical constraint, not a preference.
Board BIOS must list this model
A matching socket is necessary but not sufficient — check the vendor CPU support list.
Unknown
Cooler rated for 252 W or more
No cooler is included. Your cooler must be rated for at least 252 W on socket LGA 2011-3.
Discrete GPU required
Found an error? Report this specification Email the field, corrected value and an optional source.
Compatibility guidance is practical help, not a score. Missing data is shown as unknown, never invented.
Summary
Intel Core i7-6900K offers a balanced view across an all-round mix of priorities. It ranks #178 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is multi-thread index 413. AMD Ryzen 5 5500 currently clears the same practical bar with stronger Relative Value.
Intel Core i7-6900K offers B-grade capability for Gaming. It ranks #209 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is multi-thread index 413. AMD Ryzen 5 5500 currently clears the same practical bar with stronger Relative Value.
Intel Core i7-6900K offers D-grade capability for Productivity. It ranks #178 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is multi-thread index 413. The D grade is the decisive limitation for this workload.
Intel Core i7-6900K offers F-grade capability for Performance per Watt. It ranks #228 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is multi-thread index 413. The F grade is the decisive limitation for this workload.
FAQ
Why does Relative Value change when I choose another scenario?
Each scenario changes the weights applied to capability, price and the other published factors. The hardware facts stay fixed, but the value question changes, so its score and rank can change too.
Why can Amazon appear without a tracked price?
Amazon listing snapshots can participate in Value while fresh. We show Check on Amazon instead of its price; confirm the current price and availability at the store. When no current listing snapshot exists, Amazon is a search link only.
Useful links & sources
offer frame 2026-11-02–2026-11-09 · formula cpu-value-v6.1 · facts facts-2026-11-09 · Relative Value is an estimate from our current dataset, the selected weights and dated market prices — not an official product rating and not a price forecast. Target prices are calculation thresholds, not predictions. Methodology We are not a shop. Affiliate links may earn us a commission; they never change the calculations or the ranking.