Around 7 years ago, Intel released their 6th-Generation “Skylake” processors, that was topped by Intel Core I7 6700k. On the other side, there was one more powerful processor (at least back in the day) and today’s subject – Intel Core I5 6600k.
Although it’s an older CPU, Intel Core I5 6600k is still a processor that is often talked about on the forums and internet overall. Since there are not that many sources, I will get this CPU on my hands and test it for you in 2022.
Let’s find out how good the Intel i5 6600k is today.
Intel Core I5 6600k Specifications
| Number of Cores | 4 cores |
| Number of Threads | 4 threads |
| Base Frequency | 3.5 GHz |
| Boost Frequency | 3.9 GHz |
| Process Size | 14 nm |
| TDP | 95W |
| Socket | LGA 1151 |
Best Intel Core I5 6600k Offer
Is Intel Core I5 6600k Still Good? Short Topic Answer
Intel Core I5 6600k is an older processor, and although it’s 7 years old, Intel I5 6600k is still capable of doing a lot of tasks if you know its limits. Have in mind that this processor has only 4 cores and 4 threads, so if you want anything more than casual Esports gaming, you will need to upgrade
In the rest of this article, I will test this CPU so you can see exactly how good it is. I will also compare it to a newer processor, so you can see the difference between them. Stay if you want all the important answers for this processor.
Is Intel Core I5 6600k Good For Gaming?
Intel Core I5 6600k is still a good processor for gaming if your main goal is playing Esports games in 1080p. Everything above that is possible but you need to know that a 7-year-old CPU isn’t meant to be used for modern AAA games, at least in high resolutions or framerates.
In the paragraphs below, you will be able to see the actual test of this processor paired with Nvidia GTX 1060 6Gb in both 1080p and 1440p. Keep Reading.
How Good Is Intel Core I5 6600k in 1080p?
The first test was done in the resolution that is supposed to be used with a CPU like this – 1080p. Intel i5 6600k is an older processor with only 4 cores, so you will achieve the best performance in some easy-to-run games.
I will test it with the Nvidia GTX 1060, which is probably the best graphics card that you can pair with this CPU, in 5 games.
As you can see, these two did a pretty good job together. In 5 out of 5 games the average fps was higher than 60, which is really fantastic to see.
The main thing that surprised me is that you can get even better fps if you lower the graphics details to medium or low, so playing the video games in 1080p with I5 6600k is still more than possible.
Take a look at the table yourself!
| specs: Intel Core I5 6600k, Nvidia GT^X 1060 6GB, 16GB DDR4 2400MHz, 1TB SSD | AVERAGE FPS | 1% LOW FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Battlefield 5 (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 72 fps | 53 fps |
| Forza Horizon 4 (High settings - 1080p) | 93 fps | 70 fps |
| Shadow Of The Tomb Raider (High settings + TAA -1080p) | 66 fps | 50 fps |
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey (Medium settings - 1080p) | 74 fps | 53 fps |
| Hitman 2 (High settings - 1080p) | 76 fps | 51 fps |
How Good Is Intel Core I5 6600k in 1440p?
The second test was done in 1440p. Although the Nvidia GTX 1060 that I paired with Intel I5 6600k isn’t the best option when it comes to 2k gaming, I still managed to get the enjoyable framerates and good quality.
However, only 2 games out of 5 averaged more than 60 fps but considering that in 2k resolution graphics card is the component that has a bigger job, we can’t blame the I5 6600k for the lower fps.
Also, you need to have in mind that you can achieve higher fps since some of the games were tested on High settings, which also used a lot of GPU power.
