Intel Core i5-11600K vs Intel Core i7-10700K

If you are in search of a budget CPU unit that comes with everything that you desire as a browser or professional gamer, then this review might help you. Today, we are going to be looking at two powerful models from Intel.

Intel has been in the market for quite some time now. It is safe to say that they have been producing sublime processors over the years. However, AMD has slowly crept inside the market space and made some delightful and recommendable models for users.

They have effortlessly taken a major share of the pie in the market from Intel. Can Intel come back with top-notch models like the Intel Core i5 or Core i7? This is what we are going to find out in today’s review.

We are going to be talking about the Intel Core i5-11600K processor vs the Intel Core i7-10700K processor. Coming back to AMD, they were reeling with the poor show due to the FX series processors that were not doing enough.

In fact, they were in under shambles just less than a decade ago. However, things have massively transitioned for the company’s betterment, thanks to the release of the Ryzen series. This has made it difficult for anybody to recommend the Intel models.

Besides, AMD processors come low-priced, not all, but at least most of them. The Intel Core i5-11600K model is a middle-of-the-pack model. It comes with 6-core, 12-thread capabilities that make it somewhat easier for us to suggest this model for your requirements.

It can come in handy for those of you who are regular browsers and professional gamers. We are delighted also to inform you that the price point of this model is the highlight. It is at a very affordable price, that is good to see.

It is almost on par with most of the AMD models. Likewise, we also have the Intel Core i7-10700K model. It is priced around $400, which is quite acceptable for the features & specifications present in it.

This model is an 8-core, 16-thread unit that comes with similar features to the Core i9-9990K. The maker has enabled the hyperthreading feature across their lineup. That means you can get 20 threads that are present within under $500 having the Core i9 series.

This has drastically dropped the prices of all the models that are present in the Intel series. There has been a significant improvement in the performance of the Core i7 models that are currently being released in the market.

That is a good sign of things to come from the maker. You can unlock the power unit and gain plenty from it. Let us read the post to understand more about the two models. We have mentioned the winner at the end of the post.

Intel Core i5-11600K	Intel Core i7-10700K
PROS	PROS
The model can work quite remarkably without heating. The unit offers you with a phenomenal performance. It comes unlocked for usage in any part of the world. It has been priced competitively. The product maintains LGA 1200 socket.	It comes fitted with turbo boost max 3.0 technology. The price reduction in the 9900K may offset the model’s cost. It has a high clock and boost frequencies. The model is infused with high overclocking headroom. The unit comes embedded with powerful integrated graphics.
CONS	CONS
The processor is still on 14nm.	The processor comes with the PCIe 3.0 interface.
CHECK ON AMAZON	CHECK ON AMAZON

Intel Core i5-11600K vs Intel Core i7-10700K: Design & Features

The Intel Core i5-11600K processor comes with a phenomenal setup & features. When you have decided to build a gaming PC, then you would be delighted to know that it will work. Consumers can design the unit with the help of the 6-core, 12-thread count.

Unfortunately, many PC designers don’t seem to understand the fact that they can make use of the available threads. There is no need to spend more than what is actually necessary for the CPU model.

Unless you are into heavy gaming, live streaming, and video editing, you may want to make use of a powerful CPU. You can use the boost clock frequency that has been increased by 100 MHz, taking the 10700K to 5.1 GHz.

But the unit is not a massive improvement from the earlier model. The Core i5 unit comes with the 14nm; you can see that AMD has the 7nm. However, you have the 125W TDP on this unit that can be useful.

It is an unlocked model. That simply means you can tweak with it if you want to and know how to do it. Yes, you will want to tinker with it at some point in time or the other. You may not be able to do too much of overclocking, though, simply because they won’t budge ahead easily.

This model comes having an LGA 1200 socket. You do not require a new motherboard when you want to upgrade from a decent unit. But it would help if you had a cooler, which, sadly for the Intel models, the AMD models have provided in the box for you.

It also has a PCIe 4.0 support for close to 20 total PCI Express lanes. Besides, you can also have 6-cores and hyperthreading. Our tester felt that the model is not a poor choice for heavy workloads.

Yes, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a powerful unit, but so is this one. You can find that it comes having Intel Turbo Boost 2.0, which can offer support for 128GB RAM. The unit has a maximum bandwidth of 50 GB/s so you can perform your task opulently.

Though it is a dual-channel memory, you can design a powerful PC from this model, which should work fine. The Intel Core i7-10700K model has a fantastic design & features. The Comet Lake microarchitecture is based on the same 14-nanometer production process.

We hope that it is the last usage of the Skylake design that they have been using since 2016. Intel was selling only 4 cores in the desktop processor market. It was until AMD decided to produce the Zen series.

They have also managed to make AMD improve on the core & thread count by several generations. It is because they could not increase the per-core performance (IPC) due to the production of its 10 nm silicon fabrication.

This model has double the thread count as the 9th Gen Core i7-9700K. You would be glad to know that the L3 cache has been enhanced to 33%. Sadly, this model is a locked part; there comes excellent performance that can be obtained from the power limits and base clock.

It has an unlocked multiplier that provides adequate overclocking with higher power limits. You would delight with excellent gaming performance, integrated graphics, and 8 cores with hyperthreading.

The model has a multiplier unlocked and comes with a turbo boost max 3.0 technology. Unfortunately, it does not come with a CPU cooler, can hit x51 multiplier only rarely, and has a lower energy efficiency than earlier Intel models.

It also comes with a thermal velocity boost not supported & no support for PCIe Gen 4. On the whole, the models provide you with an outstanding design & setup. We felt the Core i7-10700K model was slightly ahead in features than the Core i5-11600K unit.

