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Intel Core i5-6500

Intel Core i5-6500 in 2025: Is It Worth Considering for a PC Build?

Key Specifications: What Does SkyLake Offer?

The Intel Core i5-6500 processor, released in 2015, belongs to the SkyLake architecture. Despite its age, it is still found in budget builds and "from scratch" systems due to its reliability. Let’s consider its key parameters:

- Manufacturing Process: 14 nm — by 2025, this is an outdated standard (modern chips use 5–7 nm), but at the time of release, it was a significant step forward in energy efficiency.

- Cores and Threads: 4 cores / 4 threads — the lack of Hyper-Threading limits multitasking, but it is sufficient for basic tasks.

- Frequency: Base — 3.2 GHz, maximum in turbo mode — 3.6 GHz. This speed is adequate for office applications and light gaming.

- Cache: L3 — 6 MB. Modest by modern standards, but optimized for working with DDR4.

- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 530. Supports 4K via DisplayPort; however, it is weak for gaming (for example, in CS:GO, it yields 40–50 fps on low settings).

- Performance: Geekbench 6 — 1172 (single-core) / 3206 (multi-core). This aligns with modern budget processors like the Intel Core i3-12100 (around $120 in 2025).

Key Features: Supports DDR4 (which was an advantage in 2015), PCIe 3.0, and hardware video acceleration (HEVC/H.265 decoding).

Compatible Motherboards: What to Choose in 2025?

The processor uses socket LGA 1151 (version v1, incompatible with 300 series chipsets!). Suitable chipsets include:

- H110, B150, H170, Z170 — basic models with limited functionality (for example, H110 does not support overclocking).

- Z170 — for enthusiasts: RAM overclocking, SLI/CrossFire (but the i5-6500 itself cannot be overclocked).

Choosing Tips for 2025:

- New motherboards for LGA 1151 are no longer being produced. Prices for remaining stock: $60–100 (e.g., ASUS B150M-A).

- Check for DDR4 support — some motherboards only work with DDR3L (rare).

- USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s are available, but USB-C and NVMe are absent (requires an adapter via PCIe).

Advice: If building a system from scratch, look for "CPU + motherboard + RAM" sets on the second-hand market. For example, an i5-6500 + ASUS H170-Pro + 16 GB DDR4 can be found for $120–150.

Memory: DDR4 and No Compromises

The i5-6500 supports only DDR4-2133 MHz in dual-channel mode. The maximum capacity is 64 GB (but motherboards from that time rarely support more than 32 GB).

What Matters in 2025:

- DDR4-2133 — a slow standard. To speed up performance, add two modules (e.g., 2x8 GB) to activate dual-channel mode.

- DDR5 and other new types are not supported — this is the main restriction for upgrades.

Example: Paired with an SSD and 16 GB DDR4, the processor handles 10+ tabs in Chrome, Office 365, and streaming video without lag.

Power Supply: How Many Watts Are Enough?

With a TDP of 65 W, the processor is very energy-efficient. Recommendations:

- Without a discrete graphics card: A 300–400W power supply (e.g., be quiet! System Power 10 400W, $45) is sufficient.

- With a graphics card: For example, with NVIDIA GTX 1660 Super (TDP 125 W), a 500W power supply (Corsair CX550, $60) will be required.

Important: LGA 1151 motherboards often have a 4-pin CPU power connector. Ensure that the power supply supports it.

Pros and Cons of the i5-6500 in 2025

Pros:

- Low cost: On the second-hand market — $30–50. New alternatives (e.g., Intel Core i3-12100) start at $120.

- Energy efficiency: Ideal for low-power builds (home servers, office PCs).

- Reliability: A proven architecture with minimal "teething problems".

Cons:

- No Hyper-Threading: In multi-threaded tasks (rendering, streaming), it lags behind Ryzen 5 1600.

- Outdated platform: No support for PCIe 4.0, USB 3.2 Gen 2.

