If you're only planning to stream shows, use office apps, or browse the internet, you won't need a top-end CPU to get good performance. The most important CPU capability for general app usage is the single-core max turbo boost frequency. This article compares Intel's Core i5-13400 and Core i5-9600K desktop CPUs. We evaluated Intel's Core i5-13400 and Core i5-9600K desktop CPUs to determine which would be better for various use cases. We shaped our testing methodology to focus on each CPU's attributes rather than relying solely on benchmarks. Description of the processorThe Intel Core i5-9600K comes from the 9th generation of Intels Core i5 series, is based on the "Coffee Lake Refresh" architecture and is manufactured using the 14 nanometer process. If you're only going to game, or aren't a video/audio editor or power user then this CPU is superb. It's also pretty much bulletproof as far as longevity. I've had 2 i9-9900k's go bad now, and switched both over to 9600k's both times. Again, it's faster than the 9700k, just 2 less cores for multitasking. Read full review Professional tools are often well optimized to use many cores. CPU cores allow tools to parallelize processing tasks. Increasing the number of cores can divide the time required to process a task if the tool has good multi-threading support.

Based on our evaluation of using Intel's Core i5-9600K CPU for gaming, you can expect mediocre game performance with a high-performance CPU cooler. The Intel Core i5-9600K has a 3.70 GHz base frequency and supports a 4.60 GHz single-core max turbo boost frequency. To maximize performance with professional tools, you'll want to use a CPU with a high turbo boost frequency and many CPU cores. Good heat dissipation is needed to maintain turbo boost frequencies for extended periods. We took these factors into account while assessing the expected CPU performance for professional tools. See http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/hyper-threading/hyper-threading-technology.html?wapkw=hyper+threading for more information including details on which processors support Intel® HT Technology.The 9600K model name doesn't have an F suffix. Non-F CPUs contain integrated graphics, and a separate graphics card isn't required if your motherboard includes video-output connectors (e.g., HDMI). Max Turbo Frequency refers to the maximum single-core processor frequency that can be achieved with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology. See www.intel.com/technology/turboboost/ for more information and applicability of this technology.

Office and web applications are typically single-threaded, so running a single application won't take advantage of a many-core CPU. The processor has a 3.70 GHz base frequency and supports a 4.60 GHz single-core max turbo frequency. Its 4 Efficiency cores have a 1.80 GHz base frequency and support a 3.30 GHz max turbo boost frequency.Faster PC memory can improve game and professional tool performance by reducing the time it takes to perform calculations and data operations. Processors that support 64-bit computing on Intel® architecture require an Intel 64 architecture-enabled BIOS. Intel processor numbers are not a measure of performance. Processor numbers differentiate features within each processor family, not across different processor families. See http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/processor-numbers.html for details.