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Intel Core i5-7600T

Intel Core i5-7600T: Review and Build Recommendations for 2025

(Current information as of April 2025)

1. Key Specifications: Kaby Lake Architecture and Energy Efficiency

The Intel Core i5-7600T processor, released in 2017, remains a popular choice for compact and energy-efficient systems. Despite its age, it stays relevant due to its low TDP (35W) and balanced performance.

- Architecture and Process Technology:

Codename — Kaby Lake, 14nm process technology. Four physical cores without Hyper-Threading support (4 threads), base frequency — 2.8GHz, maximum turbo frequency — 3.7GHz.

- Performance:

In the Geekbench 6 test (2023), it scores 1207 points in single-threaded and 3399 in multi-threaded mode. This is sufficient for office tasks, web browsing, and light video editing.

- Key Features:

Support for Intel Quick Sync Video for hardware video encoding/decoding, Speed Shift technology for quick frequency switching, integrated Intel HD Graphics 630.

Practical Example: In 2024, a user built an HTPC (home theater PC) using the i5-7600T — the processor handles 4K streaming via HDMI 2.0 and does not require active cooling.

2. Compatible Motherboards: LGA 1151 Socket and Chipsets

The processor uses the LGA 1151 socket (version v2, not compatible with 300-series chipsets). Suitable chipsets include:

- H110, B250, H270, Q270, Z270:

For basic tasks, motherboards with H110 or B250 are sufficient (new ones priced at $70–$90). If extended capabilities are needed (e.g., RAID), go for H270 ($90–$120). The Z270 chipset ($120–$150) supports overclocking, but the i5-7600T has a locked multiplier.

- Recommendations:

- ASUS Prime B250M-A: a reliable micro-ATX board with an M.2 slot.

- MSI H270 Gaming M3: an option for RGB lighting enthusiasts.

Important: New motherboards for LGA 1151 are rarely produced in 2025. Most options are leftover stock or refurbished models.

3. Supported Memory: DDR4 and Dual-Channel Mode

The processor works with DDR4-2133/2400 MHz (officially supported). The maximum capacity is 64GB (depends on the motherboard).

- Recommendations:

- For an office PC: 8–16GB (2×4GB or 2×8GB) DDR4-2400.

- For multimedia tasks: 16–32GB (2×8GB or 2×16GB).

Limitation: Does not support DDR5 or high-frequency DDR4 (above 2400MHz without overclocking).

4. Power Supply: Accounting for 35W TDP

When building a system with the i5-7600T, a low-power PSU will suffice:

- Minimum Power: 300W (for PCs without a discrete graphics card).

- With a Graphics Card: For example, a GTX 1650 (TDP 75W) would need a 450W unit.

- Model Examples:

- EVGA 450 BR (450W, 80+ Bronze, $55): for budget builds.

- Corsair CX450M (450W, modular cables, $70): for compact cases.

Tip: Don't skimp on the PSU — even for low-power systems, choose units with 80+ Bronze certification and overload protection.

5. Pros and Cons of the i5-7600T in 2025

Pros:

- Low power consumption: Ideal for mini-PCs and passive cooling.

- Sufficient performance: Handles office applications, browsing with 20+ tabs, 4K video.

- Price: New processors (from leftover stock) — $120–$150.

Cons:

- No Hyper-Threading: Lacks behind modern 4-core CPUs with 8 threads (e.g., i3-12100).

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

6. Use Cases: From Office to Light Gaming

- Office and Study: Works with documents, Zoom conferences, browsing.

- Multimedia: Streaming (Netflix, YouTube), 1080p video editing (in DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro — with limitations).

- Gaming:

- Integrated HD 630 graphics: can run CS:GO on low settings (60 FPS at 720p).

- With a discrete graphics card (e.g., GTX 1660): can handle GTA V, Fortnite on medium settings at 1080p.

Real Experience: In 2024, a user ran Cyberpunk 2077 on the i5-7600T + RTX 3060 (1080p, medium settings) — the processor became a "bottleneck," and FPS dropped to 40–45.

7. Comparison with Competitors

- AMD Ryzen 5 2400G:

- 4 cores/8 threads, Vega 11 (twice as powerful as HD 630), priced at $130–$160.

- Conclusion: Better for gaming without a discrete graphics card.

- Intel Core i3-10100:

- 4 cores/8 threads, supports DDR4-2666, priced at $110–$140.

- Conclusion: Higher performance in multi-threaded tasks.

8. Practical Build Tips

- Case: Choose mini-ITX or micro-ATX for compactness (e.g., Fractal Design Node 202).

- Cooling: Even the stock cooler will suffice — for instance, Intel E97379-003 (low noise at minimal speeds).

- Storage: Ideally, use an SSD (SATA or NVMe) — Kingston A400 (480GB, $35) will speed up the system.

- Upgrade: Don't plan on upgrading this platform — any future upgrades will require a new CPU, motherboard, and RAM.

9. Final Conclusion: Who Should Consider the i5-7600T?

This processor should be considered in two scenarios:

1. Budget Build: If you find a new i5-7600T for under $100 and want to build a PC for internet use, office tasks, or a media center.

2. Upgrade from an Old System: Replacing an outdated Pentium or Celeron on LGA 1151.

Avoid the i5-7600T if:

- You need high performance for gaming or video editing.

- You plan to use PCIe 4.0 or DDR5.

In 2025, the Intel Core i5-7600T is a niche solution, but for its intended purposes, it remains a reliable and economical choice.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

January 2017

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.

i5-7600T

Code Name

Kaby 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

2.80 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.

3.70 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

3.70 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

35 W

Max. Operating Temperature

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

80°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.

DDR4-2133/2400 | 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

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

GPU Name

Intel® HD 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.

1.10 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

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.

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

1207

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

3399

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

929

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

2946

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2193

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

5874

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon W-2140B

1284 +6.4%

Core i7-8565U

1249 +3.5%

Core i5-7600T

1207

Ryzen Threadripper 1920X

1171 -3%

Xeon E5-2637 v3

1140 -5.6%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i5-10200H

3860 +13.6%

Xeon E3-1225 v6

3615 +6.4%

Core i5-7600T

3399

Ryzen 3 1300X

3155 -7.2%

Xeon E3-1505L v5

2969 -12.7%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i7-4790

968 +4.2%

Xeon Gold 6348H

947 +1.9%

Core i5-7600T

929

Core i7-7920HQ

915 -1.5%

Xeon E3-1275 v2

895 -3.7%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon E3-1505M v5

3202 +8.7%

Ryzen 9 3900X

3077 +4.4%

Core i5-7600T

2946

Core i3-9100T

2790 -5.3%

Core i7-8670

2671 -9.3%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

2244 +2.3%

Core i5-1035G4

2218 +1.1%

Core i5-7600T

2193

Core i7-4770K

2163 -1.4%

Core i7-4770S

2136 -2.6%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon E3-1240 v2

6347 +8.1%

Core i7-3770S

6175 +5.1%

Core i5-7600T

5874

Core i3-9100T

5588 -4.9%

Xeon E3-1505L v5

5301 -9.8%