Intel Core i7-5960X vs Intel Core i5-10600

Processor comparisons   25-03-2021
   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice by looking at the Intel Core i7-5960X vs Intel Core i5-10600 tests and see which is better for games or normal use for rendering, programming, streaming, machine learning, video editing. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or different benchmarks. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like 7zip, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Gears 5, UserBenchmark, PassMark, AIDA64, Furmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, WPrime, Blender, MATLAB, Handbrake, VeraCrypt, PCMark 10, 3DMark, Blender, RealBench, Dolphin Emulator, Prime95, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, SuperPi.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-10600 or Intel Core i7-5960X.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i7-5960X

53%

Core i5-10600

54%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i5-10600 is 1% better than Core i7-5960X. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-5960X

55%

Core i5-10600

54%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. 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 low game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, League of Legends (LOL), Half-Life: Alyx, Horizon Zero Dawn, DOTA 2A, Forza Horizon 4, Hitman 3, Ghostrunner, Control, Battlefield V, NBA 2K20, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Monster Hunter World, Microsoft Flight Simulator, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.0	95.2
Valorant	110.2	108.1
Cyberpunk 2077	61.7	60.6
Apex Legends	103.6	101.6
Call of Duty Warzone	82.6	81.1
Overwatch	89.2	87.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.0	74.6
DOOM Eternal	55.1	54.1
Warzone	85.9	84.3
Assassin's Creed	92.6	90.8
Valheim	91.5	89.7

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 i7-5960X

26%

Core i5-10600

67%

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 i5-10600 is more energy efficient than the Core i7-5960X since it has less power consumption: 140W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, video editing or video rendering, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the CPU turns on all threads and cores 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 use only one core to run, 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 i7-5960X	Intel Core i5-10600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	177	214
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1360	1569
Cinbench 20 Single-core	464	494
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3423	3556
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1106	1286
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	7691	9024

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

	Intel Core i7-5960X	Intel Core i5-10600
Single-Core	1966	2832
Multi-Core	12668	13964

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

	Intel Core i7-5960X	Intel Core i5-10600
Single-Core	1095	1307
Multi-Core	8786	7015

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 newer the processor, 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, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i7-5960X	Intel Core i5-10600
Announcement date	April 01, 2014	April 01, 2020
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	LGA2011-v3	FCLGA1200
Core name	Haswell E	Comet Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	5	10
Turbo Frequency	3.5 MHz	4.8 MHz
Frequency	3 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	8	6
Threads	16	12
Bus rate	0 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	22 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	4130 millions	4800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	140 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4 1600/1866/2133	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	64 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	68 GB/s	41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	20 MB	12 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 i5-10600 is 9% better than Core i7-5960X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-5960X has 2 more core than Core i5-10600. 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 i7-5960X is better: 16
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-10600 is better: 19
Although it should be understood that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i7-5960X and Intel Core i5-10600 before deciding which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i7-5960X - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-5960X specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-10600 specs and review.