IntelCore i5 6500 3.20 GHz Quad Core Skylake Desktop Processor, Socket LGA 1151, 6MB Cache

If you want to build a "budget" gaming PC.... DO NOT! WITHOUT DOING SERIOUS RESEARCHMy review is directed towards gamers since you can run MS Word on a potato and if you do video production, the Core i-7 is the sweet spot.Now breathe, relax your mind, and manage the excitement you have garnered from the prospect of not having to pay to play online with friends (ahem! plus-live-gold), SAVE UP an extra $100 - 150 and buy this processor. I bought the AMD X4 860k, then bought the Core i-3, and finally this i-5 in a 2 week period (returned the others).Why? Because this is a much more superior CPU. It is faster, has 4 cores and a frequency of 3.20 GHZ. Also, it has integrated graphics (which is a plus weather gamers acknowledge it or not). If you want an unlocked sucker, get the 'K' version for an extra $20. I bought this because I exceeded my budget by about 30% (tee-hee). You are getting every dollar out of it. Not saying you are not getting a bang for your buck from the other processors mentioned, but after hours and hours of research, it only made sense to "Eat the extra cost" since I'll be doing content creation (I know, but the Core i-7 bleh-bleh-bleh). If you are in doubt, I recommend these YouTube reviewers to give detailed explanations of the or-15 6500A special thanks to the YouTube Channels, Science Review, Digital Foundry, Hardware Unboxed, Austin Evans, JayZsTwoCents.These Tech reviewers are professional and carry out extensive research and benchmarks for a wide variety of games. In fact, 'Hardware Unboxed' is my favorite because they run benchmarks for at least 12 - 20 different games! Crazy huh?My thoughts:The year 2016 is winding down and newer titles will eventually show up: you do not want to regret not utilizing every aspect of your PC to enjoy the experience. A good example is the Division which is about to bring its player base up and release content all the way into 2017. even though you can use a NOT-Core-i5 processor to run it, the game's minimum requirement is a Core i-5 2400, which is also a very good CPU as well. Its even cheaper than this (you will save about $50 or more if you don't want to spend on this)Here's my build for you to weigh the cost (PS I wasn't going for Shinny PC, but a powerhouse):Rosewell Micro-ATX Case with 400W Power Supply: Initially $38 from Amazon;s warehouse deals. Got an extra 15% discount because it didn't come with screws, hence $33 Also 400W can power most GPU's but my GPU required 500W, so i bought another PSU :(CPU: Core i5 6500 3.2 ghz: $203 - Ouch! To the wallet, but worth every single dollar. (If it goes on sale at a lower price, I still won't be mad)RAM: Ballistix Sport LT 8GB Single DDR4 - $42.99MOBO: Gigabyte LGA1151 Intel H110 Micro ATX DDR4 Motherboard GA-H110M-A - $49.99GPU: MSI GAMING RX 480 GDDR5 4GB (it was the same price as an RX 470, so why not) - $199.99PSU: EVGA 500 W1, 80+ WHITE 500W, - $35.99Time: At lest 4-6 HoursMiscallaneous: $45All part prices are from Amazon.com at the time of this review.My Hard Drive's were from my old computers and my monitor was also from an old PC as well. You have to understand, this is still under $700 if you add the cost of a monitor mouse and keyboard. It's twice the price of a recent console, but it will perform better. Plus, it is open ended (or "future proof" - don't lie the term). I can upgrade my GPU when the next Gen of consoles are released. And if I become a millionaire before then, I can upgrade to the Skylake's Core i-7 Even then, PC ports will be optimized for the masses!CONCLUSIONYou, as the potential buyer have to weigh the cost, but from my research, this is one of the better gaming PCs you can rig up right now. In fact, a pre-built PC with these components was selling for about $800 a few months ago.So, if you are looking for a budget gaming Rig, ensure you have a strong CPU and GPU. Prices fluctuate, so keep an eye out to get the best value for your money.

As someone upgrading from a Core 2 Duo E7200, this chip is amazing. I'll let the thousand other reviews go into the technical details of the processor, but I want to specifically mention the cooling.I bought this for a brand new build, and with it I also purchased an aftermarket Cooler Master Geminii to ensure that temps stayed low. I'd heard from other reviews that some didn't even receive the stock cooler (which is ridiculous, it's 98% of whats taking up space in the box) or a few that said the stock thermal compound (pre-applied on the heatsink) was pathetic and worth the Arctic Silver upgrade. However, when I purchased this though Amazon (NOT a reseller) I got a factory sealed box with the stock cooler, and it actually works AMAZINGLY.After some stress testing, installing, and heavy game playing, I am happy to report that the highest temps I've seen so far are about 47c. At idle, I get about 25c. And mind you, I monitored this during a 2 hr game installation and a 1080p game workload. I am honestly blown away by the effectiveness of the stock cooler. Of course it wouldn't work for any decent overclocking, but for the 6500, there's no need at all for an aftermarket cooler.UPDATE - 6/6/2017Been using the CPU for mostly gaming, some AutoCad and other editing here and there, and the whole stock air setup is still working magnificently. A little note on my setup: i5 6500, Gtx 1060 6gb, 1TB Samsung EVO SSD, 16gb Ballistix RAM, and 6 Corsair AF120 fans. This CPU has not let me down once. Even under full load during stress testing for almost 20 minutes, the highest temperate recorded was 56 degrees. With a stock cooler. Wow. Knowing this though, I kind of want a K edition card now that I see the enormous overclocking headroom. So maybe I should've spend the extra $40... But no complaints, this particular unit will continue working like a beast for years to come.

For anyone looking to build or upgrade their processor in a gaming/productivity PC, look no further. The intel i5 6500 is one of my favorite processors in its performance range. When I first installed this processor into my PC it was a breeze. I was pretty astounded at the speed, swiftness, and reliability of this processor. This processor can prove to be more than enough for most of your needs. You need it for gaming? It gets the job done right. Productivity? You got it. This i5 can handle most of any tasks you can throw at it. The price also isn’t bad at all for the performance you’re gonna get. It’s a great all around processor.After a couple years of using pretty heavily it has shown some age, however, nothing major. It sometimes will display a little lag and get slow, however, nothing to hinder performance in gaming or nothing to slow your work day down.