Intel Core i5-9500 vs Intel Core i7-7700K

Processor comparisons 20-01-2022

   If you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice by looking at the Intel Core i5-9500 vs Intel Core i7-7700K tests and decide which is better for games or normal use for programming, machine learning, rendering, video editing, streaming. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A careful analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software such as PCMark 10, Furmark, Gears 5, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 7zip, WPrime, MATLAB, Dolphin Emulator, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 3DMark, Blender, Handbrake, Prime95, PassMark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, SuperPi, AIDA64, UserBenchmark, RealBench, VeraCrypt.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-7700K or Intel Core i5-9500.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-9500

53%

Core i7-7700K

52%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i5-9500 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 i5-9500

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	93.9	93.7
Valorant	106.8	106.5
Cyberpunk 2077	59.8	59.7
Apex Legends	100.4	100.1
Call of Duty Warzone	80.1	79.9
Overwatch	86.5	86.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.7	73.5
DOOM Eternal	53.4	53.3
Warzone	83.3	83.1
Assassin's Creed	89.7	89.5
Valheim	88.6	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 tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-9500

66%

Core i7-7700K

49%

To make a finishing 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 i5-9500 is more energy efficient than the Core i7-7700K as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 95W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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 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 i5-9500	Intel Core i7-7700K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	182	200
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1016	995
Cinbench 20 Single-core	522	466
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1861	2257
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1338	1216
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	5892	6055

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

	Intel Core i5-9500	Intel Core i7-7700K
Single-Core	2578	2791
Multi-Core	9895	9750

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

	Intel Core i5-9500	Intel Core i7-7700K
Single-Core	1289	1412
Multi-Core	5830	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 newer the processor, the longer it will last you. 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 the newest 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 i5-9500	Intel Core i7-7700K
Announcement date	July 07, 2019	October 01, 2016
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151	LGA 1151
Core name	Coffee Lake	Kaby Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	9	7
Turbo Frequency	4.4 MHz	4.5 MHz
Frequency	3 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	3600 millions	1760 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 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 28% better than Core i5-9500 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-9500 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 i5-9500 is better: 24
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-7700K is better: 9
Although it should be understood that all the figures in the table above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i5-9500 and Intel Core i7-7700K before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i5-9500 - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-9500 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-7700K specs and review.