Intel Core i7-4940MX vs Intel Core i7-6700T Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data for these two processors, the Intel Core i7-6700T and the Intel Core i7-4940MX, tells a surprisingly one-sided story in most tests. Across seven of the eight recorded benchmark comparisons, the Core i7-6700T comes out on top, despite its significantly lower power envelope. The margins are consistent, if not dramatic, across the Cinebench workloads. In Cinebench R15 multicore, the i7-6700T scores 599 against the i7-4940MX's 580, a 3.3% advantage. The single-core result in that same test shows the i7-6700T leading by 3.7%, with scores of 84 and 81 respectively.

Moving to newer Cinebench releases, the pattern holds almost exactly. The Cinebench R20 multicore test has the i7-6700T at 2496 points, while the i7-4940MX manages 2418, a 3.2% lead. The single-core R20 result again favors the i7-6700T by 3.2%, with scores of 352 and 341. The most recent Cinebench R23 workload repeats this identical margin: 5943 versus 5759 in multicore and 839 versus 813 in single-core, both a 3.2% difference in favor of the i7-6700T.

The Geekbench suite is where the data diverges from the Cinebench pattern. In Geekbench multicore, the i7-6700T still wins, but by a much slimmer margin of 1%, posting 3906 points against the i7-4940MX's 3869. The real outlier is Geekbench single-core. Here, the i7-4940MX takes its only victory, scoring 1227 against the i7-6700T's 1128. That is an 8.1% advantage for the older, mobile Extreme processor. This is the single largest delta in either direction across all head-to-head tests, and it is the only benchmark where the i7-4940MX demonstrates clear superiority.

The overall win count is 7 to 1 in favor of the Core i7-6700T. However, the average benchmark scores tell a slightly different story about their overall positioning. The i7-6700T has an average benchmark score of 1918, placing it at the 43rd percentile of all CPUs. The i7-4940MX averages 1886, which also places it at the 43rd percentile. Both processors sit in the same percentile tier, and their nearest rivals in the database reflect that parity. The i7-6700T sits within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 3 7320U, the Intel Core i3-10305T, the Intel Xeon E-2314, and the Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3. The i7-4940MX is within 0.3% of the Intel Xeon D-1531, Intel Xeon E3-1270L v4, Intel Xeon E3-1558L v5, and Intel Processor U300.

What this data suggests is a processor that is broadly competitive with its peers in aggregate, but with a specific weakness in one workload type. The i7-6700T is a more consistent performer across most rendering and multi-threaded tasks, while the i7-4940MX has a notable edge in a specific single-threaded scenario that does not translate to wins elsewhere.

Where Each One Wins

Looking at the data from a workload perspective, the Core i7-6700T is the clear winner for multi-threaded rendering and content creation tasks. Every version of Cinebench included in the database, from R15 through R23, shows the i7-6700T ahead. The margins hover around 3.2% to 3.3% in both single and multi-core variants of that benchmark family. This consistency across multiple generations of the same test suite suggests that the i7-6700T has a genuine architectural advantage in this type of workload, likely related to its newer Skylake design and process node.

The i7-4940MX, by contrast, is the winner for the Geekbench single-core test, and by a substantial margin. Its 8.1% lead over the i7-6700T is the largest performance gap found in any of the eight head-to-head comparisons. This makes it the better choice for tasks that are heavily dependent on single-threaded performance and that do not scale well across the four cores and eight threads that both processors share. It is notably this single-core advantage does not appear in the Cinebench single-core tests, where the i7-6700T wins by 3.7%, 3.2%, and 3.2% respectively. The discrepancy between the Geekbench and Cinebench single-core results suggests that the i7-4940MX's advantage is specific to the way Geekbench measures that performance, rather than a universal single-threaded superiority.

For users running mixed workloads that include both multi-threaded rendering and general productivity, the i7-6700T is the more balanced choice. It wins the Geekbench multicore test as well, albeit by just 1%, which means it does not sacrifice multi-threaded capability for its wins. The i7-4940MX, on the other hand, is a more specialized performer. Its single benchmark victory is decisive, but it loses every other comparison, making it a less versatile option for a general-purpose system. The i7-6700T's 7 out of 8 win rate, combined with its lower power consumption, makes it the stronger overall recommendation based on the recorded data.

