Intel Core i9-9900K vs Intel Core i7-10700 vs Intel Core i5-10600K

Intel Core i9-9900K

The Intel Core i9-9900K is a high end desktop processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture. At the time of announcement in late 2018, the 9900K is the fastest Coffee Lake CPU and offers an open multiplicator for easy overclocking. The CPU integrates 8 cores (16 threads) clocked at 3.6 - 5 GHz and it needs a new Z390 based mainboard.

Thanks to the two additional cores, the performance in multi-threaded applications is up to 25 % faster than the older Core i7-8700K. The single thread performance is only slightly faster due to the higher clock speeds. As a high end desktop CPU, the i9-9900K is suited even for very demanding applications and perfect for 3D gaming.

The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 graphics card is clocked at up to 1.2 GHz and offers no advantage compared to previous generations. As it is a very low end GPU, only some low demanding games like Hearthstone can be played with it (see GPU page for benchmarks).

Intel specifies the TDP at 95 Watt, so if the CPU is used in laptops a big and chunky cooling system is needed to avoid throttling and lower clock speeds under sustained loads. When overclocking the CPU, the power consumption can easily rise up to 200 Watt and higher.

Intel Core i7-10700

The Intel Core i7-10700 is a high-end desktop CPU based on the Comet Lake architecture. The CPU offers 8 cores and 16 threads clocked at 2.9 - 4.8 GHz. All cores can run at up to 4.6 GHz.

Compared to the older Core i7-9700, the 10700 now enables HyperThreading and therefore in some applications a nice performance boost. The single core performance is quite similar.

The chip is manufactured on 14nm++ process at Intel. The TDP is rated at 65 Watt (PL1) but the PL2 is set to 224 Watt for short term boosts (up to 28 seconds).

Intel Core i5-10600K

The Intel Core i5-10600K is a mid-range processor for desktops with six cores based on the Comet Lake architecture (CML-S, 4th generation of Skylake). The processor clocks at between 4.1 and 4.8 GHz and can execute up to twelfe threads simultaneously thanks to Hyper-Threading. 

The processor is still manufactured in the old 14nm (14nm++) process. Thanks to the free multiplicator, the CPU can also be easily overclocked (but may not have much headroom).

The Comet Lake architecture is similar to Coffee Lake and offers the same features and is produced in the same 14nm process. Other than the improved clock rates, the memory controller now also supports faster DDR4-2933 RAM. More information on Comet Lake and all the models and articles on it can be found here.

Performance

Thanks to the high clock speeds (and possible TDP settings with most mainboards), the Core i5-10600K offers a similar speed than the old Core i7-9700K quad core. Compared to current AMD offerings, the multi-core performance is on par with a Ryzen 5 3600, single core and gaming performance with a faster Ryzen 9 3900.

Graphics

The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 iGPU is supposed to offer a similar performance as the UHD630 in the Core i7-9900K. As a  low-end solution it will only run current games smoothly at reduced details - if at all.

Power Consumption

Intel specifies the TDP with 125 Watts (PL1) but under full load up to 250 Watt are consumed (PL2). In default mode these 250 Watt and therefore high clock speeds can be maintained for up to 56 seconds, however, all boards offer the option to alter these settings.