Intel Core i3-1315U vs Intel Core i5-9600K Comparison

The Intel Core i3-1315U and Intel Core i5-9600K represent two very different philosophies from Intel: a modern, power-sipping mobile chip versus an older, high-power desktop part. The benchmark data shows a clear split, with the newer i3-1315U taking 12 of the 17 head-to-head tests, while the i5-9600K wins 5. This is not a simple generational victory; it is a story of architectural efficiency versus raw legacy throughput in specific workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i3-1315U is the clear winner in general-purpose and modern compute tasks. Its most dominant victory comes in PassMark Data Encryption, where it scores 7583 against the i5-9600K's 3269, a massive 132% advantage. This indicates the newer Raptor Lake architecture has significantly more efficient cryptographic instruction handling. It also excels in PassMark Integer Math, scoring 37644 versus 29215, a 28.9% lead, and in PassMark Single Thread, where its 3380 score outperforms the 2727 of the i5-9600K by 23.9%. The i3-1315U also wins the entire Cinebench suite, both R15, R20, and R23, in single-core and multi-core tests, with consistent 3.5% to 3.9% margins.

The Intel Core i5-9600K, despite its age and higher power draw, retains a clear edge in specific, legacy-oriented workloads. Its most significant win is in PassMark Extended Instructions, where it scores 12914 against the i3-1315U's 7413, a 42.6% advantage. This suggests the older chip's x86 instruction set extensions are better optimized for certain legacy software. It also wins PassMark Data Compression (148639 vs 126436, a 14.9% lead) and PassMark Random String Sorting (18313 vs 14028, a 23.4% lead). These wins point towards the i5-9600K being more adept at single-threaded, memory-heavy data manipulation tasks that do not benefit from the i3's efficiency cores.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on fundamentally different foundations. The Intel Core i3-1315U is a Raptor Lake-U part on a 10 nm process, designed for mobile devices. The Intel Core i5-9600K is a Coffee Lake chip on a 14 nm process, a desktop product. This process node difference is the primary driver of the power and efficiency gap.

The core configurations differ in threading strategy. Both have 6 physical cores, but the i3-1315U supports 8 threads (likely via a hybrid performance/efficiency core arrangement), while the i5-9600K has 6 threads (no hyperthreading). The cache hierarchy also diverges: the i3-1315U has 80 KB of L1 and 1.25 MB of L2 per core, with 10 MB of shared L3. The i5-9600K has 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core, with 9 MB of shared L3. The i3's larger L2 cache is a significant architectural advantage for its modern workloads.

Platform support is another major differentiator. The i3-1315U uses the Intel BGA 1744 socket, supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory, and has PCIe Gen 4 with 8 lanes. The i5-9600K uses the Intel Socket 1151, supports only DDR4, and has PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes. The i5-9600K is also multiplier unlocked for overclocking, while the i3-1315U is locked. Finally, the i3-1315U is listed as Active production, while the i5-9600K is End-of-life.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in single-core performance?

A: The Intel Core i3-1315U wins every single-core benchmark. It leads by 3.9% in Cinebench R15 Single-Core (133 vs 128), 3.5% in R20 (555 vs 536), and 3.5% in R23 (1323 vs 1278). Its biggest single-thread win is in PassMark Single Thread, where it scores 3380 versus the i5-9600K's 2727, a 23.9% advantage.

Q: Does the older i5-9600K win any significant tests?

A: Yes. It wins 5 of the 17 head-to-head benchmarks. Its most substantial victory is in PassMark Extended Instructions (12914 vs 7413, a 42.6% lead) and PassMark Data Compression (148639 vs 126436, a 14.9% lead). It also wins in Physics, Prime Numbers, and Random String Sorting tests.

Q: How do their multi-core Cinebench scores compare?

A: The i3-1315U leads in all multi-core Cinebench tests. In R15 Multi-Core, it scores 944 versus 912 (3.5% lead). In R20 Multi-Core, it scores 3937 versus 3803 (3.5% lead). In R23 Multi-Core, it scores 9374 versus 9055 (3.5% lead).

