Intel Core i7-2600 vs Intel Core i5-10210U

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   If you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice by looking at the Intel Core i7-2600 vs Intel Core i5-10210U tests and understand which is better for games or normal use for programming, machine learning, video editing, streaming, rendering. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software such as Cinebench 23 (20, 15), WPrime, VeraCrypt, 7zip, RealBench, Dolphin Emulator, PCMark 10, Prime95, Furmark, Handbrake, Blender, 3DMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Gears 5, SuperPi, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, MATLAB, PassMark, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, UserBenchmark, AIDA64.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-10210U or Intel Core i7-2600.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i7-2600

51%

Core i5-10210U

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-2600

51%

Core i5-10210U

52%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	91.3	92.2
Valorant	103.7	104.8
Cyberpunk 2077	58.1	58.7
Apex Legends	97.5	98.5
Call of Duty Warzone	77.8	78.6
Overwatch	84.0	84.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.6	72.3
DOOM Eternal	51.9	52.4
Warzone	80.9	81.7
Assassin's Creed	87.1	88.0
Valheim	86.1	87.0

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

Power consumption

Core i7-2600

29%

Core i5-10210U

243%

To make a finishing decision 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 i5-10210U is more energy efficient than the Core i7-2600 since it has less power consumption: 95W vs. 15W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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 want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, programming, 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 efficiency, the CPU turns on all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software 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 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 i7-2600	Intel Core i5-10210U
Cinbench 15 Single-core	124	168
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	568	567
Cinbench 20 Single-core	257	426
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1824	1206
Cinbench 23 Single-core	759	883
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3647	3462

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

	Intel Core i7-2600	Intel Core i5-10210U
Single-Core	1751	2254
Multi-Core	5341	6569

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

	Intel Core i7-2600	Intel Core i5-10210U
Single-Core	844	1094
Multi-Core	3227	4116

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 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 can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce 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 i7-2600	Intel Core i5-10210U
Announcement date	October 01, 2010	April 01, 2019
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Socket	LGA1155	FCBGA1528
Core name	Sandy Bridge	Comet Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation		10
Turbo Frequency	3.8 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	3.4 MHz	1.6 MHz
Cores	4	4
Threads	8	8
Bus rate	5 GT/s	4 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	4800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	95 W	15 W
Memory type	DDR3 1066/1333	DDR4-2666, LPDDR3-2133, LPDDR4-2933
Max. Memory	32 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	45.8 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	8 MB	6 MB
Overclocking	Yes	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 i5-10210U 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 i7-2600 is better: 6
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-10210U is better: 26
Although it should be understood that all the number in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i7-2600 and Intel Core i5-10210U before making a choice which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i7-2600 specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-10210U specs and review.