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IntelBX80623I72600K
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4 Cores, 8 Threads @3.4GHz, Sandy Bridge.
Release date: Q1 2011.

4 Cores, 4 Threads @3.5GHz, Kaby Lake.
Release date: Q1 2017.

Real World Speed
Performance profile from 187,222 user samples
147,533 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 83% Base clock 3.4 GHz, turbo 4.7 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 56% Base clock 3.4 GHz, turbo 27,195,430 GHz (avg)
Poor: 56% Great: 83%
SPEED RANK: 410th / 1468
Gaming
Gaming 71%
Battleship
Desktop
Desktop 75%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 55%
Gunboat
39,689 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 82% Base clock 3.5 GHz, turbo 3.9 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 54% Base clock 3.5 GHz, turbo 1.55 GHz (avg)
Poor: 54% Great: 82%
SPEED RANK: 378th / 1468
Gaming
Gaming 72%
Battleship
Desktop
Desktop 79%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 55%
Yacht
Effective Speed
Effective CPU Speed
70.6 % 72 % +2%
Memory
Avg. Memory Latency
87 Pts Slightly lower memory latency.
+6%
82.4 Pts
1-Core
Avg. Single Core Speed
91.8 Pts 111 Pts Faster single-core speed.
+21%
2-Core
Avg. Dual Core Speed
173 Pts 217 Pts Faster dual-core speed.
+25%
4-Core
Avg. Quad Core Speed
295 Pts 354 Pts Faster quad-core speed.
+20%
8-Core
Avg. Octa Core Speed
424 Pts Faster octa-core speed.
+13%
374 Pts
Memory
OC Memory Latency
96 Pts +3% 93.4 Pts
1-Core
OC Single Core Speed
116 Pts 122 Pts Slightly faster OC single-core speed.
+5%
2-Core
OC Dual Core Speed
226 Pts 243 Pts Slightly faster OC dual-core speed.
+8%
4-Core
OC Quad Core Speed
384 Pts 440 Pts Faster OC quad-core speed.
+15%
8-Core
OC Octa Core Speed
549 Pts Faster OC octa-core speed.
+22%
451 Pts
Market Share
Based on 68,951,357 CPUs tested
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days)
0.12 % Higher market share.
+20%
0.1 %
Value
Value For Money
67.9 % 101 % Much better value.
+48%
User Rating
UBM User Rating
76 % Much more popular.
+38%
55 %
Price
Price (score)
$319 $83 Much cheaper.
+74%
Age
Newest
166 Months 94 Months Much more recent.
+43%
TDP
Thermal Design Power (TDP)
95 Watts 65 Watts Much more energy efficient.
+32%
Cores
CPU Processing Cores
4 cores 4 cores
Threads
CPU Processing Threads
8 threads Hugely higher thread count.
+100%
4 threads
Lithography
Manufacturing process
32 nm 14 nm Much newer manufacturing.
+56%
Base Clock
Base Clock Speed
3.4 GHz 3.5 GHz +3%
Turbo Clock
Turbo Clock Speed
3.8 GHz 4.1 GHz Slightly faster turbo frequency.
+8%
64-Core
OC Multi Core Speed
558 Pts Faster OC 64-core speed.
+23%
454 Pts
64-Core
Avg. Multi Core Speed
437 Pts Faster 64-core speed.
+16%
378 Pts
Series
CPU Architecture
Sandy Bridge Kaby Lake
Socket
Motherboard Socket
LGA1155 FCLGA1151
Graphics
Integrated Graphics
HD 3000 HD 630
Launch Date
Launch Date
Q1'11 Q1'17
Cache
Cache
8 MB SmartCache 6 MB
Instruction Set Extensions
Instruction Set Extensions
SSE4.1/4.2, AVX SSE4.1/4.2, AVX 2.0
Lithography
Lithography
32 nm 14 nm
Recommended Price
Recommended Customer Price
N/A $213.00 - $224.00
Max Turbo Frequency
Max Turbo Frequency
3.8 GHz 4.10 GHz
Bus Speed
Bus Speed
5 GT/s DMI 8 GT/s DMI3
Max Memory Size
Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type)
32 GB 64 GB
Memory Types
Memory Types
DDR3 1066/1333 DDR4-2133/2400, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V
Processor Graphics
Processor Graphics ‡
Intel® HD Graphics 3000 Intel® HD Graphics 630
Graphics Base Frequency
Graphics Base Frequency
850 MHz 350.00 MHz
# of Displays Supported
# of Displays Supported ‡
2 3
Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency
Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency
1.35 GHz 1.15 GHz
vPro Tech
Intel® vPro™ Technology ‡
No Yes
Trusted Execution Tech
Intel® Trusted Execution Technology ‡
No Yes
PCI Express Revision
PCI Express Revision
2.0 3.0

More specs » More specs »

The i7-2600K Sandy Bridge processor is two generations old and nearly three years out of date. The numerous owners of this superb processor should feel in no hurry to upgrade as it's still one of the fastest consumer processors, even by today's standards. The benchmark figures indicate that in terms of real-world performance this processor is only 5% slower than the third generation Ivy Bridge i7-3770K, not bad considering its age. That said new buyers will find both better energy efficiency and marginal performance improvements elsewhere[Feb '12 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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