Intel i5 - Reviews 2024

We continue to analyze the new Intel Kaby Lake processors for the LGA 1151 platform, this time we have in our hands the one that promises to be the most popular model among video game fans for offering a much more attractive balance between price and performance than the i7-7700K. The new Intel Core i5-7600K processor arrives with a base frequency of 3.8 GHz and that with Turbo Boost reaches up to 4.2 Ghz, 6 MB of Cache and a TDP of 91w.

Intel Core i5-7600k technical features

Unboxing and analysis

The box format is the same as what we have seen with its older brother with the obvious changes that include the name of the processor and its most relevant specifications. Once again the trend of not including a heatsink is followed in the K models since the manufacturer considers that all users are going to overclock it, so they will be accompanied by a much more powerful third-party heatsink. Inside we did not find a plastic blister that protects the processor, the warranty brochure and an adhesive sticker to stick it to our tower.

The i5-7600k processor belongs to the latest generation of Intel chips under the 14nm Tri-Gate manufacturing process, Kaby Lake, which is a slight optimization of the previous generation Skylake. The improvement in performance will be mainly due to its higher operating frequency, something that is possible due to the great maturity that the manufacturing process has reached. Its die is 177 mm ² and, as in the Skylake generation, the thickness of its PCB is less than that of the Haswell family.

The Intel Core i5-7600k is a processor that is presented with a configuration of four physical cores, in this case there is no HT technology so the processor can only handle four threads of data, here we have the main difference with its older brothers i7 series. Its cores operate at a clock frequency of 3.8 GHz in base mode and 4.2 GHz in turbo mode, finally we find 6 MB of L3 cache that is distributed among all the cores and with intelligent management so that it can be used to the maximum. The TDP goes up to 91W and its memory controller supports both DDR3L and DDR4 RAM up to 4000Mhz with overclocking.

As for integrated graphics, it is the Intel HD Graphics 630 GPU with a total of 24 Execution Units and that offers excellent multimedia behavior as well as power to move a large number of video games, although if we want to play the new generation titles or very demanding is clearly going to fall short of benefits. It incorporates MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, EM64T, VT-x, AES, AVX, AVX2, FMA3 and TSX instructions.

Test bench and performance tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel i5-7600k
Base plate:	MSI Z270 Gaming PRO Carbon
RAM:	Corsair Vengeance 32GB DDR4
Heatsink	Corsair H115
HDD	Samsumg 850 EVO.
Graphic card	8GB GTX1080
Power supply	Corsair AX860i.

To check the stability of the i5-7600k processor in stock values and with overclock. The motherboard we have stressed with Prime 95 Custom and air cooling. The graphics we have used is an Nvidia GTX 1080, without further delay, let's see the results obtained in our tests with a 1920 x 1080 monitor.

Benchmarks (Synthetic tests)

Here we have tested the performance with the older brother i7 6950X and the previous generation. The results speak for themselves, it shows improvement more than interesting compared to the i7-5960X. It is cooler and works faster at the same frequency. The tests used? The following:

Cinebench R15 (CPU Score).Intel XTU.3dMARK Fire Strike.

Game testing

This table clarifies any doubt if an i5 or i7 is more interesting to play. The answer is quite simple… if your pocket can afford an i7, it is much better that you buy it, but if it does not allow it or if another component conditions you, it is better to opt for an i5.

We can see that it is not far behind either, since we are from 3 to 10 FPS according to the title. Of course, if you need a computer as a workstation, opt for the i7… those 4 extra threads of execution always come in handy.

Overclock i5-7600k

Intel Kaby Lake processors arrive with the multiplier unlocked (only 3 models) to facilitate overclocking and further enhance their performance. Although at overclock levels it does not affect, if they have improved the igp that increases performance with HEVC, that means that it now decodes using H265 by hardware.

As we can see in the first screenshot, we have increased the performance from 643 cb to 878 cb by simply increasing the 500 MHz frequency. If we were to get a good chip, reaching 4800 MHz would give a great plus and it would be up to the i7 -6700k.

In this processor we find a stable maximum frequency of 4, 200 MHz and a voltage close to 1, 180v, we were able to go up to 4.7000 MHz without any problem. Everything will depend on the unit you touch and your cooling system (in our case a Corsair liquid cooling). The graphics we have used is the best on the market, a GTX 1080 customized by KFA2.

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Consumption and temperature

We have obtained at rest 22ºC while at full power we have risen to 47ºC, great temperatures and which improves significantly on the previous generation. When we already talked about overclocking we have gone up to 30ºC at rest and 68ºC at maximum performance.

On the consumption we find that it is at an almost insurmountable point. At rest corresponds to 42W at rest and 208W at maximum performance of the processor. While when we overclock, the consumption at rest rises to 60W and rises to 265W.

Final words and conclusion about i5-7600K

The i5-7600k is one of the best quad-core processors on the market for gaming and work that exists today. Since it has enough power to take advantage of any current graphics card and that if we equip it with a good motherboard we can enjoy the latest technologies a lot.

And it is that we have been quite surprised by its performance and low consumption by overclocking. We have reached up to 4700 MHz and surely many of you will get a better unit, but the improvement of 235 cb is more than enough to think about overclocking. In games we have been able to take a 2 FPS advantage over stock speeds, we have also noticed an improvement in the minimum of the games.

In short, it is not so far from the i7-6700k and its price is much lower. For those who want to play we recommend this processor, since with it you can choose a better graphics card. Also remind you that it now decodes H265 by hardware.

Its store price is estimated between 260 to 280 euros at launch, but as always it will drop to 230 euros.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
- QUALITY / PRICE PROCESSOR.
- IDEAL FOR GAMING.
- OVERCLOCK CAN BE APPLIED AND THE PERFORMANCE WILL BE IMPROVEDLY IMPROVED.
- CONSUMPTION AND IMPROVED TEMPERATURES.
- NOW DECODE H265 BY HARDWARE.