Core i7-6700K vs. Core i5-6600K - 2D Performance
Category : Content Creation
Published by Marc Büchel on 18.05.16
There is a variety of customer groups in need of as much processing power as possible. Especially in the field of content creation, which includes editing pictures and videos or even rendering a complex scenery with beautiful effects, performance improvements quickly translate into higher income by the end of the month. With this series of articles we're going to compare two processors. The CPUs tested are being run at stock clocks as well as overclocked and apart from that we will also vary the memory frequency. It is our goal to show which CPU is how much faster or slower than another one.





Motherboard
  • MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC (BIOS 1.5)
CPU
  • Intel Core i7-6700K @ Default
  • Intel Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz
  • Intel Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000
  • Intel Core i5-6600K @ Default
  • Intel Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz
  • Intel Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000
Memory
  • G.Skill Ripjaws F4-3000C15Q Quad Channel 4x4GB
Graphics Cards
  • nVidia GeForce GTX 980
Drivers
  • NVIDIA ForceWare 344.75
Games and OS
  • Windows 8.1 x64
System Drive
PSU
  • Seasonic Platinum SS-1000XP / 1000 Watts


Page 1 - Introduction Page 8 - Frybench
Page 2 - 3DMark Physics Page 9 - HWBot Prime
Page 3 - XTU Page 10 - UCBench
Page 4 - Cinebench Page 11 - Performance Rating
Page 5 - SiSoft Sandra Page 12 - Power Consumption
Page 6 - Blackhole Page 13 - Conclusion
Page 7 - WinRAR  
[pagebreak]

3DMark

Fire Strike Physix

  Points %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 11'964 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 12'648 105.72
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 13'614 113.79
Core i5-6600K @ Default 8'611 71.97
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 9'185 76.77
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 9'352 78.97

3DMark 11 Physix

  Points %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 9'776 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 9'882 101.08
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 12'098 123.75
Core i5-6600K @ Default 7'864 80.44
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 8'271 84.61
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 8'845 90.48

3DMark Vantage Physix

  Points %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 29'395 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 30'650 104.27
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 34'583 117.65
Core i5-6600K @ Default 23'429 79.70
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 24'823 84.45
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 25'628 87.18


Page 1 - Introduction Page 8 - Frybench
Page 2 - 3DMark Physics Page 9 - HWBot Prime
Page 3 - XTU Page 10 - UCBench
Page 4 - Cinebench Page 11 - Performance Rating
Page 5 - SiSoft Sandra Page 12 - Power Consumption
Page 6 - Blackhole Page 13 - Conclusion
Page 7 - WinRAR  
[pagebreak]

XTU (Intel Extreme Tuning Utility)

  Points %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 1'114 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 1'164 104.49
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 1'250 112.21
Core i5-6600K @ Default 1'012 90.84
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 1'029 92.37
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 1'102 98.32


Page 1 - Introduction Page 8 - Frybench
Page 2 - 3DMark Physics Page 9 - HWBot Prime
Page 3 - XTU Page 10 - UCBench
Page 4 - Cinebench Page 11 - Performance Rating
Page 5 - SiSoft Sandra Page 12 - Power Consumption
Page 6 - Blackhole Page 13 - Conclusion
Page 7 - WinRAR  
[pagebreak]

Cinebench R15

  Points %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 825 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 907 109.94
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 914 110.79
Core i5-6600K @ Default 617 74.79
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 688 83.39
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 705 85.45


Page 1 - Introduction Page 8 - Frybench
Page 2 - 3DMark Physics Page 9 - HWBot Prime
Page 3 - XTU Page 10 - UCBench
Page 4 - Cinebench Page 11 - Performance Rating
Page 5 - SiSoft Sandra Page 12 - Power Consumption
Page 6 - Blackhole Page 13 - Conclusion
Page 7 - WinRAR  
[pagebreak]

SiSoft Sandra

Arithmetik Dhrystone

  GIPS %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 162.97 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 199.84 122.62
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 202.41 124.30
Core i5-6600K @ Default 132.52 81.32
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 149.15 91.52
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 152.57 93.62

Arithmetik Whetstone

  GFLOPS %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 107.65 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 113.91 105.82
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 114.25 106.13
Core i5-6600K @ Default 63.44 58.93
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 67.34 62.55
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 68.18 63.33

Multimedia Integer

  MPixels/sec %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 498.75 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 521.65 104.59
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 525.73 105.41
Core i5-6600K @ Default 334.72 67.11
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 357.31 71.64
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 361.33 72.45

