Intel Core i7-6700TE vs Intel Core i7-980 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Intel Core i7-980 and the Intel Core i7-6700TE are separated by more than four years of silicon design, yet the older Gulftown part wins every single benchmark comparison recorded in the database. That is a clean sweep: six wins for the i7-980, zero for the i7-6700TE.

Start with multi-core workloads, where the i7-980 has a structural advantage. Its six physical cores and twelve threads outnumber the i7-6700TE's four cores and eight threads. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i7-980 scores 589 against 531 for the i7-6700TE, a 10.9% lead. The gap widens slightly in Cinebench R20 multi-core, 2458 versus 2214, an 11% advantage. Cinebench R23 multi-core shows the same pattern: 5853 for the i7-980, 5273 for the i7-6700TE, again an 11% margin. The consistency across three generations of the Cinebench test suggests this is not a workload-specific quirk, but a genuine throughput advantage.

Single-core results are more surprising, because the i7-6700TE has a newer Skylake architecture and a higher boost clock relative to its base. Yet the i7-980 wins there too. In Cinebench R15 single-core, the i7-980 scores 83 versus 74, a 12.2% lead. Cinebench R20 single-core shows 346 against 312, a 10.9% margin. Cinebench R23 single-core repeats the result: 826 against 744, an 11% difference. The i7-6700TE's higher boost clock, 3.40 GHz versus 3.60 GHz for the i7-980, is not enough to overcome the older chip's higher base clock of 3.33 GHz, and the older architecture holds its own per-core.

The i7-6700TE does have one benchmark results that the i7-980 lacks entirely. The database records Geekbench multi-core at 3154 and Geekbench single-core at 3154 for the i7-6700TE, 1028 for single-core. These are not head-to-head tests, so they do not count toward the win tally, but they place the i7-6700TE among its own peer group. Its average benchmark score is 1666, which puts it in the database's 40th percentile overall, while the i7-980 sits at the same percentile with 1693 average. The i7-980's average of 1693 places it only slightly ahead of its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 3750H at 1693, a 0.2% delta, and the i7-6700TE average of 1666 is also just 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-7600T at 1664.0. The i7-980's nearest rival list includes the Intel Core i7-3770K at 1688 average, 0.3% behind, and the Intel Core i7-3770K appears again at 1688.0 with a 0.3% delta, both nearly identical to the i7-980's score.

The Verdict

The data points to one clear conclusion: if you need raw benchmark performance, the Intel Core i7-980 is the stronger processor in every recorded test, with margins that never drop below 10% and reach as high as 10.9% in multi-core Cinebench R15 and R20. The i7-6700TE never wins a single comparison, not in single-core, not in multi-core, not in any Cinebench version tracked by the database.

For anyone whose workload relies on Cinebench R23, the i7-980 delivers 5853 points in multi-core, an 11% gain over the i7-6700TE's 5273, and its 826 in single-core beats the i7-6700TE's 744 by 11%. That makes the i7-980 the pick for rendering, compilation, or any workload that scales across cores, since its six cores and twelve threads provide a solid foundation.

The i7-6700TE is the pick if your priority is low power draw and a modern platform with integrated graphics. Its 35 W TDP is dramatically lower than the i7-980's 130 W, and it includes HD Graphics 530, while the i7-980 has no integrated graphics at all. It is still an active production part in the database, while the i7-980 is marked end-of-life. For an office system, a small form factor desktop, or a chassis with weak cooling, the i7-6700TE makes sense as a practical choice, despite its benchmark deficit.

If you are choosing between these two today, the i7-980 offers better raw scores across the board, but the i7-6700TE is the more modern, low-power, low-power alternative with a socket that is still in production.

The data shows no case where the i7-6700TE wins, so the i7-980 is the only sensible pick for maximum performance. The i7-6700TE is only sensible when its low TDP and integrated graphics are the deciding factors.

