Intel Core i5-6600K vs Intel Core i7-7700

The Intel Core i5-6600K, based on the Skylake-S architecture, was introduced in late 2015 and targeted gamers and enthusiasts who wanted to benefit from overclockability.

It is manufactured using a 14 nm process and has four cores and four threads. Its integrated graphics is the Intel HD Graphics 530, which utilizes a maximum memory bandwidth of 34 GB/s. Single-core performance is robust, and multi-core performance is typical for its thread count. The Thermal Design Power (TDP) is 91 watts.

It uses PCIe Version 3.0 and features 6 MB of Level 3 Cache. In gaming scenarios, it can achieve good performance when overclocked. The Intel Core i7-7700, part of the Kaby Lake-S family, was launched in early 2017 and aimed at the mainstream to performance segment.

Also manufactured using a 14 nm process, it offers four cores and, thanks to Hyper-Threading, eight threads, which significantly increases its ability to process parallel tasks. The Intel HD Graphics 630 is integrated and supports a maximum memory bandwidth of 38 GB/s. In benchmarks, the Intel Core i7-7700 shows noticeably higher single-core performance in some tests and improved multi-core performance compared to the Intel Core i5-6600K.

With a TDP of 65 watts, it is more energy-efficient. It uses PCIe Version 3.0 and has 8 MB of Level 3 Cache. For users who prefer maximum single-core performance through overclocking, the Intel Core i5-6600K is suitable. However, those who desire higher out-of-the-box performance, especially in multi-threaded applications, and better energy efficiency should choose the Intel Core i7-7700.