COMPARE
Today's hottest
Amazon Ebay
deals
CPU
RANKINGS
TEST
YOUR CPU
ADD TO PC
BUILD
IntelBX80684I59600K
AMD
▲ 9130,304 ▼

6 Cores, 6 Threads @3.7GHz, Coffee Lake.
Release date: Q4 2018.

VS
▲ 5122 ▼
  

8 Cores, 16 Threads.
Release date ≈ Q2 2023.

Effective Speed 
+9%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 321,280 user samples
Benchmark your CPU here
321,194 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 103% Base clock 3.7 GHz, turbo 5.15 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 82% Base clock 3.7 GHz, turbo 4.3 GHz (avg)
Poor: 82% Great: 103%
SPEED RANK: 138th / 1468
Gaming
Gaming 93%
Nuclear submarine
Desktop
Desktop 95%
Nuclear submarine
Workstation
Workstation 77%
Battleship
86 User Benchmarks
Great bench: 112% Base clock 3.6 GHz, turbo 4.9 GHz (avg)
Poor bench: 59% Base clock 3.6 GHz, turbo 2.05 GHz (avg)
Poor: 59% Great: 112%
SPEED RANK: 197th / 1468
Gaming
Gaming 85%
Aircraft carrier
Desktop
Desktop 90%
Nuclear submarine
Workstation
Workstation 89%
Aircraft carrier
Effective Speed
Effective CPU Speed 		93.2 % Slightly faster effective speed.
+9% 		85.4 %
Average Score 
+10%
Memory
Avg. Memory Latency 		91 Pts Lower memory latency.
+29% 		70.6 Pts
1-Core
Avg. Single Core Speed 		135 Pts 162 Pts Faster single-core speed.
+20%
2-Core
Avg. Dual Core Speed 		268 Pts 300 Pts Faster dual-core speed.
+12%
4-Core
Avg. Quad Core Speed 		525 Pts 538 Pts +2%
8-Core
Avg. Octa Core Speed 		688 Pts 984 Pts Much faster octa-core speed.
+43%
Overclocked Score 
+31%
Memory
OC Memory Latency 		96.5 Pts Lower OC memory latency.
+20% 		80.3 Pts
1-Core
OC Single Core Speed 		153 Pts 202 Pts Much faster OC single-core speed.
+32%
2-Core
OC Dual Core Speed 		306 Pts 404 Pts Much faster OC dual-core speed.
+32%
4-Core
OC Quad Core Speed 		604 Pts 790 Pts Much faster OC quad-core speed.
+31%
8-Core
OC Octa Core Speed 		822 Pts 1,473 Pts Much faster OC octa-core speed.
+79%
Value & Sentiment 
+5,739%
Market Share
Based on 69,011,755 CPUs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		1.15 % Insanely higher market share.
+11,400% 		0.01 %
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		91 % Much more popular.
+78% 		51 %
Nice To Haves 
+95%
Age
Newest 		72 Months 18+ Months Much more recent.
+75%
64-Core
OC Multi Core Speed 		848 Pts 1,814 Pts Hugely faster OC 64-core speed.
+114%
64-Core
Avg. Multi Core Speed 		717 Pts 1,401 Pts Hugely faster 64-core speed.
+95%
Conclusion 
Average Bench 93.2%
Average Bench 85.4%

The hex-core i5-9600K is third in Intel’s line-up of 9th generation Coffee Lake CPUs. It has a TDP of 95W and requires an aftermarket cooler (such as the $20 GAMMAXX 400). The 9600K was designed to be overclocked. Once this is enabled in the BIOS (requires a Z-series motherboard), the 9600K runs 10% faster. In terms of performance, the i5-9600K is almost unbeatable for desktop users and it has sufficient multi-core performance to handle all but the most demanding workstation tasks. For CPU encoding (Cinebench, Blender, Handbrake etc.) the Ryzen 3000 series offers great 64-core performance. For example the overclocked Ryzen 3600 is approximately 13% worse for gaming, desktop and normal consumer workloads but it is 27% faster for 64-core processing. CPU encoding is akin to using hair clippers on a lawn, encoding tasks are far better performed by dedicated hardware such an NVENC or QuickSync. At stock clocks the i5-9600K is around 8% slower than Intel’s flagship i9-9900K but when both are overclocked, the 9600K closes the gaming gap to within two or three percent. Considering that the 9900K is the fastest gaming processor available, and almost twice the price of the 9600K, this is no small feat. The i5-9600K is aimed squarely at gamers who are not willing to compromise on performance but don't want to pay more than they need to. [Oct '18 CPUPro]