Intel Core i5-11600K vs Intel Core i7-10700K: Setup & Performance

If you have read our reviews, you would understand the importance of setup & performance. Without having proper performance, the CPUs are rendered useless. We have some seen some poor performance lately from Intel Core i5 and i7.

But these models were a delight to use and work with because their performance was top-notch. The Intel Core i5-11600K processor is a fantastic model that has a good setup & performance.

You can use it for designing on any PC. The margins are not that bad when you compare them to other Intel & AMD models. It is a good option for developing a gaming PC. You will want to know that it has a small margin on the usual Core i5-11600 as it comes unlocked.

You may want to know that all AMD processors are unlocked. They provide you with the ability to tweak them as you want to. We hope that Intel will do the same with most of their processors, which are otherwise locked.

The maker is doing its best to ensure they use the 14nm fabrication process for producing the desktop models. It comes with exceptional single-core performance and smashes its way through games.

The 6-core model is suitable for working in mild temperatures. Mostly, it is able to manage to shuttle between 25degrees and 30degrees heatwave. It can remain cool even during a heatwave.

You do not encounter any sort of throttling when you reach absolute thermal limits. Additionally, the 125W TDP enables the model to work cooler than the AMD Ryzen 5 3600X. Users can now enhance their performance with gaming performance and low temperature.

This gives you an apt option for your Intel-made model. You may want to improve it to 1440p with a capable graphics card. The Intel Core i7-10700K processor provides you with an exceptional setup & performance.

It comes with 16 threads making the hyperthreading process a lot simpler. This is much better than the earlier model, Core i7-9700K, by 20%. It also comes with the 5.30 GHz TVB, which makes the i9-10900K quicker.

Otherwise, the margins in the performance can get you a good resolution. You can consider using the 4K UHD. Due to the increasing resolutions, the performance can shift towards to the other GPU.

You will be glad to know that this model is one of the most energy-efficient processors we have found regarding power consumption. We wonder how the maker managed to get the 125 W TDP model without it becoming hot when used in gaming.

It does sometimes exceed the power by less than 10%, which is quite acceptable. However, you will want to know that the single-threaded workload requires that kind of power from the model.

You can also get more work done with the watt as the high clocks/IPC provide you with higher single-threaded efficiency. You would be delighted to know that the model has an unlocked multiplier.

You can now do the overclocking easily and set the CPU frequency directly. This enables you to push out more higher clocks from it than the Core i7-10900K model. The processor does not get into different issues with the power that quickly.

You could reach the maximum overclock of 5.1 GHz quickly, but our tester thought the voltage could be reduced to enhance the power consumption. On the whole, the units are good choices for gaming CPUs because of their magnificent performance.

Intel Core i5-11600K vs Intel Core i7-10700K: Price

The Intel Core i5-1160K processor is priced under $300. You can find the model sold across most retailers. Please note that you may not get the cooler along with the package. When you do not own one, then you will want to use Intel’s LGA 1200 socket that is suitable for 125W TDP.

The Intel Core i7-10700K processor is priced under $400. The unit is relatively costlier than the other model discussed in here. The i7 is able to fill the niche in the new 10th generation series of PC processors.

It is able to perform exceptionally well due to the single-threaded performance and high frequency. The maker has slimmed the IHS material that does not come with any contact with the cold plate. The Core i5-10600K model can be overclocked more than the stock frequencies.

It is the same as the equal gaming performance of the Core i7-10700K model. The model comes infused with what it does to be, and the rest of the 10th generation can be got. That is why it may not be the best in the context of its generation.

Intel Core i5-11600K vs Intel Core i7-10700K: Verdict

This is it. We have ended our comparison review of the Intel Core i5-11600K vs Intel Core i7-10700K processors. We hope that you enjoyed going through the review and were able to make your decision.

The Intel Core i5-11600K model is a fantastic model that is ideal for professional gamers and regular users as well. It can help you design a sublime PC that offers you strong performance at low temperatures, with a bit of tweaking done.

It comes with both value and performance. When you are not satisfied with what you are getting from it, then you can make a tweak to it. For most people, they are pretty happy & satisfied with what they get out of the box.

Since the AMD does not have the cheaper model here, it will make it a little difficult for you to choose. The Intel Core i7-10700K processor is a powerful option for PC designers. You could be looking to build a regular or gaming PC; it should work out for you.

It is a solid powerhouse that does well with anything you throw at it. This is another reason for limiting its versatility. The maker has priced the Core i7 model appropriately because it enables you to save close to $100 than the Core i9 & $30 lower than the AMD Ryzen 3900X model.

The Intel Core i5-11600K processor comes with several exciting features like higher ram speed, a newer version of PCI Express (PCIe), and has 4.2GB/s more memory bandwidth. It has a higher PassMark result (single), higher Cinebench R20 (single) result, and higher single-core Geekbench 5 result.

Moreover, you can find that it comes with a faster GPU turbo speed and is much cheaper than the Core i7 discussed in this review. The Intel Core i7-10700K processor has a faster CPU speed, 4 more CPU threads, and a bigger L2 cache.

It also comes with a larger L3 cache, a better L1 cache, and a higher multi-core Geekbench 5 result. You can also expect a higher Cinebench R20 (multi) result from it. Our winner in this comparison review between the Intel Core i5-11600K vs Intel Core i7-10700K models is the Core i7 unit.

The Core i7 model offers you with excellent gaming capability. You may not be able to get better gains as some games cannot scale the threads. Besides, manual overclocking comes with a significant difference in power consumption and can cool the system.

However, the Core i5 model is a spectacular unit as it comes infused with tremendous features present in it. You can make use of it as a cheaper unit for gaming and other purposes as well. At the end of the day, your requirements and budget will have a say in your decision.