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Intel Core i7-6785R

Intel Core i7-6785R: Review and Relevance in 2025

Architecture, Compatibility, and Use Cases for Compact Systems

Key Features: Skylake Architecture and Highlights

The Intel Core i7-6785R processor, released in 2016, is based on the Skylake microarchitecture (6th generation) and a 14nm manufacturing process. Despite its age, it remains relevant in the compact PC niche due to its unique features:

- 4 cores / 8 threads with a base clock speed of 3.3 GHz and Turbo Boost up to 3.9 GHz.

- Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580 — integrated graphics with 72 execution units (EUs) and eDRAM (128 MB), which in 2025 still allows for running less demanding games like CS:GO or Dota 2 at medium settings.

- TDP of 65 W — low power consumption for systems without a discrete graphics card.

- Support for technologies: Hyper-Threading, AVX2, VT-x.

Key Feature — the combination of CPU performance and integrated graphics makes it ideal for mini-PCs and multimedia stations.

Compatible Motherboards: Sockets and Chipsets

The processor uses the LGA 1151 socket (version v1), which limits the choice of motherboards to those from 2015-2016:

- Chipsets: H110, B150, H170, Q170, Z170.

- Recommended Boards:

- ASUS H170-Pro — a good balance of price and functionality.

- Gigabyte Z170MX-Gaming 5 — for enthusiasts (supports memory overclocking).

Important:

- The Z170 chipset allows memory overclocking, but the processor itself has a locked multiplier.

- When purchasing a new board in 2025, check BIOS compatibility — many models require a firmware update.

Supported Memory: DDR4 and Dual-Channel Mode

The i7-6785R works with DDR4-2133/2400 MHz memory in dual-channel mode. The maximum capacity is 64 GB.

Selection Tips:

- For the integrated Iris Pro 580 graphics, memory speed is critical. Use kits with a frequency of 2400 MHz (e.g., Corsair Vengeance LPX 2×8 GB).

- In 2025, DDR4 remains available, but new DDR5 modules are not supported.

Power Supplies: Calculation and Recommendations

With a TDP of 65 W and no discrete graphics card, a power supply of 300-400 W is sufficient.

Examples:

- Corsair CX450 (80+ Bronze) — a reliable option for a basic build.

- If planning to install a GPU (e.g., GTX 1650), choose a PSU rated 500-600 W (EVGA 600 BR).

Important: Cheap power supplies can cause instability due to voltage fluctuations.

Pros and Cons of the Processor

Pros:

- Powerful integrated graphics for its time.

- Energy efficiency (suitable for passive cooling).

- Support for Thunderbolt 3 via the chipset.

Cons:

- Only 4 cores — weak for modern multi-threaded tasks (rendering, streaming).

- No support for PCIe 4.0/5.0 or DDR5.

- Limited upgrade options: the LGA 1151 socket is outdated.

Use Cases

1. Office and Multimedia: 4K video playback, document work, web surfing.

2. Light Gaming: Fortnite at low settings (40-50 FPS), indie games.

3. Home Server: Low power consumption and support for virtualization.

Real Experience: Users report smooth performance in Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro (for Full HD projects).

Comparison with Competitors

In 2025, the i7-6785R competes with the used market and budget newcomers:

- AMD Ryzen 5 5600G (new price — $180): 6 cores, Vega 7 graphics, PCIe 4.0 support.

- Intel Core i3-12100 (price — $130): 4 cores, UHD 730, higher IPC, but weaker graphics.

Conclusion: The i7-6785R excels only in scenarios where Iris Pro 580 is critical but falls short in multitasking.

Build Recommendations

1. Case: Choose a compact Mini-ITX case (e.g., Fractal Design Node 202).

2. Cooling: A stock cooler or low-profile solution (Noctua NH-L9i) is sufficient.

3. Storage: An NVMe SSD is essential (utilizing PCIe lanes), such as Samsung 980 500 GB.

4. Network Capabilities: Add a Wi-Fi 6 adapter if the board doesn't have one.

Final Conclusion: Who Should Consider the i7-6785R?

This processor is worth considering for:

- Mini-PC enthusiasts looking to build a console-sized system.

- Owners of old LGA 1151 motherboards seeking an upgrade without changing platforms.

- Media centers — support for 4K and low noise.

Price in 2025: About $200 for new stock, but it's better to look for used options priced at $80-120.

If you need a modern PC for gaming or AI work — look at AMD Ryzen 8000G or Intel Core Ultra 5. However, the i7-6785R remains a niche solution for those who value a balance between compactness and minimal sufficiency.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

April 2016

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

i7-6785R

Code Name

SkyLake

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Basic Frequency

3.30 GHz

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

3.90 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

3.90 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

2.0

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

Yes

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCBGA1440

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

14 nm

TDP

65 W

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

3.0

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

1x16 | 2x8 | 1x8+2x4

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

DDR4-1866/2133 | DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

64 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Bus Speed

8 GT/s

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

34.1 GB/s

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

GPU Specifications

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

Intel® Iris® Pro Graphics 580

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

350 MHz

Graphics Frequency

Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.

1.15 GHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

64 GB

4K Support

Yes | at 60Hz

DirectX Support

DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.

Max Resolution (HDMI)

Max Resolution (HDMI) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the HDMI interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096x2304@24Hz

Max Resolution (DP)

Max Resolution (DP) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the DP interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096x2304@60Hz

Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)

Max Resolution (Integrated Flat Panel) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor for a device with an integrated flat panel (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your device.

4096x2304@60Hz

Max Resolution (VGA)

N/A

Number of Displays Supported

Graphics Output

Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.

eDP/DP/HDMI/DVI

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® AVX2

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

8 MB

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes

Intel Boot Guard

Intel® Device Protection Technology with Boot Guard helps protect the system’s pre-OS environment from viruses and malicious software attacks.

Yes

Intel Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor, Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology adds video quality enhancements for richer color and more realistic skin tones.

Yes

Intel Clear Video Technology

Yes

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel InTru 3D Technology

Yes

Intel OS Guard

Yes

OpenGL Support

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics.

4.5

Intel Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

971

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

3585

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Ryzen 5 7520C

1019 +4.9%

Ryzen 3 4300U

998 +2.8%

Core i7-6785R

971

Xeon Silver 4316

951 -2.1%

EPYC 7252

933 -3.9%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon E3-1275 v5

3860 +7.7%

Xeon E5-2630L v3

3718 +3.7%

Core i7-6785R

3585

Xeon E3-1245 v3

3447 -3.8%

Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE

3316 -7.5%