Intel Core i5-7600K vs Intel Core i7-3930K Comparison

The Intel Core i7-3930K and Intel Core i5-7600K represent two distinct eras of desktop computing, yet their benchmark profiles reveal a fascinating split. The data shows the i7-3930K, a six-core Sandy Bridge-E part from late 2011, dominates heavily threaded Cinebench workloads, while the i5-7600K, a four-core Kaby Lake chip from early 2017, posts decisive victories in Geekbench. This analysis breaks down where each processor excels, the architectural reasons behind the divergence, and what the head-to-head numbers mean for real-world usage.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results indicate a clear division of labor based on workload type. The Intel Core i7-3930K wins 6 of the 8 head-to-head tests, with all six victories coming in the Cinebench suite—both multi-core and single-core variants across R15, R20, and R23. This makes it the unequivocal choice for rendering, 3D modeling, and any application that scales with thread count and sustained throughput. Its 12 threads, enabled by Hyper-Threading on six physical cores, provide a substantial advantage in parallel compute tasks, as evidenced by its 20.1% lead in Cinebench R23 multi-core (6955 vs 5792).

Conversely, the Intel Core i5-7600K wins both Geekbench tests, including a massive 59.5% margin in single-core performance (1522 vs 617) and a 29.4% lead in multi-core (4239 vs 2991). These results suggest the i5-7600K is better suited for lightly threaded workloads, everyday responsiveness, and applications that favor newer instruction sets and higher clock speeds. Its 4.20 GHz boost clock, compared to the i7-3930K's 3.80 GHz, plays a significant role here. Users prioritizing single-thread latency—such as gaming or legacy software—would find the i5-7600K more responsive, while content creators and engineers running batch renders would prefer the i7-3930K's raw multi-core power.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on fundamentally different architectures separated by roughly five years of process technology. The i7-3930K uses the Sandy Bridge-E architecture on a 32 nm process node, fabricated by Intel with 2,270 million transistors on a 435 mm² die. It features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 3.80 GHz. The i5-7600K, in contrast, employs the Kaby Lake architecture on a much more advanced 14 nm process, featuring 4 cores and 4 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. The process node difference explains the i5-7600K's lower 91 W TDP versus the i7-3930K's 130 W TDP, despite the newer chip running at higher clocks.

Cache hierarchies also differ significantly. Both processors share 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core, but the i7-3930K offers a much larger 12 MB shared L3 cache, double the i5-7600K's 6 MB shared L3 cache. This larger cache benefits the i7-3930K in multi-threaded scenarios where more working set can be kept on-chip. Memory support diverges as well: the i7-3930K uses quad-channel DDR3 with a theoretical memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, while the i5-7600K uses dual-channel DDR4 with 38.4 GB/s bandwidth. Although the i5-7600K uses a newer memory type, the i7-3930K's quad-channel configuration provides superior aggregate bandwidth, which is critical for memory-intensive compute tasks.

PCIe connectivity also differs: the i7-3930K provides 40 Gen 3 lanes (CPU only), while the i5-7600K offers 16 Gen 3 lanes. This makes the i7-3930K more suitable for multi-GPU configurations or high-bandwidth expansion cards. The i5-7600K includes integrated HD 630 graphics, whereas the i7-3930K has no integrated graphics, requiring a discrete GPU for display output. Both processors have unlocked multipliers, allowing overclocking, but their sockets differ entirely—the i7-3930K uses Intel Socket 2011, while the i5-7600K uses Intel Socket 1151—meaning no cross-compatibility between platforms.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench results show consistent, near-uniform margins favoring the i7-3930K across every version of the test. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i7-3930K scores 701 versus 583 for the i5-7600K, a 20.2% advantage. The single-core R15 test shows a similar 19.5% lead (98 vs 82). Moving to Cinebench R20, the margins tighten to exactly 20.1% in both multi-core (2921 vs 2432) and single-core (412 vs 343). This pattern repeats in Cinebench R23, with the i7-3930K achieving 6955 vs 5792 in multi-core and 981 vs 817 in single-core, again a 20.1% delta.

