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Intel Core i5-9600T

Intel Core i5-9600T: Comprehensive Review of the Processor for Budget Systems (2025)

April 2025

1. Key Specifications: Architecture and Performance

Architecture and Process Technology

The Intel Core i5-9600T belongs to the 9th generation Coffee Lake processors, released in 2019. It is manufactured using a 14nm process technology, which is considered outdated by 2025 but remains relevant for less demanding tasks. The chip features 6 physical cores without Hyper-Threading support (6 threads), a base frequency of 2.3 GHz, and a maximum turbo frequency of 3.9 GHz.

Key Features

- Low power consumption (TDP 35W): Ideal for compact and silent systems.

- Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630: Supports 4K@60Hz through HDMI/DisplayPort.

- Video hardware acceleration support (Quick Sync): Useful for encoding/decoding streaming content.

Performance

According to Geekbench 6 tests (Single-Core: 1344, Multi-Core: 4635), the processor demonstrates sufficient power for office tasks and light multitasking. For example, it handles a browser with 20+ tabs and simultaneous work in Photoshop without lag. However, for rendering 3D models or 4K video, its capabilities fall short.

2. Compatible Motherboards

Socket and Chipsets

The processor uses the LGA 1151 socket (version V2, 300 series). Suitable chipsets include:

- H310/B360/H370: Budget boards without overclocking (e.g., ASUS Prime B360M-A, $80–100).

- Z390: Enthusiast boards that support memory overclocking and faster SSDs (e.g., Gigabyte Z390 UD, $120–140).

Selection Tips

- Ensure the motherboard has BIOS support for 9th generation processors (either out of the box or via an update).

- For compact builds, consider Micro-ATX form factor models (e.g., MSI H310M PRO-VDH Plus, $70).

3. Memory Support

The i5-9600T operates with DDR4-2666 MHz (maximum 128GB). DDR5 and higher frequencies are not supported. As of 2025, DDR4 remains relevant for budget systems, but its upgrade potential is limited.

Recommendations

- Optimal choice: 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-2666 (e.g., Crucial Ballistix, $45).

- For multimedia tasks, 8GB is sufficient, though it's better not to save costs due to increasing software demands.

4. Power Supply: Calculation and Recommendations

With a TDP of 35W, the processor does not require a powerful PSU, but it's important to consider other components:

- System without discrete graphics card: A 300W PSU is sufficient (e.g., be quiet! Pure Power 11 300W, $40).

- With a graphics card like NVIDIA GTX 1660: 450–500W (EVGA 450 BR, $50).

Advice

Avoid purchasing cheap noname PSUs: their efficiency and stability may let you down.

5. Pros and Cons

Pros

- Energy efficiency: Suitable for mini PCs and systems with passive cooling.

- Adequate performance for office work, studies, and media centers.

- Low price: $150–180 (new, 2025).

Cons

- No Hyper-Threading: Lacks in multi-threaded tasks compared to Ryzen 5 3600.

- Outdated technologies: Missing PCIe 4.0, DDR5, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2.

6. Usage Scenarios

- Office and Study: Working with documents, Zoom conferences, web surfing.

- Multimedia: Streaming 4K video (Netflix, YouTube), musical projects in Ableton Live.

- Gaming: Only with a discrete graphics card. In CS2 or Dota 2 (on medium settings), it achieves 60–90 FPS.

Real Example

A user built an HTPC with i5-9600T + NVIDIA GTX 1650: the system consumes less than 150W, plays 4K HDR, and runs indie games silently.

7. Comparison with Competitors

- AMD Ryzen 5 3600 (6/12, TDP 65W): Multi-threaded performance is 30% higher (Geekbench 6 Multi-Core: ~6000), but it's more expensive ($180–200).

- Intel Core i3-12100 (4/8, TDP 60W): Better in single-threaded tasks (Geekbench 6 Single-Core: 1800+), but requires a new platform (LGA 1700).

