Intel Core i5-1350P vs Intel Core i7-6950X Comparison

The Intel Core i5-1350P is the outright benchmark winner over the Intel Core i7-6950X, taking all six head-to-head Cinebench comparisons by a consistent margin of roughly 10.6%. The i5-1350P’s multicore lead is substantial despite having fewer threads, while its single-core advantage is even more pronounced, reflecting a generational leap in architecture. The i7-6950X retains strengths in platform features like PCIe lane count and memory bandwidth, but the performance data uniformly favors the newer mobile chip.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results are unambiguous: the i5-1350P wins every single test in the head-to-head set. The largest margin of victory comes in the Cinebench R20 single-core test, where the i5-1350P scores 979 against the i7-6950X’s 884, a 10.7% advantage. This pattern repeats across all six tests, with multicore deltas tightly clustered between 10.6% and 10.6% as well. In Cinebench R23 multicore, the i5-1350P posts 16,514 versus 14,926 for the i7-6950X, a 10.6% lead that demonstrates the newer chip’s ability to leverage its 12 cores and 16 threads more effectively than the older 10-core, 20-thread part.

The single-core results are particularly telling. In Cinebench R15, the i5-1350P scores 234 compared to 212 for the i7-6950X, a 10.4% edge. The R20 and R23 single-core tests show similar gaps of 10.7% and 10.6%, respectively. These consistent deltas indicate that the i5-1350P’s higher boost clock of 4.70 GHz, combined with its newer Raptor Lake architecture, delivers a decisive IPC and frequency advantage over the i7-6950X’s 3.50 GHz boost. The i7-6950X, with its older Broadwell design, simply cannot match the per-core throughput of the newer part.

In the aggregate, the average benchmark score reinforces this narrative. The i5-1350P holds an average score of 4,776, while the i7-6950X trails at 4,734. Both chips sit at the 59th percentile among all CPUs, meaning they occupy the same performance tier overall, but the i5-1350P achieves this with a far lower thermal envelope and a mobile form factor. The closest rivals to the i5-1350P include the Intel Xeon W-1290E at 4,775 (0% delta) and the AMD EPYC 7252 at 4,772 (0.1% delta), showing it sits squarely in workstation-class territory. The i7-6950X’s nearest rival is the Intel Core i9-9900KS at 4,738 (-0.1% delta), a similarly aged high-end desktop part.

Architecture Differences

The two processors represent fundamentally different design eras. The i5-1350P is built on Intel’s 10 nm process node, while the i7-6950X uses the older 14 nm node. This process advantage contributes to the i5-1350P’s significantly lower thermal design power of 28 watts compared to 140 watts for the i7-6950X, a fivefold difference that underscores the efficiency gains of newer manufacturing. The i5-1350P’s architecture is Raptor Lake, specifically the Raptor Lake-P codename, while the i7-6950X is based on Broadwell, with the Broadwell-E codename.

Core and thread configurations differ substantially. The i5-1350P has 12 cores and 16 threads, while the i7-6950X offers 10 cores and 20 threads. The i7-6950X’s higher thread count comes from its use of Hyper-Threading on all 10 cores, whereas the i5-1350P’s 16 threads suggest a hybrid configuration where some cores lack simultaneous multithreading. Despite having fewer threads, the i5-1350P wins all multicore tests, confirming that its newer cores are far more efficient per thread.

Cache hierarchies also diverge. The i5-1350P provides 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 2 MB of L2 per core, with a shared 12 MB L3 cache. The i7-6950X has smaller per-core L1 (64 KB) and L2 (256 KB) caches but a larger shared L3 at 25 MB. This larger L3 cache on the i7-6950X does not compensate for its architectural age, as benchmark results show. The i7-6950X also features a quad-channel memory bus with 76.8 GB/s of bandwidth, while the i5-1350P uses a dual-channel configuration with no listed bandwidth figure. PCIe support differs as well: the i5-1350P offers Gen 4 with 20 lanes, while the i7-6950X provides Gen 3 with 40 lanes, giving the older chip more expansion capability but slower per-lane speed.

The i5-1350P integrates Iris Xe Graphics with 80 execution units, while the i7-6950X has no integrated graphics at all, requiring a discrete GPU. The i5-1350P also supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, whereas the i7-6950X is limited to DDR4. The i7-6950X has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking, while the i5-1350P is locked. Manufacturing details show the i7-6950X contains 3,400 million transistors on a 246 mm² die, while the i5-1350P’s transistor count and die size are not listed.

Where Each One Wins

The i5-1350P wins in every benchmark category measured, making it the clear choice for compute-intensive workloads where single-threaded and multi-threaded performance matter. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16,514 is 10.6% higher than the i7-6950X’s 14,926, meaning tasks like video rendering, 3D modeling, and code compilation will complete faster on the newer chip. The single-core advantage of 10.6% in R23 (2,331 versus 2,107) translates to snappier responsiveness in everyday applications, gaming, and lightly threaded software that relies on one or two cores.