To cut the story, you should take a look at the table yourself.
| specs: Intel Core I5 6600k, Nvidia GT^X 1060 6GB, 16GB DDR4 2400MHz, 1TB SSD | AVERAGE FPS | 1% LOW FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Battlefield 5 (Ultra settings - 1440p) | 51 fps | 44 fps |
| Forza Horizon 4 (High settings - 1440p) | 69 fps | 54 fps |
| Shadow Of The Tomb Raider (High settings + TAA -1440p) | 43 fps | 35 fps |
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey (Medium settings - 1440p) | 54 fps | 46 fps |
| Hitman 2 (High settings - 1440p) | 60 fps | 49 fps |
Difference Between Intel Core I5 6600k and Intel Core I5 12600k
For the last benchmark of this processor, I wanted to try and test both the Intel i5 6600k and brand new Intel i5 12600k in the same 5 games, with the same graphics card – RTX 3060.
I tested these two processors in 1080p resolution, so we can see the real image of how much progress Intel made over the last 7 years.
Have in mind that Intel I5 12600k has 6 more cores and 12 more threads, with much better technology under the plate.
As you can see in the table below, although Intel i5 6600k did a really good job paired with RTX 3060, the new Intel I5 12600k just destroyed it in every game by at least 30 fps.
Take a look at the table and see the difference.
| specs: Intel Core I5 6600k/ Intel Core I5 12600k, Nvidia RTX 3060, 16GB DDR4, 1TB SSD | Intel I5 6600k - AVERAGE FPS | Intel I5 6600k - 1% LOW FPS | Intel I5 12600k - AVERAGE FPS | Intel I5 12600k - 1% LOW FPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 (Medium settings - 1080p) | 81 fps | 46 fps | 110 fps | 88 fps |
| Fortnite (High settings - 1080p) | 121 fps | 63 fps | 159 fps | 114 fps |
| Watchdogs Legion (Medium settings - 1080p) | 56 fps | 37 fps | 117 fps | 93 fps |
| CSGO (Low settings - 1080p) | 153 fps | 71 fps | 494 fps | 189 fps |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator (Medium settings - 1080p) | 77 fps | 51 fps | 107 fps | 75 fps |
Best Graphics Card To Pair With Intel Core I5 6600k
Best Mid-Range GPU That You Should Pair With Intel I5 6600k
Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB is the best graphics card that you can pair with Intel Core I5 6600k if you want to achieve the best performance and not make any hard bottleneck. This GPU will be a perfect fit if your main goal is to play in 1080p resolution, which is probably the case since you own I5 6600k.
You can read my post about this GPU by pressing the button below.
Best Nvidia GTX 1060 Offer
Best “High-End” GPU That You Should Pair With Intel I5 6600k
Nvidia RTX 2060 is the best graphics card solution for you if you have Intel i5 6600k and you will be upgrading your processor in the close future. Not only that RTX 2060 will work well with Intel i5 6600k in 1080p and 1440p, but you will have space for a potential CPU upgrade in the future.
You can read my post about this GPU by pressing the button below.
Best Nvidia RTX 2060 Offer
Best Processor To Upgrade From Intel Core I5 6600k
Best AMD Processor To Upgrade From Intel Core I5 6600k
AMD Ryzen 5 5600x is the best processor that you should upgrade to from Intel i5 6600k. OF course, there are a lot of other AMD processors that you can consider buying, but you will be more than happy with the performance boost that you get with R5 5600x and you won’t need to spend too much money.
Best AMD Ryzen 5 5600x Offer
Best Intel Processor To Upgrade From Intel Core I5 6600k
Intel I7 10700k is probably the best Intel CPU that you should consider buying after Intel I5 6600k. You may go for I7 7700k too, but that CPU isn’t future-proof and you will have to upgrade again soon. With Intel i7 10700k you will have a huge increase in performance, although it’s a bit expensive.
Best Intel Core I7 10700k Offer
Can You Overclock Intel Core I5 6600k?
Intel Core I5 6600k is a completely overclockable processor, the same as all the other Intel processors that have the letter “K” in their names. You can overclock the I5 6600k to 4.8 GHz and even more, but that all depends on how good the motherboard and cooling system you have.
Here is a good Guide on How to overclock Intel I5 6600k.
