Intel Core i5-8600K vs Intel Core i7-7700K

Processor comparisons   18-02-2022
   You may have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Intel Core i5-8600K vs Intel Core i7-7700K and understand which is better for games or simple use for programming, rendering, video editing, machine learning, streaming. Here is all information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like Blender, 3DMark, 7zip, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Furmark, AIDA64, GeekBench 6, 5.2, RealBench, Prime95, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, SuperPi, PCMark 10, Gears 5, PassMark, Handbrake, VeraCrypt, Blender, WPrime, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-7700K or Intel Core i5-8600K.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-8600K

53%

Core i7-7700K

52%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i5-8600K is 1% better than Core i7-7700K. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-8600K

53%

Core i7-7700K

53%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	93.9	93.7
Valorant	106.7	106.5
Cyberpunk 2077	59.7	59.7
Apex Legends	100.3	100.1
Call of Duty Warzone	80.0	79.9
Overwatch	86.4	86.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.6	73.5
DOOM Eternal	53.3	53.3
Warzone	83.2	83.1
Assassin's Creed	89.6	89.5
Valheim	88.5	88.4

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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-8600K

41%

Core i7-7700K

49%

To make a finishing resolution 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 i7-7700K is more energy efficient than the Core i5-8600K since it has less power consumption: 95W vs. 95W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU uses 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 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 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 i5-8600K	Intel Core i7-7700K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	183	200
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1040	995
Cinbench 20 Single-core	406	466
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2181	2257
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1318	1216
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	7339	6055

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

	Intel Core i5-8600K	Intel Core i7-7700K
Single-Core	2600	2791
Multi-Core	10237	9750

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

	Intel Core i5-8600K	Intel Core i7-7700K
Single-Core	1191	1412
Multi-Core	5753	5637

Comparison of specifications

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

	Intel Core i5-8600K	Intel Core i7-7700K
Announcement date	October 12, 2017	October 01, 2016
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151	LGA 1151
Core name	Coffee Lake	Kaby Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	8	7
Turbo Frequency	4.3 MHz	4.5 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	4.2 MHz
Cores	6	4
Threads	6	8
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)	95 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2133/2400, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V
Max. Memory	128 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	9 MB	8 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 i7-7700K is 14% better than Core i5-8600K in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-8600K has 2 more core than Core i7-7700K. 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 i5-8600K is better: 21
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-7700K is better: 9
However, 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 numbers. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i5-8600K and Intel Core i7-7700K before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i5-8600K - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-8600K specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-7700K specs and review.