- Limited upgrade options: The maximum for LGA 1151 v1 is the Core i7-7700K, which is also outdated.

Use Cases: Where Is It Still Relevant?

1. Office Tasks: Word, Excel, browser — the processor does not lag even with 10+ tabs open.

2. Multimedia: 4K video via VLC or Plex (thanks to HEVC decoding).

3. Light Gaming: Dota 2, CS:GO, GTA V on medium settings (with a GPU at the level of GTX 1650).

4. Home Server: NAS or media center based on Proxmox/TrueNAS.

Real Experience: A Reddit user built a system based on the i5-6500 for studies (Chrome, Zoom, LaTeX) with a budget of $200, using used components.

Comparison with Competitors

- AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (6 cores/12 threads, used — $50): Better in multi-threaded tasks but requires an AM4 motherboard.

- Intel Core i3-12100 (new, $120): Higher IPC, support for DDR5 and PCIe 5.0, but more expensive.

- Intel Core i7-7700K (used — $90): The best upgrade option, but the price is unjustified in 2025.

Conclusion: The i5-6500 is advantageous only with an ultra-low budget or when using existing components.

Practical Assembly Tips

1. SSD is essential: A SATA SSD (e.g., Kingston A400 480 GB, $35) will eliminate "bottlenecks" in boot speed.

2. Don't overspend on cooling: The stock cooler is sufficient even under load.

3. Check the BIOS: Older motherboards may not support Windows 11.

4. Graphics Card: For gaming, it's better to add a GPU at the level of RX 6400 ($130) — it doesn't require additional power.

Final Conclusion: Who Should Consider the i5-6500?

This processor should only be considered in two cases:

1. Budget build "from leftovers": If you already have an LGA 1151 motherboard and DDR4.

2. Temporary solution: For example, for a test PC or until you can afford a modern CPU.

Alternative for 2025: For $150–200, you can build a system based on the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 (6 cores/12 threads) or Intel Core i3-13100F, which offer better performance and support for new technologies.

If you need an extremely cheap PC for basic tasks, the i5-6500 may still serve. However, for gaming, video editing, or AI work, it's already a thing of the past.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

July 2015

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.

i5-6500

Code Name

SkyLake

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

3.20 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.

3.60 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

3.60 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.

L3 Cache

6 MB

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

65 W

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.

DDR4-1866/2133 | DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V

Max Memory Size

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

64 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).

34.1 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® HD Graphics 530

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.

1.05 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.

4096x2304@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.

4096x2304@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.

4096x2304@60Hz

Max Resolution (VGA)

N/A

Number of Displays Supported

Graphics Output

Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.

eDP/DP/HDMI/DVI

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.

6 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

1172

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

3206

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

879

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

2858

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2113

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

5634

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon E3-1225 v6

1252 +6.8%

Core i3-9100T

1207 +3%

Core i5-6500

1172

Core i3-10100E

1143 -2.5%

Ryzen 5 1500X

1105 -5.7%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon E-2244G

3680 +14.8%

Pentium Gold G7400TE

3445 +7.5%

Core i5-6500

3206

Ryzen Embedded V1756B

3013 -6%

Core i5-7400T

2803 -12.6%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon E3-1545M v5

915 +4.1%

EPYC 7F32

894 +1.7%

Core i5-6500

879

Core i5-4570

865 -1.6%

EPYC 7413

849 -3.4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i7-2700K

3148 +10.1%

Xeon E3-1280 v2

3010 +5.3%

Core i5-6500

2858

Opteron 6272

2725 -4.7%

Core i5-7440HQ

2607 -8.8%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i5-10400T

2158 +2.1%

Core i5-9400T

2130 +0.8%

Core i5-6500

2113

Xeon E3-1230 v3

2085 -1.3%

Core i7-8550U

2054 -2.8%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i7-8565U

6187 +9.8%

Opteron 6378

5889 +4.5%

Core i5-6500

5634

Xeon E3-1225 v3

5305 -5.8%

Xeon E3-1235L v5

5013 -11%