Intel Core i7-6660U vs Intel Core i5-3470

Processor comparisons   20-01-2022
   For example you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice after reading the detailed tests Intel Core i7-6660U vs Intel Core i5-3470 and decide which is better for games or normal use for rendering, machine learning, programming, video editing, streaming. Here you can find useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A careful review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like UserBenchmark, Blender, AIDA64, VeraCrypt, 7zip, Blender, Handbrake, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Dolphin Emulator, PassMark, Gears 5, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), DaVinci Resolve Studio, Prime95, MATLAB, WPrime, Furmark, RealBench, SuperPi, 3DMark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-3470 or Intel Core i7-6660U.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i7-6660U

51%

Core i5-3470

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-6660U

51%

Core i5-3470

51%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. 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 little game result, 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: Ghostrunner, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Half-Life: Alyx, Control, Metro Exodus, Forza Horizon 4, Battlefield V, League of Legends (LOL), Monster Hunter World, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, DOTA 2A, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Horizon Zero Dawn, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), NBA 2K20, Hitman 3.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	90.0	90.8
Valorant	102.3	103.2
Cyberpunk 2077	57.3	57.8
Apex Legends	96.2	97.0
Call of Duty Warzone	76.7	77.4
Overwatch	82.9	83.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	70.6	71.2
DOOM Eternal	51.1	51.6
Warzone	79.8	80.5
Assassin's Creed	85.9	86.7
Valheim	84.9	85.7

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 i7-6660U

190%

Core i5-3470

32%

To make a finishing decision 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 i7-6660U is more energy efficient than the Core i5-3470 as it consumes less power: 15W vs. 77W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will find out 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. Because there are still many programs that 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 i7-6660U	Intel Core i5-3470
Cinbench 15 Single-core	91	127
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	448	460
Cinbench 20 Single-core	186	313
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	934	1010
Cinbench 23 Single-core	548	682
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	2633	2603

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

	Intel Core i7-6660U	Intel Core i5-3470
Single-Core	1816	1953
Multi-Core	3856	4620

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

	Intel Core i7-6660U	Intel Core i5-3470
Single-Core	855	756
Multi-Core	1980	2781

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. 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. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even 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 economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i7-6660U	Intel Core i5-3470
Announcement date	March 07, 2016	April 01, 2012
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	FCBGA1356	LGA1155
Core name	Skylake	Ivy Bridge
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	6	3
Turbo Frequency	3.4 MHz	3.6 MHz
Frequency	2.4 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	2	4
Threads	4	4
Bus rate	4 GT/s	5 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	22 nm
Transistors count	1700 millions	1480 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	77 W
Memory type	DDR4-2133, LPDDR3-1866, DDR3L-1600	DDR3 1333/1600
Max. Memory	32 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	34.1 GB/s	25.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	4 MB	6 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 i5-3470 is 25% better than Core i7-6660U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-3470 has 2 more core than Core i7-6660U. 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 i7-6660U is better: 8
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-3470 is better: 25
However, it should be understood that all the data that you have looked at here 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 opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i7-6660U and Intel Core i5-3470 before making a choice which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i7-6660U - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-6660U specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-3470 specs and review.