| Product | Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition | Core i7-6850K |
| Brand | Intel | Intel |
| Street Price (Approx) | ~ $425 Search low Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition price (Amazon) | ~ $617 Search low Core i7-6850K price (Amazon) |
| # CPU Cores | 6 | 6 |
| Frequency (GHz) | 3.5 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| Cache (MB) | 15 | 15 |
| TDP (Watts) | 150 W | 140 W |
| Product Segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Status | Released | Released |
| Announced On | 2012-10-01 | 2016-03-01 |
| Technicals | Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition | Core i7-6850K |
| Dimensions (2D) | 52.5x52.5 mm | |
| Conflict Free? | 1 | |
| # CPU Cores | 6 | 6 |
| Threads/Core | 12 | 12 |
| Frequency (GHz) | 3.5 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| Turbo Frequency (GHz) | 4 GHz | 3.8 GHz |
| Cache (MB) | 15 | 15 |
| Instructions Width (bits) | 64 | 64 |
| Instructions Extensions | SSE4.2, AVX, AES | |
| Lithography Process (nm) | 32 nm | 14 nm |
| TDP (Watts) | 150 W | 140 W |
| Max RAM | 64 GB | 128 GB |
| RAM Types | DDR3 1066/1333/1600 | DDR4 2400/2133 |
| # Memory Channels | 4 | 4 |
| Memory Bandwidth (GB/Sec) | 51.2GB/s | |
| Max CPU / Package | 1 | 1 |
| GPU | None | |
| PCI-E Version | 2 | 3 |
| PCI-E Max Lanes # | 40 | 40 |
| Compatible Sockets | FCLGA2011-3 | |
| Intel Turbo Boost Version | 2 | 2 |
| Intel V-Pro | No | No |
| Intel Hyper-Thread | Yes | Yes |
| Intel Virtualization (VTX) | Yes | Yes |
| Intel Directed I/O (VTD) | Yes | Yes |
| Intel Ext. Page Tables (EPT) | Yes | Yes |
| Intel 64 | Yes | Yes |
| Idle States | Yes | Yes |
| Enhanced Speedstep | Yes | |
| Thermal MonitoringTech. | Yes | |
| Intel ID Protect | Yes | |
| Smart Response Technology | Yes | Yes |
| Intel AES New Instructions | Yes | Yes |
| Trusted Execution | No | No |
| Execution Disable | Yes | Yes |