Conclusion

The i5-9600T excels only in energy efficiency and price. For most tasks in 2025, opting for more modern models is advisable.

8. Practical Assembly Tips

- Cooling: A stock cooler or a low-profile solution will suffice (Noctua NH-L9i, $45).

- Storage: Definitely use an SSD (e.g., Kingston A2000 500GB, $40) for quick OS loading.

- Upgrade: Avoid investing in DDR4 and outdated platforms—it's a dead end.

9. Final Verdict: Who Should Choose the i5-9600T?

This processor is a good choice if:

- You need a budget PC for office tasks, studies, or a media center.

- Low power consumption is a priority (e.g., for a home server).

- You can buy it on sale for under $150.

Why Not?

For gaming, video editing, or AI tasks, it’s better to spend extra on the Ryzen 5 7600 or Core i5-13400 with support for DDR5 and PCIe 5.0.

Summary

The Intel Core i5-9600T in 2025 is a niche solution for those who value silence, efficiency, and minimalism. However, for future upgrades, more modern platforms should be considered.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

April 2019

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

i5-9600T

Code Name

Coffee Lake

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Basic Frequency

2.30 GHz

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

3.90 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

3.90 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

2.0

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCLGA1151

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

14 nm

TDP

35 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

100°C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

3.0

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

Up to 1x16 | 2x8 | 1x8+2x4

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

DDR4-2666

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

128 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Bus Speed

8 GT/s

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

41.6 GB/s

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

GPU Specifications

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

Intel® UHD Graphics 630

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

350 MHz

Graphics Frequency

Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.

1.15 GHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

64 GB

4K Support

Yes | at 60Hz

DirectX Support

DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.

Max Resolution (HDMI)

Max Resolution (HDMI) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the HDMI interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096 x 2304@24Hz

Max Resolution (DP)

Max Resolution (DP) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the DP interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096 x 2304@60Hz

Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)

Max Resolution (Integrated Flat Panel) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor for a device with an integrated flat panel (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your device.

4096 x 2304@60Hz

Number of Displays Supported

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® AVX2

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

9 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes

Intel Boot Guard

Intel® Device Protection Technology with Boot Guard helps protect the system’s pre-OS environment from viruses and malicious software attacks.

Yes

Intel Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor, Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology adds video quality enhancements for richer color and more realistic skin tones.

Yes

Intel Clear Video Technology

Yes

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel InTru 3D Technology

Yes

Intel OS Guard

Yes

OpenGL Support

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics.

4.5

Intel Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

1344

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

4635

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1004

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

4160

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2416

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

9573

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i9-9980HK

1422 +5.8%

Xeon W-2155

1377 +2.5%

Core i5-9600T

1344

Core i5-6600

1293 -3.8%

Core i5-8600T

1256 -6.5%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i9-11900

5320 +14.8%

Core i7-9750H

4935 +6.5%

Core i5-9600T

4635

Xeon D-2145NT

4393 -5.2%

Core i5-8365U

4142 -10.6%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon Platinum 8452Y

1049 +4.5%

Core i5-10500E

1025 +2.1%

Core i5-9600T

1004

Core i5-9500E

978 -2.6%

Core i7-6700T

960 -4.4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Ryzen 3 4300GE

4645 +11.7%

Xeon E5-4648 v3

4398 +5.7%

Core i5-9600T

4160

Xeon E5-2630 v4

3955 -4.9%

Core i3-10100

3786 -9%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon Gold 5315Y

2480 +2.6%

EPYC 8534P

2444 +1.2%

Core i5-9600T

2416

Core i7-10710U

2377 -1.6%

Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX

2342 -3.1%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon E5-2630L v4

10491 +9.6%

Core i5-10500T

10054 +5%

Core i5-9600T

9573

Xeon E5-2620

9162 -4.3%

Xeon E3-1240

8714 -9%