Intel Core i5-6600K vs Intel Core i7-9700

Processor comparisons   04-02-2023
   If there are difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i5-6600K vs Intel Core i7-9700 and see which is better for games or simple use for streaming, video editing, machine learning, programming, rendering. Here is useful information from different benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as GeekBench 6, 5.2, Prime95, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), SuperPi, Handbrake, 7zip, VeraCrypt, RealBench, DaVinci Resolve Studio, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, 3DMark, UserBenchmark, Blender, Gears 5, WPrime, MATLAB, Dolphin Emulator, PassMark, Furmark, AIDA64.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-9700 or Intel Core i5-6600K.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-6600K

51%

Core i7-9700

54%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i7-9700 is 5% better than Core i5-6600K. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-6600K

52%

Core i7-9700

54%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will play 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: Half-Life: Alyx, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Microsoft Flight Simulator, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Battlefield V, NBA 2K20, Monster Hunter World, Horizon Zero Dawn, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Control, DOTA 2A, Hitman 3, League of Legends (LOL), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Metro Exodus, Forza Horizon 4, Ghostrunner.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	92.9	95.8
Valorant	105.5	108.9
Cyberpunk 2077	59.1	61.0
Apex Legends	99.2	102.3
Call of Duty Warzone	79.1	81.6
Overwatch	85.5	88.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	72.8	75.1
DOOM Eternal	52.8	54.4
Warzone	82.3	84.9
Assassin's Creed	88.6	91.4
Valheim	87.6	90.3

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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. So 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-6600K

51%

Core i7-9700

61%

To make a finishing 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 i7-9700 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-6600K since it has less power consumption: 91W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video editing or video rendering, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the CPU turns on all cores and threads that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to work, 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 i5-6600K	Intel Core i7-9700
Cinbench 15 Single-core	166	209
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	600	1491
Cinbench 20 Single-core	395	465
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1572	3644
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1041	1181
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3965	8540

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

	Intel Core i5-6600K	Intel Core i7-9700
Single-Core	2356	2835
Multi-Core	6286	13511

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

	Intel Core i5-6600K	Intel Core i7-9700
Single-Core	1399	1195
Multi-Core	4766	7637

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful 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 later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in new games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i5-6600K	Intel Core i7-9700
Announcement date	September 26, 2015	April 01, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Skylake	Coffee Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	6	9
Turbo Frequency	3.9 MHz	4.7 MHz
Frequency	3.5 MHz	3 MHz
Cores	4	8
Threads	4	8
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	5600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	91 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	64 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	34.1 GB/s	41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	6 MB	12 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	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 i5-6600K is 14% better than Core i7-9700 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-9700 has 4 more core than Core i5-6600K. 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 i5-6600K is better: 3
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-9700 is better: 30
However, it should be understood that the summary data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i5-6600K and Intel Core i7-9700 before making a choice which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i5-6600K - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-6600K specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-9700 specs and review.