Intel Core i7-6850K
The current Intel Core i7-6850K price from retailers, its key specifications, and how it performs for each job.
Intel · CPU
Retailer photo of Intel Core i7-6850K OEM/Tray. View this offer in Where to buy
Trade-offs: you want strong value with Balanced priorities specifically
- Cores / threads
- 6C / 12T
- Boost clock
- 3800 MHz
- Socket
- LGA 2011-3
- TDP
- 252 W
- Memory support
- DDR4
Move a slider and the page re-scores this product against the same market frame.
What does it cost today, and is that a good price?
Market confidence: MediumConsider: AMD Ryzen 5 5500 offers stronger value around CAD 125.Compare
Prices & availability
Intel Core i7-6850K: current price and offers
Compare the offers we track for this model, across variants and retailers.
3 tracked offers · 2 retailers
| Variant | Store | Condition | Price (snapshot) | Value · Balanced | Checked | Offer link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Core i7-6850K | Amazon | New | Check on Amazon | 25 | 2026-11-09 | View offer → |
| Intel Core i7-6850K OEM/Tray | Newegg | New | CAD 180 | 23 | 2026-11-08 | View offer → |
| Intel Core i7-6850K | Newegg | New | CAD 208 | 20 | 2026-11-08 | View offer → |
| Intel Core i7-6850KMultiple variants available | Amazon Affiliate | Varies | Find on Amazon | Not tracked | No price snapshot | Find on Amazon → |
Prices are dated snapshots, not live quotes — confirm the final price at the store. New, refurbished and used offers are listed separately; used offers carry warranty and seller risk.
Performance and where it ranks
Two different questions, side by side. Performance compares what the hardware can do; Value compares what that capability costs at today’s price. A product can rank high on one and low on the other — that gap is the point.
Performance Balanced
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#176 of 234 graded processors
- #173 AMDAMD Ryzen 5 1600 7
- #174 IntelIntel Core i5-10400F 7
- #175 IntelIntel Core i5-10400 7
- #176 IntelIntel Core i7-6850K 7
- #177 AMDAMD Ryzen 3 4100 6
- #178 IntelIntel Core i7-6800K 6
- #179 IntelIntel Core i5-9600K 6
Value Balanced
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#124 of 234 currently priced processors
- #121 IntelIntel Core i7-12700F 25
- #122 IntelIntel Core i3-10100 25
- #123 AMDAMD Ryzen 3 2200G 25
- #124 IntelIntel Core i7-6850K 25
- #125 AMDAMD Ryzen 9 7950X 25
- #126 IntelIntel Core i7-9700KF 25
- #127 IntelIntel Core i5-8500 25
Performance Gaming
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#199 of 234 graded processors
- #196 IntelIntel Core i7-7700 52
- #197 IntelIntel Core i7-4790K 52
- #198 IntelIntel Core i3-10100F 52
- #199 IntelIntel Core i7-6850K 52
- #200 IntelIntel Core i3-10100 52
- #201 AMDAMD Ryzen 3 4100 52
- #202 IntelIntel Core i7-6800K 52
Value Gaming
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#187 of 234 currently priced processors
- #184 IntelIntel Core i7-6700K 22
- #185 AMDAMD Ryzen 5 1600 22
- #186 IntelIntel Core i5-9500F 22
- #187 IntelIntel Core i7-6850K 22
- #188 IntelIntel Core i9-10980XE 22
- #189 IntelIntel Core i3-9350K 22
- #190 IntelIntel Core i3-13100 21
Performance Productivity
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#176 of 234 graded processors
- #173 AMDAMD Ryzen 5 1600 7
- #174 IntelIntel Core i5-10400F 7
- #175 IntelIntel Core i5-10400 7
- #176 IntelIntel Core i7-6850K 7
- #177 AMDAMD Ryzen 3 4100 6
- #178 IntelIntel Core i7-6800K 6
- #179 IntelIntel Core i5-9600K 6
Value Productivity
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#182 of 234 currently priced processors
- #179 IntelIntel Core i9-9820X 20
- #180 IntelIntel Core i7-7820X 19
- #181 IntelIntel Core i9-11900KF 19
- #182 IntelIntel Core i7-6850K 19
- #183 IntelIntel Pentium Gold G6400 18
- #184 IntelIntel Core i7-10700KF 18
- #185 IntelIntel Core i5-8600K 18
Performance Performance per Watt
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#212 of 234 graded processors
- #209 IntelIntel Xeon E5 2620 V2 10
- #210 IntelIntel Core i3-8350K 9
- #211 IntelIntel Core i5-7600K 9
- #212 IntelIntel Core i7-6850K 8
- #213 IntelIntel Core i5-4690 8
- #214 IntelIntel Pentium Gold G6400 8
- #215 IntelIntel Pentium Gold G5500 8
Value Performance per Watt
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#147 of 234 currently priced processors
- #144 IntelIntel Core i3-13100 16
- #145 IntelIntel Core i5-11600KF 16
- #146 AMDAMD Athlon X4 760K 16
- #147 IntelIntel Core i7-6850K 15
- #148 IntelIntel Core i3-9350K 15
- #149 IntelIntel Core i9-14900KF 15
- #150 IntelIntel Core i5-10600K 15
These ladders follow the preset scenario shown above. Your own weights re-score this product, not the whole field.
