Intel Core i5-6600 vs Intel Core i7-4860HQ Comparison

The benchmark data presents a clear split between the Intel Core i5-6600 and the Intel Core i7-4860HQ. The i7-4860HQ dominates in Cinebench tests, winning all six recorded runs, while the i5-6600 counters with decisive victories in both Geekbench tests. The average benchmark scores are close, with the i5-6600 at 1744 and the i7-4860HQ at 1720, but the nature of the wins tells a more nuanced story than the aggregate suggests.

The Verdict

Choose the Intel Core i7-4860HQ if your priority is sustained multi-threaded rendering or content creation workloads. The data shows it wins every Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 test, both multi-core and single-core, by margins ranging from 2.4% to 2.7%. Its eight threads give it a structural advantage in heavily parallel tasks, and the recorded scores confirm this: it posts 533 in Cinebench R15 multi-core versus 520 for the i5-6600, and 5297 in Cinebench R23 multi-core versus 5161.

Choose the Intel Core i5-6600 if your workloads favor Geekbench-style integer and floating-point performance, or if you need lower power consumption. The i5-6600 wins Geekbench multi-core with 3755 versus 3527, a 6.5% advantage, and its single-core Geekbench score of 1239 is a massive 18.6% ahead of the i7-4860HQ's 1045. Its 35-watt TDP is also significantly lower than the i7-4860HQ's 47-watt TDP, making it the more efficient choice for sustained operation in a desktop chassis.

The overall percentile ranking is identical at 41 for both, placing them in the same performance tier relative to all CPUs in the database. The i5-6600's nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-980X, scores an average of 1746, a negligible 0.1% difference, while the i7-4860HQ's closest competitor, the AMD Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE, scores 1722, also just 0.1% away. This means neither processor offers a meaningful overall performance advantage; the decision hinges entirely on which benchmark suite aligns with your usage.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different architectural generations and manufacturing nodes. The Intel Core i5-6600 is built on Skylake using a 14 nm process, while the Intel Core i7-4860HQ uses the older Haswell architecture on a 22 nm node. The die size reflects this gap: the i5-6600 measures 177 mm², whereas the i7-4860HQ is substantially larger at 264 mm² and packs 1,400 million transistors.

Core counts are identical at four physical cores, but the i7-4860HQ supports eight threads through Hyper-Threading, while the i5-6600 is limited to four threads. Both share the same L1 cache at 64 KB per core and L2 at 256 KB per core, and both have a shared 6 MB L3 cache. Clock speeds favor the i5-6600, which runs at a 3.30 GHz base and 3.90 GHz boost, compared to the i7-4860HQ's 2.40 GHz base and 3.60 GHz boost.

Memory support differs as well. The i5-6600 supports both DDR3 and DDR4 in a dual-channel configuration, delivering 34.1 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The i7-4860HQ is limited to DDR3, also dual-channel, with a lower 25.6 GB/s bandwidth. Both lack ECC memory support and use PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU.

Integrated graphics are a differentiator. The i5-6600 includes UHD Graphics 530, while the i7-4860HQ features Intel HD 5200. The socket and market segment also diverge: the i5-6600 uses Intel Socket 1151 and is a desktop part, while the i7-4860HQ is soldered via Intel BGA 1364 and targets mobile platforms.

Where Each One Wins

The i7-4860HQ is the clear winner for Cinebench workloads, which are typically used to assess 3D rendering performance. It wins every single Cinebench test in the database, including both multi-core and single-core variants. The consistency is striking: its margins are nearly uniform, with deltas between 2.4% and 2.7% across all six tests. This suggests that the i7-4860HQ's higher thread count provides a steady, predictable advantage in rendering tasks, even when the workload is not fully parallel.

The i5-6600 wins decisively in Geekbench, which measures a broader mix of processor operations. Its single-core Geekbench score of 1239 is the largest margin in the entire comparison, 18.6% higher than the i7-4860HQ's 1045. The multi-core Geekbench result also favors the i5-6600, with 3755 versus 3527, a 6.5% edge. This indicates that the i5-6600's higher clock speeds translate into better performance for latency-sensitive, lightly threaded applications that Geekbench exercises.

