How good is the intel i5 6500?

[inhumanCRAZYGUN]

I'm building my first gaming pc, and I'm stuck between the intel i5 6500 and the i5 6600k i realize there are some differences but I'm look to save money in some areas (Trying to keep a budget), I'm gonna pair it with a gtx 1060, and 16gb ram. would the 6500 play most games on 1080p high? or should i spend the extra $50 and get the 6600k?

 

[lifespill]

I vote for 6500,it has the same perfomance,its cheaper and also you can use a cheap mobo and the stock cooler.

 

[geofelt]

A very good question.
I think the skylake I5 non k chips are priced badly.

I3-6100@3.7 $125 is an excellent mid range gamer.
I5-6600K $230 or so when overclocked(4.5 is assured) is as good as it gets for gaming today.

The intermediates like the i5-6500 @3.2 are not so competitive in games unless all 4 threads can be fully utilized. That is rare.

Here is a review of the i3-6100 where it competes favorably in the tested games with the more expensive i5-6600.

You have some options:

1. If you are on a strict budget, i3-6100 may well do the job for you.
Try to use a z170 motherboard to preserve your option to a future i5-6600K upgrade.
Or, use a cheaper H110 based motherboard and plan a upgrade to a i7-6700K which runs at 4.0 and needs no overclocking.

2. Z170 motherboard and i5-6600k. Plus, you will need a cooler since the k does not come with one.

3. If rumors are true, we are not too far from kaby lake. Perhaps January.
Of particular interest is the I3-7350K which will be $177.
runs 4.0 out of the box and allows overclocking.