MORE DETAILS

For my particular setup, low cache latency and high clock speeds while maintaining lower power requirements are an excellent combination for a performant laptop  [Jun '23 suijinheki]

MORE DETAILS

User Builds 
321,194
86
Custom PC Builder (Start a new build) Build your perfect PC: compare component prices, popularity, speed and value for money

CHOOSE A COMPONENT:

CPU GPU SSD HDD RAM MBD
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.
How Fast Is Your CPU? (Bench your build) Size up your PC in less than a minute

Welcome to our PC speed test tool. UserBenchmark will test your PC and compare the results to other users with the same components. You can quickly size up your PC, identify hardware problems and explore the best value for money upgrades.

UserBenchmark of the month

Gaming Desktop ProGaming

How it works

  • - Download and run UserBenchmark
  • - CPU tests include: integer, floating and string
  • - GPU tests include: six 3D game simulations
  • - Drive tests include: read, write, sustained write and mixed IO
  • - RAM tests include: single/multi core bandwidth and latency
  • - SkillBench (space shooter) tests user input accuracy
  • - Reports are generated and presented on userbenchmark.com
  • - Identify the strongest components in your PC
  • - See speed test results from other users
  • - Compare your components to the current market leaders
  • - Explore your best upgrade options with a virtual PC build
  • - Compare your in-game FPS to other users with your hardware

 Frequently Asked Questions

Processors FAQ
AMD vs Intel: Gaming performance 2012-2021
How does IPC compare between AMD's Ryzen and Intel's Kaby Lake?
What is multi core mixed speed?
What is multi core integer speed?
What is multi core floating point speed?
What is single core mixed CPU speed?
What is quad core mixed CPU speed?
What is quad core floating point speed?
What is quad core integer speed?
What is single core floating point speed?
What is single core integer speed?
What is the GeekBench single core score?
What is a CPU?
What is the effective CPU speed index?
What is overclocking?
What is thermal design power (TDP)?
ALL FAQs »

 Best User Rated
Why does UserBenchmark have a bad reputation on reddit?
Marketers operate thousands of reddit accounts. Our benchmarks expose their spiel so they attack our reputation.
Why don’t PC brands endorse UserBenchmark?
Brands make boatloads on flagships like the 4090 and 14900KS. We help users get similar real-world performance for less money.
Why don’t youtubers promote UserBenchmark?
We don't pay youtubers, so they don't praise us. Moreover, our data obstructs youtubers who promote overpriced or inferior products.
Why does UserBenchmark have negative trustpilot reviews?
The 200+ trustpilot reviews are mostly written by virgin marketing accounts. Real users don't give a monkey's about big brands.
Why is UserBenchmark the gold standard for users?
Instead of pursuing brands for sponsorship, we've spent 13 years publishing real-world data for users.
The Best
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-13600K $210Nvidia RTX 4060 $280WD Black SN850X M.2 2TB $135
Intel Core i5-12600K $159Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $389WD Black SN850X M.2 1TB $84
Intel Core i5-12400F $111Nvidia RTX 4070 $500Crucial T700 M.2 4TB $370
Today's hottest
Amazon Ebay
deals
If you buy something via a price link, UserBenchmark may earn a commission
Build Test EFps
Can You Run It?
►
YouTube
*NEW*
About  •  User Guide  •  FAQs  •  Email  •  Privacy  •  Developer  •  YouTube Feedback