Power consumption is another area where the i5-6600 wins. Its TDP of 35 watts is notably lower than the i7-4860HQ's 47 watts. For a desktop user, this means less heat generation and potentially lower cooling requirements, although the i7-4860HQ's higher TDP is typical for a mobile part designed to fit in a laptop chassis.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i5-6600 has an average benchmark score of 1744, which is higher than the Intel Core i7-4860HQ's 1720, a difference of about 1.4%.

Q: How many threads does each processor support?

A: The Intel Core i7-4860HQ supports 8 threads via Hyper-Threading, while the Intel Core i5-6600 supports only 4 threads.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The Intel Core i5-6600 provides 34.1 GB/s of memory bandwidth, while the Intel Core i7-4860HQ provides 25.6 GB/s.

Q: Which processor wins more head-to-head benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i7-4860HQ wins 6 out of 8 head-to-head benchmarks. The Intel Core i5-6600 wins the remaining 2.

Q: Do both processors have the same L3 cache size?

A: Yes, both the Intel Core i5-6600 and the Intel Core i7-4860HQ have 6 MB of shared L3 cache.

Q: What is the release date for each?

A: The Intel Core i5-6600 was released on 2015-06-30, while the Intel Core i7-4860HQ was released earlier, on 2014-01-31.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result is the Geekbench single-core test, where the i5-6600's 1239 score towers over the i7-4860HQ's 1045. This 18.6% delta is the largest in the comparison and highlights the benefit of the i5-6600's higher boost clock of 3.90 GHz against the i7-4860HQ's 3.60 GHz. In Geekbench multi-core, the i5-6600 again prevails with 3755 versus 3527, a 6.5% margin, showing that its clock advantage can overcome the i7-4860HQ's extra threads in this particular workload.

The i7-4860HQ's wins are less dramatic but more numerous. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, it scores 533 against 520, a 2.4% lead. The single-core R15 test shows 75 versus 73, a 2.7% edge. Moving to R20, the i7-4860HQ posts 2224 in multi-core versus 2167, and 313 in single-core versus 305, both with a 2.6% delta. The R23 results continue the pattern: 5297 against 5161 in multi-core and 747 against 728 in single-core, with deltas of 2.6% and 2.5% respectively.

The consistency of the i7-4860HQ's Cinebench wins is notable. Across all three versions of Cinebench, its advantage never dips below 2.4% or rises above 2.7%. This uniformity suggests a stable architectural benefit from Hyper-Threading, which allows the i7-4860HQ to extract more work from rendering engines that can utilize eight threads. The i5-6600 cannot match this in Cinebench, despite its higher clocks, because the workload scales with thread count.

Specification Differences

The core specifications that differ between the two processors are as follows. The i5-6600 operates at 3.30 GHz base and 3.90 GHz boost, while the i7-4860HQ runs at 2.40 GHz base and 3.60 GHz boost. The i5-6600 has a TDP of 35 watts, versus 47 watts for the i7-4860HQ. The i5-6600 uses Intel Socket 1151, while the i7-4860HQ uses Intel BGA 1364.

Architecture and process node differ: the i5-6600 is Skylake on 14 nm, the i7-4860HQ is Haswell (Crystalwell) on 22 nm. The i7-4860HQ has 1,400 million transistors and a 264 mm² die size, while the i5-6600 has no transistor count listed and a 177 mm² die. Thread counts are 4 for the i5-6600 and 8 for the i7-4860HQ.

Memory support is another differentiator: the i5-6600 supports DDR3 and DDR4, while the i7-4860HQ supports only DDR3. Memory bandwidth is 34.1 GB/s for the i5-6600 and 25.6 GB/s for the i7-4860HQ. Integrated graphics are UHD Graphics 530 on the i5-6600 and Intel HD 5200 on the i7-4860HQ. The market segment is Desktop for the i5-6600 and Mobile for the i7-4860HQ. The i5-6600 has a launch MSRP of $224, while the i7-4860HQ has no recorded launch MSRP. Release dates are 2015-06-30 for the i5-6600 and 2014-01-31 for the i7-4860HQ.