How Good is Intel Core I5 10600k? CPU Test
Introduction
Intel Core I5 10600k is released about 2 years ago, and for all this time a lot of people used it for all kinds of tasks.
Since there aren’t that many good and quality answers to questions that people that are interested in buying this CPU are asking, I got one on my hands today and I will try to test it and provide you with all information you need.
Keep Reading this article!
Intel Core I5 10600k Specifications
| Number of Cores | 6 cores |
| Number of Threads | 12 threads |
| Base Frequency | 4.1 GHz |
| Boost Frequency | 4.8 GHz |
| Process Size | 14nm |
| TDP | 125W |
| Socket | LGA 1200 |
Best Intel Core I5 10600k Offer
How Good is Intel Core I5 10600k? Short Topic Answer
Intel Core I5 10600k is still a very good solution for either gaming or other kind of use if you don’t want to spend a fortune on more expensive CPUs. With 6 cores and 12 threads, I5 10600k has enough power to handle any kind of gaming or multi-tasking. Pair it with a good GPU and you are good to go
Is Intel Core I5 10600k Good For Gaming?
Intel i5 10600k is a very good processor when it comes to gaming. With this CPU, you can easily run any game in all resolutions without a big bottleneck, no matter how strong the GPU you are using. Of course, If you want to get the most out of this processor, you should pair it with a decent GPU
The most important category for most of the people that are reading this post is probably Gaming, so I will try to give you a clear image of how good is Intel i5 10600k in both 1080p and 1440p, paired with the powerful Nvidia RTX 3070. Both tests will be done in 5 games.
Is Intel Core I5 10600k Good For Gaming in 1080p?
The first test that I did was of course in the most used resolution – 1080p. The 1080p is also the resolution where the processor needs to perform well in order for the overall results to be good.
If you have a good graphics card and a bad CPU, you will get bad results, since you need both of the components to be good for 1080p. That’s why I wanted to pair this CPU with a very powerful graphics card. For both 1080p and 1440p tests, I Paired Intel I5 10600k with the Nvidia RTX 3070 to make sure I get the most out of this processor.
As you can see in the table below, I benchmarked 5 different games, and in every one of these games, the graphics settings were increased.
The results were very good, considering that every game was on Ultra details. Five out of five games averaged more than 60 fps, That tells us that gaming at a higher refresh rate is more than possible when you pair Intel I5 10600k with a graphics card this strong. All you need to do for that is to have Monitor with either 144Hz or 240Hz and to adjust settings in order to get the higher framerates.
Let’s cut the story, you can take a look at the table below.
| Specs: Intel Core I5 10600k, Nvidia RTX 3070, 32GB DDR4, 1TB SSD | AVERAGE FPS | 1% LOW FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 113 fps | 91 fps |
| Microsoft flight simulator (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 65 fps | 46 fps |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 88 fps | 67 fps |
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 86 fps | 64 fps |
| PUBG (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 191 fps | 74 fps |
Is Intel Core I5 10600k Good For Gaming in 1440p?
The second test that I did was in the 1440p resolution. Once again, I benchmarked 5 games, and for you to see the difference, I didn’t change the graphics preset. This time as the last, I paired the intel i5 10600k with the Nvidia RTX 3070 to get the most out of this CPU.
Have in mind, in 1440p resolution, the graphics card is the one with the more impact on the final result. The processor is there just to support the graphics card, which isn’t too easy.
As you can see in the table below, this time only 1 out of 5 games averaged under 60 fps, which is a very good result for the 1440p resolution. The Intel I5 10600k performed really well and it handled these games well.
Take a look at the table yourself.
| Specs: Intel Core I5 10600k, Nvidia RTX 3070, 32GB DDR4, 1TB SSD | AVERAGE FPS | 1% LOW FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultra settings - 1440p) | 90 fps | 67 fps |
| Microsoft flight simulator (Ultra settings - 1440p) | 54 fps | 40 fps |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 (Ultra settings - 1440p) | 71 fps | 49 fps |
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Ultra settings - 1440p) | 70 fps | 52 fps |
| PUBG (Ultra settings - 1440p) | 154 fps | 84 fps |
Intel I5 10600k vs Ryzen 5 5600x – Gaming Test
Since there are a lot of people arguing between the Intel I5 10600k and its biggest rival AMD Ryzen 5 5600x, I wanted to try them both and compare them in 1080p gaming. To get the most out of them both, I paired them with The Nvidia RTX 3080.
As you can see in the table below, I tried them in 6 different games, and I will give you both the average fps and 1% low fps so you can see the difference.
The results of the benchmarks didn’t surprise me, since I expected Ryzen 5 5600x to be better than the I5 10600k.
Although the difference isn’t that huge, you can see that Ryzen 5 5600x performed better in every game that I tried. Considering that they are on the other motherboards, I can’t tell you which one is better for you.
If you are an Intel Fan or you already have a motherboard for i5 10600k, there is no reason to switch to AMD. Since The decision is yours, take a look at the table below and decide.
| Specs: Intel Core I5 10600k / AMD Ryzen 5 5600x, RTX 3080, 32 GB DDR4, 1TB SSD | Intel I5 10600k - AVERAGE FPS | Intel I5 10600k - 1% LOW FPS | Ryzen 5 5600x - AVERAGE FPS | Ryzen 5 5600x - 1% LOW FPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey (Very High settings - 1080p) | 110 fps | 84 fps | 113 fps | 87 fps |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 (High settings - 1080p) | 127 fps | 91 fps | 135 fps | 98 fps |
| Mafia Definitive Edition (High settings - 1080p) | 145 fps | 96 fps | 154 fps | 102 fps |
| Watch Dogs Legion (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 77 fps | 59 fps | 80 fps | 63 fps |
| Forza Horizon 4 (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 176 fps | 137 fps | 186 fps | 146 fps |
| Metro Exodus (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 142 fps | 112 fps | 146 fps | 116 fps |
Best Graphics Card To Pair With Intel Core i5 10600k
Although choosing the graphics card is an important thing to do, you have to know that Intel Core i5 10600k is capable of pairing with any GPU on the market. Since there are a lot of options, I will try to give you the one that I personally think is the best, but you can choose the GPU depending on your needs.
Nvidia RTX 3070 is the best graphics card that you should pair with the Intel I5 10600k. With this GPU and I5 10600k together, you can expect the perfect gaming experience for both the 1080p and 1440p resolutions. If your goal is to play at a higher refresh rate, it’s more than possible.
Best RTX 3070 Offer At The Moment
Is Intel Core I5 10600k Future-Proof?
Intel Core I5 10600k is definitely a future-proof processor. Although it’s not the newest CPU on the market and its release was back in 2020, the Intel I5 10600k will be good for use for at least 5 more years. After that, you should consider upgrading it although it will be a good processor.
