Intel Core i7-6700
Reddit take
AI summary of the Reddit excerpts below — not a quote
The Intel Core i7-6700 is viewed by the community as a legacy processor that is now nearly a decade old. While it is no longer recommended for new builds or modern high-performance gaming, it is frequently cited as a cost-effective 'end-of-life' upgrade for users stuck on older motherboards that cannot support newer CPU generations.
Pros
- Very affordable on the used market, with users reporting prices around $40.
- One of the best possible upgrade options for specific older LGA 1151 motherboards.
- Supports DDR4 memory, providing a slight edge over older DDR3-only platforms.
Cons
- Significant age (nearly 10 years) limits its capability in modern, CPU-intensive applications.
- Dead-end platform with no meaningful upgrade path once installed.
- Struggles to perform well in modern AAA games or demanding software.
Caveats
- Users note that while it is a top-tier chip for its specific socket, the performance gap between it and newer entry-level chips is massive.
- Ensure motherboard compatibility, as some boards from this era may be limited to 6th or 7th generation chips only.
Best for
- Budget-constrained users looking to extend the life of an existing 6th-gen Intel system.
- Basic office work, web browsing, and light legacy gaming.
Avoid if
- You are building a new PC from scratch.
- You intend to play modern AAA titles at high refresh rates.
- You have the budget for a modern entry-level platform like Intel 12th Gen or Ryzen 5000 series.
This summary uses balanced time weighting with about a 6-month half-life. The evidence is older, with a median source age of 199 days, which is significant for hardware; confidence is adjusted to medium to reflect its status as a legacy product.
Sentiment
4 positive (31%) · 4 mixed (31%) · 5 negative (38%)
Trust + time weighted score: -6% · raw score -8%
What redditors said (10 of 13)
Those parts are almost 10 years old, and near the low end at that.
As far as CPU you should be fine with what you have but if you really want to, the i7 6700(no extra letter) can be found for around $40 and is the best you can put in it.
If you really want to stretch out your system, you could probably find an i7-6700 cheap.
That being said, it's an old system. The CPU is over a decade old. There's not a ton you can do to make that system perform well in modern applications.
I got a core i7 6700 with 16GB RAM, and a rtx980 last month for about 100 USD
An i7 6700 is a DDR4 cpu, so are you sure you’re getting DDR3 RAM?
anno will appreciate the cpu of the first option far more. the gpu hit will hurt, but it's easier to upgrade the gpu than the whole platform. I hope it's dirt cheap.
CPU: Replace with an i7 that fits your board, the best performing one is the i7 7700K, followed by the i7 6700K/i7 7700 and then the i7 6700. Don't overpay for a better performing model, just get the cheapest one from these 4 you can find.
I'm planning to maybe get a I7 6700 though.
Her pc specs - I7-6700
Compare
Intel Core i7-6700 vs AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3DIntel Core i7-6700 vs Intel Core i5-14600KIntel Core i7-6700 vs AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
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