It’s been 4 years since Intel released their 6 cores and 6 threads Intel i5 9600k processor. A lot of things changed in these 4 years, especially in the CPU market. Nowadays AMD is doing a better job than Intel, but it wasn’t always like that.
Today I will try to test Intel I5 9600k and see how well it can perform in 2022.
Stay tuned because I will answer most asked questions about this CPU.
Let’s Begin!
Intel I5 9600k Specifications
| Number of Cores | 6 cores |
| Number of Threads | 6 threads |
| Base Frequency | 3.7 GHz |
| Boost Frequency | 4.6 GHz |
| Process Size | 14 nm |
| TDP | 95W |
| Socket | socket 1151 |
Best Intel i5 9600k Offer At The Moment
Is Intel Core I5 9600k Still Good – Short Topic Answer
Intel I5 9600k is still a good processor although it’s been 4 years since its release. With 6 cores and 6 threads, this CPU will satisfy most users in every category. Pair it with a good GPU and you will have a PC that you can stream on, edit, and run almost every game if you adjust graphics settings
How Good Is Intel I5 9600k For Gaming
The main question almost everybody is asking about this processor is related to gaming. In order to give you the best answers to these questions, I will try and benchmark the Intel i5 9600k myself.
The two main resolutions that I will try today are 1080p and 1440p (2k). Since 4k isn’t that hard for processors, because the graphics card is more important for good fps, I won’t test it.
Since most people will use mid-range GPU with this processor, I will run these tests with Nvidia GTX 1660 Super.
Also, I will try to compare it with other Intel processor that has similar strength.
To not waste your time anymore, let’s jump into some gaming.
Intel I5 9600k and GTX 1660 Super – 1080p
As I said, in the first gaming benchmark I will use GTX 1660 Super paired with Intel i5 9600k in 1080p resolution.
If you take a look at the table below, you can see that I tried 5 games with this CPU-GPU combo. All 5 games are popular and I tried to test them on either Ultra or High settings.
Although it would be better for the CPU test if I played them on lower graphics settings in order for more CPU usage, this will be still a good indicator for you.
As you can see in the table below, this processor performed really well considering that GTX 1660 Super isn’t the best GPU out there.
There was only one game where these two didn’t average more than 60 fps, which is pretty solid considering that I played these games on very high settings.
Take a look at the table yourself!
| specs:I5 9600k, GTX 1660, 16Gb ddr4, 1TB SSD | AVERAGE FPS | 1% LOW FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Control (Max Settings - 1080p) | 58 fps | 51 fps |
| Call of Duty: Warzone (Ultra Settings - 1080p) | 93 fps | 70 fps |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (High Settings - 1080p) | 62 fps | 51 fps |
| PUBG (Ultra Settings - 1080p) | 125 fps | 107 fps |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 (Very High Settings - 1080p) | 65 fps | 52 fps |
Intel I5 9600k and GTX 1660 Super – 1440p
For the second test I once again used Nvidia GTX 1660 Super with Intel i5 9600k, but this time I benchmarked games in 2k resolution. Although 2k resolution is a little bit GPU heavy, it will be still helpful for some people that would love to play in this resolution.
As you can see in the table below, the results maybe aren’t the best, but you should have in mind that these games were on very high and high settings, so this graphics card performed a little bit worse than usual.
Of course, this CPU needs a better graphics card in order to achieve higher frames per second, but you will see that test too later in this article.
Although every game averaged under 60 fps, that can easily be fixed by changing the game details and video settings. Have in mind that these games are mostly hard to run, so fps would be higher in games like CSGO, Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, etc…
Let’s cut the story, take a look at the table below.
| specs:I5 9600k, GTX 1660, 16Gb ddr4, 1TB SSD | AVERAGE FPS | 1% LOW FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Hitman 3 (Max Settings - 1440p) | 46 fps | 37 fps |
| Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Very High Settings - 1440p) | 51 fps | 43 fps |
| GTA V (High Settings - 1440p) | 57 fps | 45 fps |
| Horizon Zero Dawn (Ultra Settings - 1440p) | 54 fps | 41 fps |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider (High Settings - 1440p) | 55 fps | 46 fps |
Intel Core I5 9600k VS Intel Core I7 8700k
In order for you to see how well this CPU actually performs in games, I wanted to try it also with one more powerful graphics card. In this case, that was Nvidia RTX 2080.
Not only that, but I also wanted to compare I5 9600k to one I7 processor. The CPU I used for comparison is an Intel i7 8700k, which is one year older and has the same number of cores, but 6 more threads than the Intel i5 9600k itself.
As expected, results are pretty similar in almost every game. IN some games i5 9600k had more fps, but in some of them, the i7 8700k was performing better.
Both of these processors are overclockable, but I tested them on base frequency.
As you can see in the table below, Every game averaged more than 60 fps and 3 of them even got more than 100 fps.
That tells you a lot about the Intel i5 9600k when it’s paired with a good powerful GPU.
| specs: RTX 2080, I5 9600k and I7 8700k, 16Gb ddr4, 1TB SSD | I5 9600k - AVERAGE FPS | I5 9600k - 1% LOW FPS | I7 8700k - AVERAGE FPS | I7 8700k - 1% LOW FPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Witcher 3 (Ultra Settings - 1080p) | 138 fps | 99 fps | 134 fps | 92 fps |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Ultra Settings - 1080p) | 125 fps | 93 fps | 131 fps | 95 fps |
| Battlefield 5 (High Settings - 1080p) | 189 fps | 141 fps | 186 fps | 136 fps |
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey (Very High Settings - 1080p) | 84 fps | 57 fps | 91 fps | 63 fps |
| Hitman 2 (Ultra Settings - 1080p) | 95 fps | 63 fps | 88 fps | 61 fps |
Should You Overclock Intel I5 9600k?
Every Intel Processor that is ending with the letter K is overclockable. For example, the i7 9700k and today’s CPU I5 9600k can be overclocked, but let’s say the Intel i7 6700 cant.
Most users don’t take advantage of that and keep their CPU at base frequency, which is fine, but I think you should consider overclocking your CPU, especially if you have a good power supply and motherboard.
If you don’t know how to overclock this GPU, I will leave you a youtube video that will show you exactly how to do it.
Is Intel i5 9600k Good For Video Editing And Streaming?
Intel I5 9600k will work perfectly fine for both video editing and streaming. With 6 cores and 6 threads, this processor will do a fast and good job for most casual users. If you are a professional and you need the fastest and best option, you should go for a newer and faster processor instead.
Is Intel i5 9600k Future-Proof?
Although the Intel I5 9600k isn’t the newest processor and it has been 4 years since its release, the i5 9600k is future-proof for at least a few more years. Of course, this CPU isn’t the fastest and it won’t be in the future, but it will do a great job for casual users.