Q: What are the key differences in memory and PCIe support?

A: The i3-1315U supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, while the i5-9600K only supports DDR4. The i3-1315U has PCIe Gen 4 with 8 lanes, whereas the i5-9600K has the older PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes. The i5-9600K has a listed memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, a figure not provided for the i3-1315U.

Q: Which chip has a larger L3 cache?

A: The Intel Core i3-1315U has 10 MB of shared L3 cache, while the Intel Core i5-9600K has 9 MB of shared L3 cache. The i3-1315U also has a larger per-core L2 cache (1.25 MB per core) compared to the i5-9600K (256 KB per core).

Q: Are the processors unlocked for overclocking?

A: No. The Intel Core i3-1315U has its multiplier locked. Yes, the Intel Core i5-9600K has its multiplier unlocked, allowing for overclocking.

Specification Differences

The two CPUs differ on nearly every major specification line. The most glaring difference is TDP: the i3-1315U uses just 15 W, while the i5-9600K draws 95 W. The process node is also different: 10 nm for the i3-1315U versus 14 nm for the i5-9600K.

• Cores/Threads: 6/8 (i3-1315U) vs 6/6 (i5-9600K)
• Base Clock: 1200.00 MHz (i3-1315U) vs 3.70 GHz (i5-9600K)
• Boost Clock: 4.50 GHz (i3-1315U) vs 4.60 GHz (i5-9600K)
• Cache (L1/L2/L3): 80 KB/1.25 MB/10 MB (i3-1315U) vs 64 KB/256 KB/9 MB (i5-9600K)
• Memory Support: DDR4, DDR5 (i3-1315U) vs DDR4 (i5-9600K)
• PCIe: Gen 4, 8 Lanes (i3-1315U) vs Gen 3, 16 Lanes (i5-9600K)
• Integrated Graphics: UHD Graphics 64EU (i3-1315U) vs UHD 630 (i5-9600K)
• Socket: Intel BGA 1744 (i3-1315U) vs Intel Socket 1151 (i5-9600K)
• Release Date: 2023-01-03 (i3-1315U) vs 2018-10-18 (i5-9600K)
• Production Status: Active (i3-1315U) vs End-of-life (i5-9600K)
• Overclocking: Locked (i3-1315U) vs Unlocked (i5-9600K)

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data reveals a fascinating split. The i3-1315U wins all Cinebench tests, but the margins are consistent and modest. In Cinebench R15, R20, and R23, the i3-1315U leads by 3.5% in multi-core and 3.5% to 3.9% in single-core. This suggests that the i3's efficiency cores and higher thread count provide a steady, if not spectacular, advantage in rendering workloads.

In PassMark tests, the story is more dramatic. The i3-1315U's 132% victory in Data Encryption is its largest win, showcasing a clear architectural leap. The 28.9% lead in Integer Math and the 23.9% lead in Single Thread are also substantial. The i3-1315U also wins Floating Point Math (27012 vs 24913, an 8.4% lead) and Multithread (11482 vs 10636, an 8% lead).

The i5-9600K's wins are equally decisive but in fewer categories. Its 42.6% lead in Extended Instructions is the largest single margin for either chip. The 23.4% lead in Random String Sorting and 14.9% lead in Data Compression are also significant. These are workloads that appear to favor the older chip's raw clock speed and legacy execution engine. The i5-9600K also wins narrowly in Find Prime Numbers (43 vs 41, a 4.7% lead) and Physics (746 vs 706, a 5.4% lead).

The overall average benchmark score tells a similar story: the i3-1315U averages 15022, while the i5-9600K averages 14605. Both sit in the 69th percentile of all CPUs, but the i3-1315U edges out its rival in overall performance despite being a 15 W mobile part. This underscores the efficiency gains of the Raptor Lake architecture over the older Coffee Lake design.