These consistent margins across R15, R20, and R23 indicate that the i7-3930K's advantage in Cinebench is structural rather than workload-specific. The combination of two additional physical cores, four additional threads, and a larger L3 cache provides a sustained 20% throughput advantage regardless of the Cinebench version. Notably, the i7-3930K even wins single-core Cinebench tests, suggesting that its older architecture's single-thread efficiency, when paired with the higher memory bandwidth of quad-channel DDR3, still outperforms the newer i5-7600K in this specific benchmark suite.

The Geekbench results tell the opposite story. The i5-7600K achieves 4239 in Geekbench multi-core, a 29.4% improvement over the i7-3930K's 2991. The single-core gap is even more pronounced: 1522 vs 617, a 59.5% delta favoring the i5-7600K. The i5-7600K's higher boost clock of 4.20 GHz, combined with the architectural improvements of Kaby Lake over Sandy Bridge, explains this dramatic single-core superiority. The multi-core Geekbench result is particularly telling: despite having fewer cores and threads (4 vs 6/12), the i5-7600K still outperforms the i7-3930K by nearly 30%, indicating that Geekbench's workload favors the newer architecture's per-core efficiency and clock speed over raw thread count.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every measurable specification. The i7-3930K offers 6 cores and 12 threads, while the i5-7600K provides 4 cores and 4 threads. Base clocks are 3.20 GHz vs 3.80 GHz, and boost clocks are 3.80 GHz vs 4.20 GHz, favoring the i5-7600K. Thermal design power is 130 W for the i7-3930K versus 91 W for the i5-7600K. The process node is 32 nm for the i7-3930K and 14 nm for the i5-7600K. The i7-3930K uses 2,270 million transistors on a 435 mm² die, while transistor count and die size are not listed for the i5-7600K.

L3 cache is 12 MB shared on the i7-3930K versus 6 MB shared on the i5-7600K. Memory support differs: DDR3 quad-channel (51.2 GB/s bandwidth) for the i7-3930K versus DDR4 dual-channel (38.4 GB/s) for the i5-7600K. PCIe lanes are 40 Gen 3 for the i7-3930K versus 16 Gen 3 for the i5-7600K. The i5-7600K includes integrated HD 630 graphics, while the i7-3930K has none. Sockets are entirely different: Intel Socket 2011 for the i7-3930K and Intel Socket 1151 for the i5-7600K. Production status also differs—the i7-3930K is end-of-life, while the i5-7600K is listed as active. The i7-3930K has a launch MSRP of $583; the i5-7600K's launch MSRP is not listed.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in multi-threaded rendering workloads?

A: The Intel Core i7-3930K is consistently faster in Cinebench multi-core tests, winning by exactly 20.1% in R20 and R23 multi-core (2921 vs 2432 and 6955 vs 5792, respectively) and by 20.2% in R15 multi-core (701 vs 583).

Q: Why does the i5-7600K win Geekbench despite having fewer cores?

A: The i5-7600K's higher boost clock of 4.20 GHz versus 3.80 GHz, combined with the architectural efficiency of the newer Kaby Lake design on a 14 nm process, allows it to beat the i7-3930K by 29.4% in Geekbench multi-core (4239 vs 2991) and 59.5% in single-core (1522 vs 617).

Q: Can the i7-3930K support more memory bandwidth?

A: Yes, the i7-3930K uses quad-channel DDR3 with a theoretical bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, while the i5-7600K uses dual-channel DDR4 with 38.4 GB/s. However, the i5-7600K supports the newer DDR4 memory type.

Q: Do both processors have integrated graphics?

A: No. The i5-7600K includes integrated HD 630 graphics, while the i7-3930K has no integrated graphics, requiring a discrete GPU for any display output.

Q: Which processor has more PCIe lanes for expansion?

A: The i7-3930K provides 40 Gen 3 lanes (CPU only), compared to 16 Gen 3 lanes for the i5-7600K. This makes the i7-3930K better suited for multi-GPU or high-bandwidth peripheral configurations.

Q: Are both processors overclockable?

A: Yes, both the i7-3930K and i5-7600K have unlocked multipliers, allowing user overclocking. However, they use different sockets (Socket 2011 vs Socket 1151), so motherboard compatibility is entirely separate.