Intel Core i7-8700 vs Intel Core i5-9600

The Intel Core i7-8700, introduced in the fourth quarter of 2017, is based on the Coffee Lake S architecture and is manufactured using the 14 nm process.

It features 6 cores and 12 threads thanks to Hyper-Threading, which gives it advantages in demanding, multi-threaded applications. With 12 MB of Level 3 Cache and a maximum memory bandwidth of 43 GB/s, it offers a solid foundation. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 and support for PCIe Version 3.0 are also present.

Its Thermal Design Power (TDP) is 65 Watts. In internal benchmarks, the Intel Core i7-8700 shows comparable single-core performance and slightly higher, but not significantly more than 10 percent, multi-core performance compared to the Intel Core i5-9600.

Its performance is very well suited for gaming and general tasks, especially when applications benefit from the additional threads. On the used market, it tends to be the more expensive of the two. The Intel Core i5-9600, introduced in the fourth quarter of 2018, is a refresh version of the Coffee Lake S architecture and is also manufactured using the 14 nm process.

It offers 6 cores and 6 threads without Hyper-Threading, which optimizes it for pure gaming systems and less thread-intensive applications. Equipped with 9 MB of Level 3 Cache, it also supports PCIe Version 3.0 and achieves a maximum memory bandwidth of 43 GB/s. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 is identical.

With a TDP of 65 Watts, its power consumption is also moderate. In our internal comparisons, the Intel Core i5-9600 shows single-core performance comparable to the Intel Core i7-8700 and only slightly lower multi-core performance that does not exceed our 10 percent threshold.

On the used market, it might offer a slightly better price-performance ratio for users who primarily perform gaming and standard tasks and do not rely on Hyper-Threading.