What it is good for
| Scenario | this productCapability grade · Value at current price | Higher capability | Higher Value with current priorities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced (all-round)Weighted all-round view | GradeNo grade Value25 | Higher capability AMD Ryzen 5 8400F 56 +115% capability | Higher Value with current priorities AMD Ryzen 5 5500 77 +69% capability |
| GamingScenario capability | GradeC Value22 | Higher capability Higher capability · Higher Value with current priorities Intel Core i3-14100F C 100 +22% capability | |
| ProductivityScenario capability | GradeF Value19 | Higher capability AMD Ryzen 5 8400F C 57 +115% capability | Higher Value with current priorities AMD Ryzen 5 5500 D 59 +69% capability |
| Performance per WattScenario capability | GradeF Value15 | Higher capability AMD Ryzen 5 8400F B 64 +500% capability | Higher Value with current priorities Intel Xeon E5 2620 V2 F 100 +15% capability |
Balanced has no letter: it is a weighting preset, not a capability rubric. A grade answers “how well does this handle that job?” — price is never part of it. Relative Value puts the current market price back in.
Compare these grades with the full tier list
Browse shortlists for different uses
Trade-offs
Works well if
- Gaming is your main prioritygraded C for Gaming on the same rubric as the tier list
Consider other options if
- You want strong value with Balanced priorities specificallyCAD 52 is where Relative Value reaches 80 with Balanced priorities, in the 2026-11-07–2026-11-09 offer frame
- Value for money matters more to you than this exact modelAMD Ryzen 5 5500 holds Relative Value 77 against its 25 with Balanced priorities. Check on Amazon.
- Not the pick if Productivity is your main useit grades only F there
For the selected scenario this is not a strong fit — the grade above is the reason, and the models below suit it better.
Consider other options if
- Not the pick if Gaming is your main useGraded C; Intel Core i3-14100F reaches C. Check on Amazon.
- You want strong value for Gaming specificallycompeting products deliver so much more for Gaming per dollar that no price this model realistically trades at reaches the strong-value mark for this job
- Value for money matters more to you than this exact modelIntel Core i3-14100F holds Relative Value 100 against its 22 for Gaming. Check on Amazon.
For the selected scenario this is not a strong fit — the grade above is the reason, and the models below suit it better.
Works well if
- Productivity is not actually your main job — Gaming isit grades F for Productivity, but C for Gaming
Consider other options if
- Not the pick if Productivity is your main useGraded F; AMD Ryzen 5 8400F reaches C. Check on Amazon.
- You want strong value for Productivity specificallycompeting products deliver so much more for Productivity per dollar that no price this model realistically trades at reaches the strong-value mark for this job
- Value for money matters more to you than this exact modelAMD Ryzen 5 5500 holds Relative Value 59 against its 19 for Productivity. Check on Amazon.
For the selected scenario this is not a strong fit — the grade above is the reason, and the models below suit it better.
Works well if
- Performance per Watt is not actually your main job — Gaming isit grades F for Performance per Watt, but C for Gaming
Consider other options if
- Not the pick if Performance per Watt is your main useGraded F; AMD Ryzen 5 8400F reaches B. Check on Amazon.