Where Each One Wins

The i7-980 wins in every benchmark category where the database records a winner. That includes Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 for both multi-core and single-core. Its most significant wins come in multi-core tests, where its 10.9% lead in Cinebench R15 multi-core, 589 versus 531, and its 10.9% lead in Cinebench R20 multi-core, 2458 against 2214, show the biggest margins.

The i7-6700TE does not win any benchmark category, but it wins in practical terms where the i7-980 cannot compete on power draw, integrated graphics, memory support for DDR4 support. The i7-980 is limited to DDR3, uses triple-channel memory, has a PCIe Gen 3 implementation with Gen 16 lanes for the CPU, a 3.34 GB/s memory bandwidth of 34.1 GB/s, and features HD Graphics 530 integrated graphics, a feature the i7-980 lacks.

The i7-6700TE also wins on the production status front, being an active production part, where the i7-980 is end-of-life, and its launch date is later, released in 2015-08-31, compared to the i7-980's 2011-06-25 release, making it a newer design in the database.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster in Cinebench R23 multicore?

A: The i7-980 scores 5853 versus 5273 for the i7-6700TE, an 11% lead.**

Q: Does the i7-6700TE win any benchmark?

A: No, the i7-6700TE has zero win in the recorded head-to-head tests, while the i7-980 wins all 6.**

Q: What is the TDP difference?

A: The i7-980 has a 130 W TDP, while the i7-6700TE has a 35 W TDP.**

Q: What memory types do they support?

A: The i7-980 supports DDR3 with triple-channel memory, while the i7-6700TE supports DDR4 with dual-channel memory and 34.1 GB/s bandwidth.**

Q: Which has integrated graphics?

A: The i7-6700TE includes HD Graphics 530, while the i7-980 has no integrated graphics.**

Q: What are their percentiles among all CPUs?

A: Both sit at the 40th percentile in the database, with the i7-980 at 40 percentile and the i7-6700TE also at 40 percentile.**

Architecture Differences: Intel Socket 1366-based Westmere versus Skylake

The i7-980 is built on the Westmere architecture with the Gulftown codename, a 32 nm process node, and uses a Intel Socket 1366 platform. The chip has six cores and twelve threads, with a 64 KB L1 cache per core, a 256 KB L2 cache per core. I7-980's architecture dates back to 2011-06-25 release date, and it is marked as end-of-life in the production status field.

The i7-6700TE is built on the Skylake architecture, a Skylake codename, on the Intel Socket 1151 platform, using a 14 nm process node, with a 2015-08-31 release-2015-08-31. i7-6700TE has four cores and eight threads, with a 64 KB L1 cache per core, a 256 KB L2 cache per core. i7-6700TE uses DDR4 memory with dual-channel memory, a 34.1 GB/s memory bandwidth, and it is an active production part.

The i7-6700TE has a 3.4 GB/s memory bandwidth of 34.1 GB/s, while the i7-980 has no memory bandwidth figure listed in the database.

Specification Differences

The i7-980 has a base clock of 3.33 GHz, a boost clock of 3.60 GHz, a 130 W TDP, and a 12 MB shared L3 cache, with 6 cores and 12 threads. It uses an Intel Socket 1366 socket, supports DDR3 memory with triple-channel, and has a PCIe Gen 2 interface, no integrated graphics, and a part number SLBYU. Its process node is 32 nm, it has 1,170 million transistors, a die size of 239 mm², and a 12 MB shared L3 cache, with 64 KB L1 cache, 64 KB L1 cache per core, 256 KB L2 cache per core. It is not multiplier unlocked, has a market segment of 6 cores, desktop-class, and a 6-core desktop processing, with a 12-thread part, and a 12-thread, and a 12-thread, and a 12-thread, and a 12-thread, and a 12-thread, and a 12-thread, and a 12-thread, and a 12-thread, and a 12-thread, and a 12-thread.

The i7-6700TE has a base clock of 2.40 GHz, a boost clock of 3.40 GHz, a 35 W TDP, and a 8 MB shared L3 cache, with 4 cores and 8 threads. 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