FAQ

Q: Which processor performs better in Cinebench R23 multi-core?

A: The Intel Core i7-6700T wins the Cinebench R23 multi-core test with a score of 5943, which is 3.2% higher than the Intel Core i7-4940MX's score of 5759.

Q: Is there any benchmark where the Intel Core i7-4940MX beats the Intel Core i7-6700T?

A: Yes, in the Geekbench single-core test. The i7-4940MX scores 1227, which is 8.1% higher than the i7-6700T's score of 1128. This is the only test out of eight where the i7-4940MX comes out ahead.

Q: How do the two processors compare in overall average performance?

A: The i7-6700T has an average benchmark score of 1918, while the i7-4940MX has an average of 1886. Both processors are placed at the 43rd percentile of all CPUs in the database.

Q: What is the performance difference in Geekbench multi-core?

A: The i7-6700T scores 3906 in Geekbench multi-core, which is 1% higher than the i7-4940MX's score of 3869. This is the smallest margin of victory for the i7-6700T in any test.

Q: Are these processors considered end-of-life products?

A: Yes, both the Intel Core i7-6700T and the Intel Core i7-4940MX are recorded as having an end-of-life production status in the database.

Q: How does the single-core Cinebench R20 result compare between the two?

A: In Cinebench R20 single-core, the i7-6700T scores 352, which is 3.2% higher than the i7-4940MX's score of 341.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several key specification areas, starting with their power envelopes. The Intel Core i7-6700T has a TDP of 35 watts, while the Intel Core i7-4940MX has a TDP of 57 watts. This is a substantial difference, with the i7-4940MX consuming significantly more power under load.

Clock speeds also differ. The i7-6700T has a base clock of 2.80 GHz and a boost clock of 3.60 GHz. The i7-4940MX has a higher base clock of 3.10 GHz and a higher boost clock of 4.00 GHz. Despite these higher clock speeds, the i7-4940MX does not translate them into consistent benchmark wins.

The sockets are different as well. The i7-6700T uses the Intel Socket 1151, while the i7-4940MX uses the Intel Socket G3. These are not interchangeable, meaning a motherboard designed for one will not support the other.

Memory support differs. The i7-6700T supports both DDR3 and DDR4 memory, while the i7-4940MX supports only DDR3. The i7-6700T also has a higher memory bandwidth of 34.1 GB/s compared to the i7-4940MX's 25.6 GB/s. Both use a dual-channel memory bus.

The integrated graphics differ. The i7-6700T features HD Graphics 530, while the i7-4940MX features Intel HD 4600.

The i7-4940MX has an unlocked multiplier, meaning it can be overclocked, while the i7-6700T has a locked multiplier. The market segments also differ, with the i7-6700T classified as a desktop processor and the i7-4940MX classified as a mobile processor.

The i7-4940MX has a recorded launch MSRP of $1096. The i7-6700T has a recorded launch MSRP of $303.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two processors is significant, reflecting different design eras. The Intel Core i7-6700T is based on the Skylake architecture, built on a 14 nm process node. The Intel Core i7-4940MX is based on the Haswell architecture, built on a 22 nm process node. This process advantage is a likely contributor to the i7-6700T's ability to outperform the i7-4940MX in most benchmarks while consuming less power.

Both processors have 4 cores and 8 threads, so the thread count is identical. The cache hierarchy is also the same: 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, and 8 MB of shared L3 cache. The transistor count and die size are recorded for the i7-4940MX at 1,400 million transistors and a die size of 177 mm². These figures are not recorded for the i7-6700T.

The i7-4940MX is part of the Core i7 Extreme line, as indicated by its generation label "Core i7 Extreme (Haswell)", while the i7-6700T is simply labeled "Core i7 (Skylake)". The i7-4940MX has an unlocked multiplier, a feature typically associated with the Extreme line, allowing for overclocking. The i7-6700T does not have this feature.

Both processors use PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), so there is no difference in that regard. Neither supports ECC memory. The foundry for both is Intel.

The release dates differ, with the i7-4940MX released in 2014 and the i7-6700T released in 2015. The part numbers are recorded as SR1PP for the i7-4940MX and SR2BUSR2L3 for the i7-6700T. The production status for both is end-of-life.