Intel Core i5-6600K Review

Discover the Core i5-6600K! This Desktop processor is a star in Intel's mid-range portfolio. Released in 2015, it sports 4 cores and 4 threads. It has a base frequency of 3.5GHz, can reach up to 3.9GHz, and has a power rating of 91W, ready to enhance your gaming rig. The Core i5-6600K is built using the Skylake-S 14nm process and is a part of the esteemed Core i5 series.

And guess what? The Core i5-6600K is the ultimate successor to Intel's previous-gen gaming champion, the Core i5-4690K. The Core i5-4690K was based on the legendary Haswell Refresh and 22nm process, and it made its grand entrance into the gaming scene back in 2014. But now, it's time for the Core i5-6600K to take the throne and conquer the gaming world!

The Intel Core i5 6th Generation boasts the Skylake-S architecture, which brings 14nm processors to the mainstream for the first time. But there's more to this story than just a smaller size. Get ready for some serious performance upgrades!

Introducing the Core i5-6600K, the high-performance counterpart to the award-winning Core i5-6500. Both are built on the same 14nm Skylake-S platform, but the Core i5-6600K cranks the power up to a toasty 91W for those extra cores and threads. We're expecting big things from this one, just like its lower-powered sibling! 'sChoiceHype

Heads up, with a simple overclock, the Core i5-6500 can actually perform almost as well as the Core i5-6600K, even when the Core i5-6600K is overclocked too. But the Core i5-6500 is $70 cheaper! Don't get us wrong, the Core i5-6600K is still a beast and offers more overall performance than AMD's A12-9800, but if you're on a budget, the cheaper sibling might be the better call.

The Core i5-6600K is the more expensive version of the Core i5-6500, and it shows with its higher base and boost clock speeds: 3.5 GHz and 3.9 GHz, respectively. That's a nice boost in speed, but the real game changer is the higher power delivery (PPT). This lets the motherboard pump more juice (up to 142W) to the Core i5-6600K compared to the Core i5-6500's limit of 65W. This extra power allows the Core i5-6600K to crank up the boost clocks even more aggressively, on both single and multiple cores. That means the performance gap between these two CPUs might be bigger than what the specs on paper suggest.

The wait is finally over! The Intel Core i5 6 Gen is here, and the Intel Core i5-6600K might just be the perfect example of what this new generation brings to the table. It keeps the same core and thread count (4 cores and 4 threads) as its predecessor, the Core i5-4690K. But thanks to the new, smaller 14nm manufacturing process, it delivers significantly better performance while using less power.

Shrinking down to a 14nm process gives the Core i5-6600K a whopping 15% boost in IPC (instructions per clock). Basically, compared to a similar CPU from the last generation (Core i5 4 Gen) clocked at the same speed, you'll get 15% better performance. It might not be a huge difference in everyday tasks, but it's still something.

The Intel Core i5-6600K is another impressive addition to Intel's 6 Gen of Core i5 processors. It boasts 4 cores and 4 threads, with a boost clock of up to 3.9 GHz. While the specs might not look super top-of-the-line on paper, the real-world performance you get for your $242 is fantastic.

The Intel Core i5-6600K is a decent performing chip for $242. The main competitor at this price point is the A12-9800, a 4-core unlocked processor with integrated graphics, which costs $139.

If you don't care too much about overclocking and max boost speeds, then the Intel Core i5-6500 is a good option for $192. It also has 4 cores and 4 threads, but with slightly lower clock speeds (3.2GHz base and 3.6GHz boost).

Can you game on Intel's Core i5 CPU? Absolutely! We got a solid 80% score in our gaming benchmarks.

Building on the success of mainstream Core i5 CPUs, Intel is now attacking the mid-range market with the Core i5-6600K processors, available since Aug 2015.