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IntelBX8070811600K
IntelBX80623I52500K
$246

6 Cores, 12 Threads @3.9GHz, Rocket Lake.
Release date: Q1 2021.

 $246 

4 Cores, 4 Threads @3.3GHz, Sandy Bridge.
Release date: Q1 2011.

Real World Speed
Performance profile from 186,973 user samples
43,966 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 108% Base clock 3.9 GHz, turbo 5.2 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 91% Base clock 3.9 GHz, turbo 2.7 GHz (avg)
Poor: 91% Great: 108%
SPEED RANK: 93rd / 1468
Gaming
Gaming 99%
Nuclear submarine
Desktop
Desktop 102%
UFO
Workstation
Workstation 92%
Nuclear submarine
143,007 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 79% Base clock 3.3 GHz, turbo 4.6 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 44% Base clock 3.3 GHz, turbo 0.5 GHz (avg)
Poor: 44% Great: 79%
SPEED RANK: 505th / 1468
Gaming
Gaming 66%
Battle cruiser
Desktop
Desktop 72%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 49%
Yacht
Effective Speed
Effective CPU Speed
99.3 % Much faster effective speed.
+51%
65.9 %
Memory
Avg. Memory Latency
88.4 Pts Slightly lower memory latency.
+6%
83.1 Pts
1-Core
Avg. Single Core Speed
162 Pts Hugely faster single-core speed.
+83%
88.4 Pts
2-Core
Avg. Dual Core Speed
313 Pts Much faster dual-core speed.
+80%
174 Pts
4-Core
Avg. Quad Core Speed
592 Pts Hugely faster quad-core speed.
+111%
281 Pts
8-Core
Avg. Octa Core Speed
945 Pts Hugely faster octa-core speed.
+215%
300 Pts
Memory
OC Memory Latency
95.4 Pts +1% 94.9 Pts
1-Core
OC Single Core Speed
172 Pts Much faster OC single-core speed.
+51%
114 Pts
2-Core
OC Dual Core Speed
338 Pts Much faster OC dual-core speed.
+49%
227 Pts
4-Core
OC Quad Core Speed
661 Pts Much faster OC quad-core speed.
+74%
380 Pts
8-Core
OC Octa Core Speed
1034 Pts Hugely faster OC octa-core speed.
+159%
399 Pts
Market Share
Based on 68,934,707 CPUs tested
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days)
0.27 % Hugely higher market share.
+170%
0.1 %
Value
Value For Money
114 % Much better value.
+67%
68.2 %
User Rating
UBM User Rating
89 % More popular.
+17%
76 %
Price
Price (score)
$168 Much cheaper.
+32%
$246
Age
Newest
43 Months Much more recent.
+74%
166 Months
TDP
Thermal Design Power (TDP)
125 Watts 95 Watts More energy efficient.
+24%
Cores
CPU Processing Cores
6 cores Much higher core count.
+50%
4 cores
Threads
CPU Processing Threads
12 threads Hugely higher thread count.
+200%
4 threads
Lithography
Manufacturing process
14 nm Much newer manufacturing.
+56%
32 nm
Base Clock
Base Clock Speed
3.9 GHz Faster base frequency.
+18%
3.3 GHz
Turbo Clock
Turbo Clock Speed
4.9 GHz Much faster turbo frequency.
+32%
3.7 GHz
64-Core
OC Multi Core Speed
1256 Pts Hugely faster OC 64-core speed.
+209%
407 Pts
64-Core
Avg. Multi Core Speed
1165 Pts Hugely faster 64-core speed.
+283%
304 Pts
Series
CPU Architecture
Rocket Lake Sandy Bridge
Socket
Motherboard Socket
FCLGA1200 LGA1155
Graphics
Integrated Graphics
UHD 750 HD 3000

The i5-11600K is the best value "top tier" CPU in Intel’s 11th Gen Rocket Lake-S lineup. With a simple overclock it offers almost the same levels of performance as the 11900K. Rocket Lake brings higher IPC (early samples indicate +19%) which translates to around a 10% faster Effective Speed than both Intel's 10th Gen and AMD’s 5000 series. Despite Intel’s performance lead, AMD continues to outsell Intel. Given the scale of Intel's operation, it’s inexplicable that their marketing remains so neglected. Little effort is made to counter widespread disinformation such as: “it uses too much electricity” or the classic: “it needs more cores”. Intel’s marketing samples are routinely distributed to reviewers that appear better incentivized to bury Intel's products rather than review them. Not enabling XMP or only testing with BIOS power limits enabled is akin to leaving the handbrake on during a race. Mind-numbing “scientific” and rendering benchmarks are presented as gospel. Different games, mostly unplayed by real users, are cherry picked for each “review”. When it's convenient, canned game benchmarks are chosen such as Ulletical’s CSGO which runs at nearly double the in-game fps. Credible benchmark data, which necessarily includes replicable video footage from popular games, is the exception rather than the rule. At every release, AMD’s marketers coordinate narratives to ensure another feast of blue blubber. Nonetheless, towards the end of 2021, Intel’s Golden Cove is due to offer an additional 20-30% performance increase. At that time, with a net 30-40% performance lead, Intel will probably regain significant market share despite AMD's class-leading marketing. In the meantime, most PC gamers need look no further than the 11400F. [Mar '21 CPUPro]

MORE DETAILS

The i5-2500K is a second generation Sandy Bridge processor which is currently two generations old and nearly three years out of date. The many users that had the good sense to purchase this processor should feel in no hurry to upgrade as it's still no slouch, even by today's standards. The benchmark figures indicate that, even at stock clock rates, in terms of real-world performance this processor is approximately 20% slower than the best currently available, not bad considering its age. Given that the 2500K has an unlocked multiplier upping its performance by 10% with stock cooling should not pose much of a problem for the majority of owners. Here is a detailed performance comparison of the 2500K vs 4670K.  [Jul '13 CPUPro]

MORE DETAILS

Processor Rankings (Price vs Performance) November 2024 CPU Rankings

We calculate effective speed which measures real world performance for typical users. Effective speed is adjusted by current prices to yield a value for money rating. Our calculated values are checked against thousands of individual user ratings. The customizable table below combines these factors to bring you the definitive list of top CPUs. [CPUPro]

Group Test Results

  • Best user rated - User sentiment trumps benchmarks for this comparison.
  • Best value for money - Value for money is based on real world performance.
  • Fastest real world speed - Real World Speed measures performance for typical consumers.
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The Best
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-12600K $169Nvidia RTX 4060 $298WD Black SN850X M.2 2TB $135
Intel Core i5-12400F $111Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $345WD Black SN850X M.2 1TB $75
Intel Core i5-13600K $209Nvidia RTX 4070 $500Crucial T700 M.2 4TB $350
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