Intel Core i5-8600

The Intel Core i5-8600 is an end-of-life desktop processor from Intel’s Coffee Lake generation. It has 6 cores and 6 threads, a 3.10 GHz base clock, a 4.30 GHz boost clock, and a 65 W TDP. The database aggregate score is 2447, which puts the chip at the 51st percentile of all CPUs. Its release date is 2018-02-13, and the launch MSRP was $213.

Benchmark Performance

The benchmark record is built from Cinebench runs across three versions. In Cinebench R15, the i5-8600 scores 852 in multi-core and 120 in single-core. In Cinebench R20, it scores 3553 and 501. In Cinebench R23, it scores 8460 and 1194. The single-core figures are lower in absolute terms because the workload is confined to a single core, while the multi-core figures engage all 6 physical cores and 6 threads. Since the thread count equals the core count, the multi-core results are produced entirely by the six cores, with no virtual-thread assist.

The aggregate benchmark score of 2447 places the chip near the middle of the database distribution, at the 51st percentile. The nearest rivals are grouped tightly around that number. The Intel Xeon E5-2628L v3 has an aggregate score of 2446, 0.1% behind the i5-8600. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U scores 2444, also 0.1% behind. The Intel Core i5-8500B scores 2436, 0.4% behind. The only rival ahead in the cluster is the Intel Core i7-1365UE, which scores 2463, 0.6% ahead. Every delta is fractional, so the i5-8600 is effectively the pivot point of a very tight performance group.

Power and Thermals

The available thermal data is a 65 W TDP rating. That is a mainstream desktop power envelope and implies a conventional cooling solution rather than a high-end liquid loop. The chip is built on Intel’s 14 nm process, with a 154 mm² die, and the 4.30 GHz boost clock fits within that 65 W classification. The multiplier is locked, so the processor is not designed for ratio-based overclocking. Thermal behavior should therefore remain close to the stock configuration. The 65 W figure is modest enough that power delivery and cooling requirements are not likely to dominate platform design.

Single-Thread vs Multi-Thread Behavior

The split between single-thread and multi-thread results is clear across all three Cinebench versions. In R23, the i5-8600 records 1194 single-core and 8460 multi-core. In R20, the corresponding numbers are 501 and 3553. In R15, the pair is 120 and 852. In every version, the multi-core score is much larger than the single-core score, which reflects a processor with 6 cores. But because the 6 threads equal the 6 cores, there is no extra thread count to harvest in heavily parallel workloads. This makes the i5-8600 a strong match for lightly threaded applications, where the 4.30 GHz boost clock can be used directly. For rendering and other multi-threaded tasks, the chip delivers substantial throughput, but the ceiling is set by the physical core count rather than by additional threads.

Platform and Compatibility

The i5-8600 uses Intel Socket 1151 and belongs to the Coffee Lake architecture, categorized under the Core i5 (Coffee Lake) generation. Memory support is DDR4 on a dual-channel bus, with 42.7 GB/s of memory bandwidth. ECC memory is not supported. The CPU provides 16 PCIe Gen 3 lanes from the processor itself. Integrated graphics are present in the form of UHD Graphics 630, so basic display output does not require a discrete GPU. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core, plus a shared 9 MB L3 cache. The die is 154 mm² on Intel’s 14 nm process, and the part number is SR3X0. Production status is end-of-life, with a release date of 2018-02-13. The multiplier is locked. The platform data describes a fixed desktop socket with DDR4 memory support and a set number of PCIe lanes; any CPU upgrade from the i5-8600 would be bounded by the Socket 1151 Coffee Lake family in this record.

How It Compares

Intel Xeon E5-2628L v3 — The Xeon E5-2628L v3 is the closest rival in aggregate score, averaging 2446. The i5-8600 is 0.1% ahead, a margin that is effectively a rounding-level difference. In the database, the two processors are statistically equivalent despite their different names.

AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U — The Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U averages 2444, also 0.1% behind the i5-8600. Like the Xeon, it is essentially indistinguishable from the i5-8600 in aggregate terms. The delta is small enough that benchmark variance alone could account for the gap.

Intel Core i5-8500B — The Core i5-8500B scores 2436, placing it 0.4% behind the i5-8600. That is the largest lead the i5-8600 holds over any rival in this group, but it is still a narrow margin. The two chips occupy the same performance neighborhood.

Intel Core i7-1365UE — The Core i7-1365UE sits above the i5-8600, with an average score of 2463 and a 0.6% lead. It is the only rival in the group that ranks ahead, yet the advantage is fractional. The i5-8600 trails, but not by enough to create a meaningful separation in the aggregate benchmark.