Almost 5 years ago, in 2017, Intel released their new 6 cores- 6 threads processor – Intel Core I5 8600k.
Today, I will try to test this processor and give you as much information as I can, based on the benchmarks that I will do. I want to provide you with an ultimate source where you have only the important information that actually matters.
Let’s jump into the article!
Is Intel Core I5 8600k Still Good? Short Topic Answer
Although Intel Core I5 8600k is around 5 years old, this processor is still a very good solution for overall use today. With 6 cores and 6 threads, it may seem that this CPU isn’t that good, but trust me, in the majority of the games and programs, 6 cores and 6 threads are enough for most users.
This is only the short answer, I will try to explain everything to you in the paragraphs below. Keep reading!
Intel Core I5 8600k Specifications
| Number of Cores | 6 cores |
| Number of Threads | 6 threads |
| Base Frequency | 3.6 GHz |
| Boost Frequency | 4.3 GHz |
| Process Size | 14nm |
| TDP | 95W |
| Socket | LGA 1151 |
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Is Intel Core I7 8600k Good For Gaming?
Since a lot of people are reading this post only to find out the ability of the Intel Core I5 8600k in gaming, this is probably the most important part of this article.
I will put this processor in my testing machine and give it a try in different modern games in both 1080p and 1440p resolutions. The reason why I’m not testing this processor in 4k resolution is that the CPU isn’t doing much of a job, since the graphics card is much more important in that resolution.
In order to get the best possible results in both 1080p and 2k resolutions, I will pair the Intel I5 8600k with the powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 that I’m using for the CPU testing.
To cut the story, let’s jump into some gaming!
Is Intel Core I7 8600k Good For 1080p Gaming?
The First benchmark that I will do with Intel Core I5 8600k is of course in 1080p resolution, In this resolution, we can see the real power of the processor while it’s working with the graphics card that we paired it with.
As I said, Intel I5 8600k will work with Nvidia RTX 3080, so we don’t have to worry about anything.
If you take a closer look at the table below, you can see that I tested Intel I5 8600k in 5 different popular games. The results are as good as I expected them to be. Four out of five games averaged more than 100 fps, which is pretty good considering that we are using one of the best graphics cards on the market and a processor that is 5 years old.
The only game that averaged well below 100 fps and even under 60 fps is Microsoft Flight Simulator. It’s well known that this game is Cpu heavy, and although 51 fps felt good most of the time, if you want better results, you will need even better Cpu.
Every game felt smooth and more than playable. Gaming at a higher refresh rate is more than possible if you have a suitable monitor since you can easily get 144+ fs in most games that arent that hard to run.
To cut the story, you should take a look at the table yourself!
| Specs: Intel Core I5 8600k, Nvidia RTX 3080, 16GB DDR4 3200 MHz, 1TB SSD | AVERAGE FPS | MIN FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 (High settings - 1080p) | 117 fps | 103 fps |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 51 fps | 40 fps |
| Call of Duty Warzone (High settings - 1080p) | 187 fps | 136 fps |
| PUBG (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 165 fps | 141 fps |
| Rainbow Six Siege (High settings - 1080p) | 289 fps | 255 fps |
Is Intel Core I5 8600k Good For 1440p Gaming?
The second benchmark that I did with the Intel Core I5 8600k is in the 1440p resolution, better known as the 2k resolution. Although the Nvidia RTX 3080 that I used will have a bigger impact on the final results, you still need a good processor to maintain that fps.
As you can see in the table below, I tested the same 5 games as in the 1080p benchmark and every game was on the same graphics preset.
Once again, 4 out of 5 games averaged more than 100 fps which really amazed me. These results really show us that this processor is more than powerful for gaming if it’s paired with the right graphics card.
As in 1080p, gaming at a higher refresh rate is possible in 1440p too, but this time you will probably need a powerful graphics card to achieve and keep the higher fps while gaming.
Take a look at the table yourself.
| Specs: Intel Core I5 8600k, Nvidia RTX 3080, 16GB DDR4 3200 MHz, 1TB SSD | AVERAGE FPS | 1% LOW FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 (High settings - 1080p) | 103 fps | 94 fps |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 47 fps | 34 fps |
| Call of Duty Warzone (High settings - 1080p) | 146 fps | 119 fps |
| PUBG (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 143 fps | 123 fps |
| Rainbow Six Siege (High settings - 1080p) | 262 fps | 235 fps |
Best Graphics Card To Pair With Intel Core I5 8600k
Best Graphics Card To Pair With Intel Core I5 8600k For 1080p
The best graphics card to pair with the Intel Core i5 8600k for 1080p gaming is Nvidia GTX 1660. With 6GB of GDDR5 memory, this graphics card and processor will work perfectly well in the 1080p resolution in all popular video games and all tasks and programs that you will use.
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Best Graphics Card To Pair With Intel Core I5 8600k For 2k/4k
The best graphics card to pair with the Intel Core i5 8600k for either 2k or 4k gaming is Nvidia RTX 2070 Super. With 8gb of GDDR6 memory and modern RTX technology, this graphics card will provide you the perfect results and playable fps even in the 2k or 4k resolution when paired with I5 8600k.
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Is Intel Core I5 8600k Future-Proof?
Considering that Intel I5 8600k is already a 5-year-old and most people will say that this CPU life span is about to end. However, you can still keep using this CPU until you are not happy with the results it gives you. The time for an upgrade can be in the next 2-3 years or later depending on you.
