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Intel Core i5-9600

Intel Core i5-9600: Review and Relevance in 2025

Compatibility, Performance, and Assembly Tips

Key Specifications: Coffee Lake in Detail

The Intel Core i5-9600 processor, released in 2018, remains a popular choice for budget PCs due to its balance of price and performance.

Architecture and Manufacturing Process

- Code Name: Coffee Lake (9th Generation).

- Manufacturing Process: 14 nm (optimized version of 14++ nm).

- Cores/Threads: 6 cores, 6 threads (no Hyper-Threading).

- Frequencies: Base — 3.1 GHz, Turbo Boost maximum — 4.6 GHz.

- Cache: L3 — 9 MB.

- TDP: 65 W.

- Integrated Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 630 (base frequency — 350 MHz, maximum — 1.15 GHz).

Performance

- Geekbench 6: Single-Core — 1443, Multi-Core — 4904.

- In tests from 2025, the processor shows sufficient power for everyday tasks and light gaming. For example, in CS:GO at Full HD with medium settings, the frame rate reaches 120-150 FPS.

Key Features

- Support for DDR4-2666 memory.

- Intel Optane technology (for speed enhancement of drives).

- Integrated graphics chip for systems without a discrete graphics card.

Compatible Motherboards: Sockets and Chipsets

Socket: LGA 1151 v2 (not to be confused with LGA 1151 for the 8th generation!).

Chipsets:

- Z390: Supports overclocking, USB 3.1 Gen 2 (recommended for enthusiasts).

- B365/H370: Optimal choice for most users — includes PCIe 3.0, supports M.2 NVMe.

- H310: Budget option, but limited functionality (for instance, only two RAM slots).

Model Examples (2025 Prices):

- ASUS Prime B365M-A ($80-100): Reliable motherboard with M.2 and USB 3.1 support.

- MSI Z390-A Pro ($120-150): For those planning to upgrade to more powerful processors.

Important: The i5-9600 requires BIOS version P3.10 or higher on 300 series motherboards. Some older motherboards may require a firmware update.

Supported Memory Types

- Type: Only DDR4 (DDR5 is not supported!).

- Frequencies: Up to 2666 MHz (when using B365/H370/Z390 chipsets).

- Maximum Capacity: 128 GB (4 slots of 32 GB).

Recommendations:

- Use a dual-channel configuration (2x8 GB instead of 1x16 GB) for a performance boost of 10-15%.

- Popular kits: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB DDR4-2666 ($45-55), Kingston HyperX Fury 32 GB DDR4-2666 ($90-100).

Power Supplies: Power Calculation

With a TDP of 65 W, the processor does not require a powerful PSU, but it is essential to consider other components:

- System without a discrete graphics card: 300-400 W (for example, EVGA 400 N1, $35-40).

- With a graphics card level of NVIDIA GTX 1660 or AMD RX 6600: 500-600 W (recommended Corsair CX550, $60-70).

Tip: Don’t skimp on the PSU. Cheap models (like Apevia or Raidmax) may operate unstably under load.

Pros and Cons of the i5-9600

Pros:

- Energy Efficiency: 65 W TDP — low heat output.

- Stability: Proven Coffee Lake architecture.

- Price: In 2025, a new processor costs $150-180.

Cons:

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

- Outdated manufacturing process: 14 nm compared to 7 nm by competitors.

- Memory limitation: Maximum of DDR4-2666.

Use Cases

1. Gaming: Suitable for Full HD at medium settings (e.g., Fortnite — 90-110 FPS, Cyberpunk 2077 — 45-55 FPS with GTX 1660).

2. Office Tasks: Working with documents, browsing, video conferencing.

3. Multimedia: Streaming video, basic editing in Premiere Pro (but rendering 4K takes twice as long as on the Ryzen 5 5600X).

Limitations: Not suitable for streaming or 3D modeling — 6 threads are insufficient.

Comparison with Competitors

1. AMD Ryzen 5 3600 ($130-160):

- 6 cores/12 threads, 7 nm.

- Better in multitasking (Geekbench Multi-Core — 6500+).

- Weaker in single-threaded tasks (Geekbench Single-Core — 1300).

2. Intel Core i5-10400 ($170-190):

- 6 cores/12 threads, 14 nm.

- Higher performance in Adobe Photoshop (+15%), but more expensive.

Conclusion: The i5-9600 offers better price/performance for basic tasks, but lags in multi-threading.

Practical Assembly Tips

1. Cooling: The stock cooler works adequately, but choose a tower cooler for quieter operation (Deepcool GAMMAXX 400, $25).

2. Motherboard: Don’t overspend on Z390 if you don’t plan to overclock. B365 is optimal.

3. RAM: 16 GB DDR4-2666 is the minimum for gaming in 2025.

4. Storage: An SSD is essential (for example, Crucial P3 500 GB, $40).

Sample Build ($500-600):

- CPU: i5-9600 ($160).

- Motherboard: ASUS Prime B365M-A ($90).

- RAM: 16 GB DDR4-2666 ($50).

- GPU: GTX 1660 (used, $120).

- Storage: 500 GB SSD ($40).

- PSU: Corsair CX550 ($65).

Final Conclusion: Who is the i5-9600 Suitable For?

This processor is a good choice for:

- Budget Gamers: If ultra-settings in AAA games are not required.

- Office PCs: Reliability and low power consumption.

- Home Media Centers: Streaming video, basic editing.

Why in 2025? Despite its age, the i5-9600 remains relevant due to its low price and sufficient performance for everyday tasks. However, for professionals or VR enthusiasts, it is better to consider more modern models (such as Ryzen 5 7600 or Core i5-13400).

The article is current as of April 2025. Prices are listed for new components.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

October 2018

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.

i5-9600

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

3.10 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.

4.60 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

4.60 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

9 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

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

1443

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

4904

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1174

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

5211

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2754

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

10727

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Ryzen 7 PRO 5875U

1552 +7.6%

Core i7-10875H

1494 +3.5%

Core i5-9600

1443

Xeon W-3265

1389 -3.7%

Core i7-9800X X-series

1359 -5.8%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Ryzen 7 4800U

5537 +12.9%

Ryzen 5 2600X

5250 +7.1%

Core i5-9600

4904

Xeon E3-1280 v6

4611 -6%

Xeon E3-1240 v6

4368 -10.9%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i7-10700

1246 +6.1%

Core i5-8600K

1206 +2.7%

Core i5-9600

1174

Core i9-10900X X-series

1144 -2.6%

Xeon E-2134

1118 -4.8%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon W-10885M

5802 +11.3%

Xeon E5-4610 v4

5510 +5.7%

Core i5-9600

5211

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

4965 -4.7%

Xeon E5-2658A v3

4749 -8.9%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i7-9700KF

2892 +5%

Core i3-10305

2815 +2.2%

Core i5-9600

2754

Ryzen 9 4900H

2716 -1.4%

Xeon W-2150B

2682 -2.6%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon E5-2650L v3

11851 +10.5%

Xeon E5-2643

11128 +3.7%

Core i5-9600

10727

Core i3-10325

10268 -4.3%

Xeon E5-2648L v3

9847 -8.2%