Intel Core i5-4460 vs Intel Core i7-2600

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Perhaps you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the Intel Core i5-4460 vs Intel Core i7-2600 tests and understand which is better for games or simple use for programming, video editing, streaming, rendering, machine learning. Here is useful information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests such as World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, Furmark, VeraCrypt, 7zip, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), AIDA64, SuperPi, MATLAB, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, WPrime, 3DMark, Gears 5, RealBench, UserBenchmark, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Prime95, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, Handbrake.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-2600 or Intel Core i5-4460.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-4460

51%

Core i7-2600

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-4460

51%

Core i7-2600

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 play games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Battlefield V, League of Legends (LOL), NBA 2K20, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Monster Hunter World, DOTA 2A, Hitman 3, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Control, Forza Horizon 4, Half-Life: Alyx, Ghostrunner, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Horizon Zero Dawn, Metro Exodus.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	91.0	91.3
Valorant	103.4	103.7
Cyberpunk 2077	57.9	58.1
Apex Legends	97.2	97.5
Call of Duty Warzone	77.6	77.8
Overwatch	83.8	84.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.4	71.6
DOOM Eternal	51.7	51.9
Warzone	80.7	80.9
Assassin's Creed	86.9	87.1
Valheim	85.8	86.1

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: 2K, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-4460

34%

Core i7-2600

29%

To make a final decision 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 i5-4460 is more energy efficient than the Core i7-2600 since it has less power consumption: 84W vs. 95W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing or video rendering, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether 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 run, and all the advantages 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 i5-4460	Intel Core i7-2600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	132	124
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	477	568
Cinbench 20 Single-core	325	257
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1177	1824
Cinbench 23 Single-core	714	759
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	2716	3647

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

	Intel Core i5-4460	Intel Core i7-2600
Single-Core	1877	1751
Multi-Core	4794	5341

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

	Intel Core i5-4460	Intel Core i7-2600
Single-Core	881	844
Multi-Core	2955	3227

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in the newest games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-4460	Intel Core i7-2600
Announcement date	April 01, 2014	October 01, 2010
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	LGA1150	LGA1155
Core name	Haswell	Sandy Bridge
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	4
Turbo Frequency	3.4 MHz	3.8 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.4 MHz
Cores	4	4
Threads	4	8
Bus rate	5 GT/s	5 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	2460 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	84 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V	DDR3 1066/1333
Max. Memory	32 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	21 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	6 MB	8 MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i7-2600 is 5% better than Core i5-4460 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 i5-4460 is better: 9
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-2600 is better: 21
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i5-4460 and Intel Core i7-2600 before deciding which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i5-4460 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-2600 specs and review.