Multimedia Floating Point

  MPixels/sec %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 486.51 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 506.65 104.14
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 515.13 105.88
Core i5-6600K @ Default 301.59 61.99
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 319.27 65.62
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 326.67 67.15

Cryptography AES

  GB/sec %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 7.84 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 10.46 133.42
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 10.53 134.31
Core i5-6600K @ Default 7.84 100.00
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 10.41 132.78
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 10.58 134.95

Cryptography SHA

  GB/sec %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 1.56 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 1.62 103.85
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 1.62 103.85
Core i5-6600K @ Default 1.35 86.54
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 1.42 91.03
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 1.43 91.67


Page 1 - Introduction Page 8 - Frybench
Page 2 - 3DMark Physics Page 9 - HWBot Prime
Page 3 - XTU Page 10 - UCBench
Page 4 - Cinebench Page 11 - Performance Rating
Page 5 - SiSoft Sandra Page 12 - Power Consumption
Page 6 - Blackhole Page 13 - Conclusion
Page 7 - WinRAR  
[pagebreak]

Blackhole Benchmark Multithreaded

Single Thread

  Points %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 3'852 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 4'004 103.95
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 4'075 105.79
Core i5-6600K @ Default 3'708 96.26
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 4'004 103.95
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 4'082 105.97

4 Threads

  Points %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 5'236 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 5'444 103.97
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 5'484 104.74
Core i5-6600K @ Default 5'136 98.09
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 5'504 105.12
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 5'568 106.34

Multithreaded

  Points %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 8'760 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 10'432 119.09
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 10'920 124.66
Core i5-6600K @ Default 5'544 63.29
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 6'008 68.58
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 6'436 73.47

Overall

  Points %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 17'848 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 19'880 111.39
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 20'479 114.74
Core i5-6600K @ Default 14'388 80.61
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 15'516 86.93
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 16'086 90.13


Page 1 - Introduction Page 8 - Frybench
Page 2 - 3DMark Physics Page 9 - HWBot Prime
Page 3 - XTU Page 10 - UCBench
Page 4 - Cinebench Page 11 - Performance Rating
Page 5 - SiSoft Sandra Page 12 - Power Consumption
Page 6 - Blackhole Page 13 - Conclusion
Page 7 - WinRAR  
[pagebreak]

WinRAR

  KB/s %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 10'760 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 10'856 100.89
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 12'751 118.50
Core i5-6600K @ Default 4'972 46.21
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 5'740 53.35
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 6'858 63.74


Page 1 - Introduction Page 8 - Frybench
Page 2 - 3DMark Physics Page 9 - HWBot Prime
Page 3 - XTU Page 10 - UCBench
Page 4 - Cinebench Page 11 - Performance Rating
Page 5 - SiSoft Sandra Page 12 - Power Consumption
Page 6 - Blackhole Page 13 - Conclusion
Page 7 - WinRAR  
[pagebreak]

Frybench

  sec %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 258 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 234 110.26
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 218 118.35
Core i5-6600K @ Default 367 70.30
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 348 74.14
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 321 80.37


Page 1 - Introduction Page 8 - Frybench
Page 2 - 3DMark Physics Page 9 - HWBot Prime
Page 3 - XTU Page 10 - UCBench
Page 4 - Cinebench Page 11 - Performance Rating
Page 5 - SiSoft Sandra Page 12 - Power Consumption
Page 6 - Blackhole Page 13 - Conclusion
Page 7 - WinRAR  
[pagebreak]

HWBot Prime

  Points %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 6'015 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 6'236 103.67
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 6'238 103.71
Core i5-6600K @ Default 5'341 88.79
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 5'538 92.07
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 5'541 92.12


Page 1 - Introduction Page 8 - Frybench
Page 2 - 3DMark Physics Page 9 - HWBot Prime
Page 3 - XTU Page 10 - UCBench
Page 4 - Cinebench Page 11 - Performance Rating
Page 5 - SiSoft Sandra Page 12 - Power Consumption
Page 6 - Blackhole Page 13 - Conclusion
Page 7 - WinRAR  
[pagebreak]

UCBench

  Points %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 1'079 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 1'132 104.91
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 1'134 105.10
Core i5-6600K @ Default 1'006 93.23
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 1'099 101.85
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 1'103 102.22