- You want strong value for Performance per Watt specificallycompeting products deliver so much more for Performance per Watt per dollar that no price this model realistically trades at reaches the strong-value mark for this job
- Value for money matters more to you than this exact modelIntel Xeon E5 2620 V2 holds Relative Value 100 against its 15 for Performance per Watt, at CAD 27
Models that suit Performance per Watt better, at this budget
Every line states the fact it was derived from, for the scenario selected above. Thresholds are calculated points on our value curve — information about where the maths turns, not instructions about what to pay.
Similar options to the Intel Core i7-6850K
Chosen for Balanced
Chosen for Gaming
Chosen for Productivity
Chosen for Performance per Watt
Alternatives stay near this product’s price range. Step-up options may exceed the standard budget envelope when the capability gain is meaningful.
More head-to-head comparisons in this category
Upgrade planner
Judge the change in the active scenario, then make the cash gap explicit.
Using page scenarioWhat are you upgrading from? These are the axes we compare on, and where this product stands in the current market.
We rank upgrades by out-of-pocket cost — the new price minus what yours is worth — not by sticker price.
Only candidates that clear the configured meaningful-upgrade gate will be shown; roles are omitted rather than filled.
Capability differences are expressed as tiers and index points, not as benchmark percentages we did not measure.
Specifications and compatibility
What this product is, and what to check before it goes into your build.
Core / Performance
- Cores
- 6
- Threads
- 12
- Performance cores
- 6
- Efficiency cores
- 0
- Base clock
- 3600 MHz
- Boost clock
- 3800 MHz
Power / Interface
- TDP
- 252 W
- Maximum turbo power
- 252 W
- Socket
- LGA 2011-3
- Memory support
- DDR4
- Maximum memory
- 128 GB
- Integrated graphics
- No
- Process node
- 14 nm
Show all specifications
Core / Performance
- L2 cache
- 1 MB
- L3 cache
- 15 MB
- Unlocked multiplier
- Yes
Warranty & release
- Warranty
- 3 years
- Release year
- 2016
Hover any value to see where it came from: a manufacturer specification, or a figure The Comparator calculated.
Sources: Comparator offer frame 2026-11-07–2026-11-09
What to check in your build
LGA 2011-3 required
Your motherboard must use socket LGA 2011-3. A different socket does not fit — this is a physical constraint, not a preference.
Board BIOS must list this model
A matching socket is necessary but not sufficient — check the vendor CPU support list.
DDR4 memory
This processor takes DDR4. Memory of another generation does not fit the slots, even on a board with the right socket.
Cooler rated for 252 W or more
No cooler is included. Your cooler must be rated for at least 252 W on socket LGA 2011-3.
Discrete GPU required
Found an error? Report this specification Email the field, corrected value and an optional source.
Compatibility guidance is practical help, not a score. Missing data is shown as unknown, never invented.
Summary
Intel Core i7-6850K offers a balanced view across an all-round mix of priorities. It ranks #176 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is multi-thread index 320. AMD Ryzen 5 5500 currently clears the same practical bar with stronger Relative Value.
Intel Core i7-6850K offers C-grade capability for Gaming. It ranks #199 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is multi-thread index 320. The C grade is the decisive limitation for this workload.
Intel Core i7-6850K offers F-grade capability for Productivity. It ranks #176 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is multi-thread index 320. The F grade is the decisive limitation for this workload.
Intel Core i7-6850K offers F-grade capability for Performance per Watt. It ranks #212 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is multi-thread index 320. The F grade is the decisive limitation for this workload.
FAQ
Why does Relative Value change when I choose another scenario?
Each scenario changes the weights applied to capability, price and the other published factors. The hardware facts stay fixed, but the value question changes, so its score and rank can change too.
Why can Amazon appear without a tracked price?
Amazon listing snapshots can participate in Value while fresh. We show Check on Amazon instead of its price; confirm the current price and availability at the store. When no current listing snapshot exists, Amazon is a search link only.
Useful links & sources
offer frame 2026-11-07–2026-11-09 · formula cpu-value-v6.1 · facts facts-2026-11-09 · Relative Value is an estimate from our current dataset, the selected weights and dated market prices — not an official product rating and not a price forecast. Target prices are calculation thresholds, not predictions. Methodology We are not a shop. Affiliate links may earn us a commission; they never change the calculations or the ranking.