Intel Core i5-4590 vs Intel Core i7-6700HQ

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Perhaps you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice by looking at the Intel Core i5-4590 vs Intel Core i7-6700HQ tests and decide which is better for games or normal use for rendering, programming, streaming, video editing, machine learning. Here is useful information from several 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 video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests such as PassMark, VeraCrypt, 7zip, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Gears 5, GeekBench 6, 5.2, MATLAB, WPrime, Furmark, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, Handbrake, UserBenchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), RealBench, SuperPi, 3DMark, Prime95, PCMark 10.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-6700HQ or Intel Core i5-4590.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-4590

51%

Core i7-6700HQ

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-4590

51%

Core i7-6700HQ

52%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a low 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: Ghostrunner, DOTA 2A, NBA 2K20, Hitman 3, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, Control, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), League of Legends (LOL), Half-Life: Alyx, Metro Exodus, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Horizon Zero Dawn, Battlefield V, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	91.4	91.7
Valorant	103.9	104.2
Cyberpunk 2077	58.2	58.4
Apex Legends	97.6	98.0
Call of Duty Warzone	77.9	78.2
Overwatch	84.1	84.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.7	71.9
DOOM Eternal	51.9	52.1
Warzone	81.0	81.3
Assassin's Creed	87.2	87.5
Valheim	86.2	86.5

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 that were in the comparisons not only did they have 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. 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 i5-4590

39%

Core i7-6700HQ

71%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i7-6700HQ is more energy efficient than the Core i5-4590 since it has less power consumption: 84W vs. 45W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is 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 machine learning, programming, streaming, video rendering or video editing, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will find out 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 use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i5-4590	Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Cinbench 15 Single-core	144	148
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	505	692
Cinbench 20 Single-core	319	361
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1227	1651
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1024	891
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	4088	3958

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

	Intel Core i5-4590	Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Single-Core	2060	1937
Multi-Core	5285	6493

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

	Intel Core i5-4590	Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Single-Core	1005	971
Multi-Core	3327	3643

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i5-4590	Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Announcement date	April 01, 2014	April 01, 2015
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Socket	LGA1150	FCBGA1440
Core name	Haswell	Skylake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	4	6
Turbo Frequency	3.7 MHz	3.5 MHz
Frequency	3.3 MHz	2.6 MHz
Cores	4	4
Threads	4	8
Bus rate	5 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	22 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	1880 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	84 W	45 W
Memory type	DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V	DDR4-2133, LPDDR3-1866, DDR3L-1600
Max. Memory	32 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	34.1 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	6 MB	6 MB
Overclocking	No	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 i5-4590 is 21% better than Core i7-6700HQ 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 i5-4590 is better: 7
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-6700HQ is better: 26
Although it should be understood that all the data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i5-4590 and Intel Core i7-6700HQ before making a selection which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i5-4590 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-6700HQ specs and review.