Page 1 - Introduction Page 8 - Frybench
Page 2 - 3DMark Physics Page 9 - HWBot Prime
Page 3 - XTU Page 10 - UCBench
Page 4 - Cinebench Page 11 - Performance Rating
Page 5 - SiSoft Sandra Page 12 - Power Consumption
Page 6 - Blackhole Page 13 - Conclusion
Page 7 - WinRAR  
[pagebreak]

Performance Rating

  %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 108.32
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 113.34
Core i5-6600K @ Default 78.44
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 85.41
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 88.30


Page 1 - Introduction Page 8 - Frybench
Page 2 - 3DMark Physics Page 9 - HWBot Prime
Page 3 - XTU Page 10 - UCBench
Page 4 - Cinebench Page 11 - Performance Rating
Page 5 - SiSoft Sandra Page 12 - Power Consumption
Page 6 - Blackhole Page 13 - Conclusion
Page 7 - WinRAR  
[pagebreak]

Power Consumption

Idle

  Watt %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 55 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 59 107.27
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 63 114.55
Core i5-6600K @ Default 46 83.64
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 48 87.27
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 52 94.55

Load

  Watt %
Core i7-6700K @ Default 141 100.00
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz 147 104.26
Core i7-6700K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 163 115.60
Core i5-6600K @ Default 127 90.07
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz 135 95.74
Core i5-6600K @ 4.2 GHz DDR4-3000 138 97.87


Page 1 - Introduction Page 8 - Frybench
Page 2 - 3DMark Physics Page 9 - HWBot Prime
Page 3 - XTU Page 10 - UCBench
Page 4 - Cinebench Page 11 - Performance Rating
Page 5 - SiSoft Sandra Page 12 - Power Consumption
Page 6 - Blackhole Page 13 - Conclusion
Page 7 - WinRAR  
[pagebreak]

Conclusion

Default

First of all we’re going to have a closer look at performance differences with standard clock speeds. From our overall performance rating we see that the Core i7-6700K is on average 27% quicker than the Core i5-6600K. In this case you need to keep in mind, that the i7-6700K packs four cores and eight threads thanks to Hyperthreading, whereas the i5-6600K features four cores only and no Hyperthreading.
Searching for benchmarks with best possible scaling on the i7-6700K we find WinRAR benefitting and running more than 117% faster on this CPU than on the i5-6600K. On the other hand it's interesting to see that with Blackhole's Single Threaded benchmark the i7-6700K pulls away by only 4%.
We also had a closer look at power consumption and in idle we noticed that our test setup with Core i7-6700K was burning 20% more power than our test platform with Core i5-6600K. In case of load power consumption the difference was 11%.

4.2 GHz

Overclocking both processors to 4.2 GHz basically makes the Core i7-6700K performed 8% faster and the Core i5-6600K benefits by 9%.
A closer look at power consumption reveals that overclocking these CPUs makes for quite a difference. With the Core i7-6700K we see system power consumption rise by 7% in idle and 4% under load, when comparing with the default power consumption values. In the case of the Core i5-6600K system power consumption goes up by 6%, when the CPU is under full load. In idle the difference 4%.

4.2 GHz DDR4-3000

The default clock speeds of DDR4 in the case of both platforms tested is 2133MHz and therefore running the memory at 3000MHz is quite a boost. Overclocking the system with the Core i7-6700K inside we notice that the performance goes up by 13%. In the case of the Core i5-6600K the difference is 13% on average as well.
Looking at idle power consumption, the system with Intel Core i7-6700K turns almost 15% more energy into heat, whereas with the i5-6600K consumption goes up by 13%. Under full load the differences are almost 16% in the case of the i7-6700K and 9% for the i5-6600K.

Recommendation

If you're looking for a new CPU for a content creation workstation and gaming then the Core i7-6700K is the preferred choice over the i5-6600K. Since most professional applications are capable of making good use of four cores and eight threads, the i7-6700K is overall faster. Should you be using applications which are limited to four cores only, then the i5-6600K is a great choice. But since most content creation application support more than four threads such a scenario is very unlikely. Considering that based on both these CPUs one would be building a price optimized workstation, we can recommend overclocking your CPU. This will speed up for example rendering processes significantly and help you get the most bang for the buck.

Page 1 - Introduction Page 8 - Frybench
Page 2 - 3DMark Physics Page 9 - HWBot Prime
Page 3 - XTU Page 10 - UCBench
Page 4 - Cinebench Page 11 - Performance Rating
Page 5 - SiSoft Sandra Page 12 - Power Consumption
Page 6 - Blackhole Page 13 - Conclusion
Page 7 - WinRAR