The i7-6950X’s wins are not in performance but in platform features. Its 40 PCIe Gen 3 lanes provide more room for multi-GPU setups or high-speed storage expansion, while its quad-channel memory bus with 76.8 GB/s of bandwidth offers higher theoretical memory throughput than the i5-1350P’s dual-channel design. The unlocked multiplier on the i7-6950X allows overclocking, which could narrow the performance gap in some scenarios, though the benchmark data shows no such overclocked results. The i7-6950X also has a larger 25 MB L3 cache, which may benefit certain cache-sensitive workloads, but this advantage is not reflected in the Cinebench scores.

For users prioritizing raw performance per watt, the i5-1350P is unmatched, with a 28-watt TDP versus 140 watts for the i7-6950X. This makes the i5-1350P suitable for laptops and compact systems where thermals and power draw are constraints. The i7-6950X, as a desktop part, requires robust cooling and a high-wattage power delivery system, but offers a much older platform with no integrated graphics, necessitating a discrete GPU for any display output.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher multi-core score in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core i5-1350P scores 16,514 compared to the Intel Core i7-6950X’s 14,926, a 10.6% advantage for the i5-1350P.

Q: What is the single-core performance difference in Cinebench R20?

A: The i5-1350P scores 979, while the i7-6950X scores 884, giving the i5-1350P a 10.7% lead.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores and percentiles compare?

A: The i5-1350P has an average benchmark score of 4,776, and the i7-6950X has 4,734. Both are at the 59th percentile among all CPUs.

Q: Does the i7-6950X have more cores and threads?

A: Yes, the i7-6950X has 10 cores and 20 threads, while the i5-1350P has 12 cores and 16 threads, yet the i5-1350P still wins all multi-core tests.

Q: Which processor supports more memory channels?

A: The i7-6950X supports quad-channel memory with 76.8 GB/s bandwidth, while the i5-1350P supports dual-channel memory with no listed bandwidth.

Q: What are the thermal design power values for each chip?

A: The i5-1350P has a TDP of 28 watts, while the i7-6950X has a TDP of 140 watts.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every major specification category. The i5-1350P has 12 cores and 16 threads, whereas the i7-6950X has 10 cores and 20 threads. Base clocks are 1.90 GHz for the i5-1350P and 3.00 GHz for the i7-6950X, but boost clocks flip the advantage: 4.70 GHz versus 3.50 GHz. TDP is a stark contrast at 28 watts versus 140 watts. The socket types are entirely different, with the i5-1350P using Intel BGA 1744 and the i7-6950X using Intel Socket 2011-3.

The architecture and process node differ, with Raptor Lake on 10 nm versus Broadwell on 14 nm. Cache configurations vary, with the i5-1350P offering 80 KB L1 and 2 MB L2 per core and 12 MB shared L3, while the i7-6950X has 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core and 25 MB shared L3. Memory support shows the i5-1350P accepting DDR4 and DDR5, while the i7-6950X is limited to DDR4. The memory bus is dual-channel on the i5-1350P versus quad-channel on the i7-6950X, with the latter having a listed bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s.

PCIe support differs, with the i5-1350P providing Gen 4 across 20 lanes and the i7-6950X providing Gen 3 across 40 lanes. The i5-1350P includes integrated Iris Xe Graphics with 80 execution units, while the i7-6950X has none. The market segment is mobile for the i5-1350P and desktop for the i7-6950X, with production statuses of Active versus End-of-life. The i5-1350P has a locked multiplier, while the i7-6950X is unlocked. The i7-6950X lists 3,400 million transistors and a 246 mm² die size, while the i5-1350P lists neither.

The Verdict

The data is clear: the Intel Core i5-1350P is the superior processor for all benchmark workloads. It wins every Cinebench test by approximately 10.6%, including both single-core and multi-core scenarios. Its 12-core, 16-thread configuration on a modern 10 nm Raptor Lake architecture delivers higher performance than the 10-core, 20-thread i7-6950X on a dated 14 nm Broadwell design. The i5-1350P also does so with a fraction of the power draw, at 28 watts versus 140 watts, making it the obvious choice for anyone building a new system or upgrading from an older platform.

The i7-6950X is not without niche appeal. Its 40 PCIe Gen 3 lanes and quad-channel memory with 76.8 GB/s bandwidth provide platform-level advantages that the i5-1350P cannot match, making it potentially attractive for specific multi-GPU or memory-bandwidth-bound applications. Its unlocked multiplier also offers overclocking headroom, though the benchmark data provided does not include any overclocked results. However, for general computing, content creation, and even heavy multi-threaded tasks, the i5-1350P’s benchmark dominance leaves little reason to choose the older chip. The i5-1350P’s integrated graphics also make it a more versatile standalone option, whereas the i7-6950X requires a discrete GPU.

In the end, the i5-1350P is the benchmark champion, and the i7-6950X remains a legacy part from a different era. The 10.6% consistency across all tests suggests a fundamental architectural advantage that cannot be overcome by the i7-6950X’s higher thread count or larger cache. For anyone prioritizing performance, efficiency, and modern features, the i5-1350P is the data-backed recommendation.