Intel Core i5-8265U vs Intel Core i7-2600

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   For example you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i5-8265U vs Intel Core i7-2600 and understand which is better for games or simple use for programming, video editing, rendering, machine learning, streaming. Here is all information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A careful analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, SuperPi, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Furmark, Prime95, Gears 5, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 7zip, Blender, Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, Handbrake, 3DMark, PassMark, UserBenchmark, WPrime, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, RealBench, VeraCrypt.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-2600 or Intel Core i5-8265U.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-8265U

51%

Core i7-2600

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-8265U

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: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Control, Battlefield V, Forza Horizon 4, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Horizon Zero Dawn, Hitman 3, NBA 2K20, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), DOTA 2A, Monster Hunter World, Ghostrunner, Microsoft Flight Simulator, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), League of Legends (LOL), Metro Exodus, Half-Life: Alyx.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	91.4	91.3
Valorant	103.8	103.7
Cyberpunk 2077	58.1	58.1
Apex Legends	97.6	97.5
Call of Duty Warzone	77.9	77.8
Overwatch	84.1	84.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.6	71.6
DOOM Eternal	51.9	51.9
Warzone	81.0	80.9
Assassin's Creed	87.2	87.1
Valheim	86.2	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 comparing not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. 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 i5-8265U

201%

Core i7-2600

29%

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 i5-8265U is more energy efficient than the Core i7-2600 as it consumes less power: 15W vs. 95W. 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 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, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports 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 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 i5-8265U	Intel Core i7-2600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	171	124
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	549	568
Cinbench 20 Single-core	401	257
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1135	1824
Cinbench 23 Single-core	606	759
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	1674	3647

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

	Intel Core i5-8265U	Intel Core i7-2600
Single-Core	2175	1751
Multi-Core	6181	5341

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

	Intel Core i5-8265U	Intel Core i7-2600
Single-Core	907	844
Multi-Core	3312	3227

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The later the processor is released, 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 new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i5-8265U	Intel Core i7-2600
Announcement date	April 01, 2018	October 01, 2010
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	FCBGA1528	LGA1155
Core name	Whiskey Lake	Sandy Bridge
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	8
Turbo Frequency	3.9 MHz	3.8 MHz
Frequency	1.6 MHz	3.4 MHz
Cores	4	4
Threads	8	8
Bus rate	4 GT/s	5 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Transistors count	1900 millions	2460 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4-2400, LPDDR3-2133	DDR3 1066/1333
Max. Memory	64 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	37.5 GB/s	21 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	6 MB	8 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 i7-2600 is 52% better than Core i5-8265U 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 i5-8265U is better: 21
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-2600 is better: 9
All the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i5-8265U and Intel Core i7-2600 before making a selection which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i5-8265U specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-2600 specs and review.