Intel Core i3-8350K vs Intel Core i5-6500

Processor comparisons   18-02-2022
   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i3-8350K vs Intel Core i5-6500 and understand which is better for games or simple use for rendering, machine learning, streaming, video editing, programming. Here is all information from several benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A careful analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software like PassMark, 3DMark, 7zip, AIDA64, GeekBench 6, 5.2, MATLAB, SuperPi, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Gears 5, Blender, VeraCrypt, WPrime, UserBenchmark, Handbrake, Prime95, Furmark, RealBench, Blender, Dolphin Emulator, PCMark 10.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

Assassin's Creed Valhalla
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Apex Legends
Red Dead Redemption 2
Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare
Grand Theft Auto V
Death Stranding
Overwatch
Last Man Standing
Fallout 76
Borderlands 3
Valheim
DOOM: Eternal
Cyberpunk 2077
Rainbow Six Siege
Valorant
Watch Dogs Legion
Halo Infinite
Fortnite

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-6500 or Intel Core i3-8350K.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Core i3-8350K

52%

Core i5-6500

51%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i3-8350K is 1% better than Core i5-6500. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-8350K

52%

Core i5-6500

51%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Half-Life: Alyx, Battlefield V, Hitman 3, Ghostrunner, Forza Horizon 4, Horizon Zero Dawn, NBA 2K20, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, League of Legends (LOL), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Metro Exodus, Control, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, DOTA 2A, Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	92.6	91.4
Valorant	105.2	103.9
Cyberpunk 2077	58.9	58.2
Apex Legends	98.9	97.6
Call of Duty Warzone	78.9	77.9
Overwatch	85.2	84.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	72.6	71.7
DOOM Eternal	52.6	51.9
Warzone	82.1	81.0
Assassin's Creed	88.4	87.3
Valheim	87.3	86.2

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i3-8350K

48%

Core i5-6500

51%

To make a final resolution on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i5-6500 is more energy efficient than the Core i3-8350K as it consumes less power: 91W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

For example you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, machine learning, programming, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the benefit of multi-core mode are unused.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i3-8350K	Intel Core i5-6500
Cinbench 15 Single-core	171	153
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	684	565
Cinbench 20 Single-core	447	354
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1711	1299
Cinbench 23 Single-core	887	842
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3447	2928

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i3-8350K	Intel Core i5-6500
Single-Core	2527	2149
Multi-Core	6896	5644

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i3-8350K	Intel Core i5-6500
Single-Core	1318	1004
Multi-Core	4485	3346

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in the newest games. The savings are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i3-8350K	Intel Core i5-6500
Announcement date	December 10, 2017	April 01, 2015
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151	LGA 1151
Core name	Coffee Lake	Skylake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	8	6
Turbo Frequency		3.6 MHz
Frequency	4 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	4	4
Threads	4	4
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	1760 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	91 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-2400	DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V
Max. Memory	64 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	37.5 GB/s	34.1 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	8 MB	6 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	Yes	No
Part number	Expansion Options

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i3-8350K is 19% better than Core i5-6500 in terms of CPU frequency. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-8350K is better: 28
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-6500 is better: 3
However, it should be understood that all the data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i3-8350K and Intel Core i5-6500 before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i3-8350K - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i3-8350K specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-6500 specs and review.