Core i7-9700 vs Core i5-8600K
Short answer: which is best?
Core i7-9700 is 19.6 % stronger than Core i5-8600K. Core i7-9700 ranks #70 of 100 measured processors at WhatFPS (6,532 CPU score over 1 verified runs). Core i5-8600K ranks #79 of 100 measured processors at WhatFPS (5,461 CPU score over 1 verified runs). The numbers are measured in 2 verified WhatFPS runs — not estimated, not self-reported.
Measured comparison
| Metric | Core i7-9700 | Core i5-8600K |
|---|---|---|
| CPU score (the processor's own performance) | 6,532 | 5,461 |
| Best rig (GAMING — whole PC) | 4,526 | 2,908 |
| Integer (MT) | 4.2 Gop/s | 3.2 Gop/s |
| Single-thread (1T) | 0.51 Gop/s | 0.47 Gop/s |
| Draw calls/s (DX11) | 7,482,035 | 7,825,171 |
| Cores / threads | 8 / 8 | 6 / 6 |
| L3 cache | 12 MB | 9 MB |
What the numbers mean
The CPU score is the processor's own performance — that is what we rank on. GAMING is the whole rig's score in the best PC we measured the processor in, and leans heavily on the graphics card. A strong processor in a weak PC gets a low GAMING score without being worse. We show both and never mix them.
All numbers come from our benchmark suite: four hand-built 3D scenes written directly against the graphics APIs in Rust, the same load on every PC. The methodology is open at https://whatfps.com/metodik
All measurements for Core i7-9700 · All measurements for Core i5-8600K