Intel Core i5-7500
Specifications, where the Core i5-7500 sits for gaming, the graphics card worth pairing with it, and the frame rate the pair returns at every resolution.
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB
The Core i5-7500 and the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB return about 64 fps on High at 1440p with neither part wasting the other. A card slower than the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB wastes the Core i5-7500, and a faster one runs straight into it.
Check current priceon Amazon See the full bottleneck result for this pairCore i5-7500 specifications
| Manufacturer | Intel |
| Released | 2017 |
| Cores and threads | 4 cores, 4 threads |
| Boost clock | 3.8 GHz |
| TDP | 65 W |
| Gaming performance index | 48.0 (Ryzen 7 9800X3D = 100) |
| Multithread index | 27.0 |
What these numbers mean for the Core i5-7500
On our index the Core i5-7500 scores 48.0, which places it 77th of the 83 processors we track and puts it faster than roughly 7% of them.
The Core i5-7500 and the Ryzen 5 2600 land on exactly the same index score of 48.0, so on raw throughput the two are interchangeable and the choice between them comes down to memory, power draw and price on the day.
The Core i5-7500 is tuned for games rather than throughput, scoring 48.0 for games against 27.0 for multithread work, and that shape is the signature of a part built around cache and per core speed at 3.8 GHz rather than around core count, which is what game engines actually use.
The Core i5-7500 has 4 cores and 4 threads, which is below where modern titles are comfortable: several recent games run badly on 4 cores regardless of a 3.8 GHz boost clock, so this is a chip to pair modestly and plan to replace rather than build around.
A 2017 part, so the platform around the Core i5-7500 matters as much as the chip: expect PCIe 3.0, slower memory support and no upgrade path left on that socket after 9 years. Those cost a few percent on top of whatever its 48.0 index says.
Core i5-7500 frame rate at each resolution
The Core i5-7500 paired with the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB on the High preset with 16 GB of system memory. Which part is the limit changes as the resolution climbs for this pair, which is why the Core i5-7500 goes from 81 fps to 37 fps, a fall of 54%, across the three rows.
| Resolution | Estimated fps | Limited by |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p (1920 x 1080) | 81 fps | CPU |
| 1440p (2560 x 1440) | 64 fps | Balanced |
| 4K (3840 x 2160) | 37 fps | GPU |
How the Core i5-7500 compares
6 processors sit within 30% of the Core i5-7500 on our gaming index, running from the Ryzen 9 3900X at +29% to the Ryzen 5 3600X at +23%, a window narrow enough that price, memory and power decide it rather than raw speed.
What to pair with the Core i5-7500, and when to upgrade
When the Core i5-7500 becomes the limit, the Ryzen 5 5500 is the next step worth paying for: 63.0 on our index against 48.0, a jump of 31%, which is roughly where an upgrade stops being something you have to look at a counter to notice. See its specs.
Check the Core i5-7500 against your own parts
Core i5-7500 specifications on this page are from Intel, while its gaming index of 48.0 is modelled from published benchmark data for the Core i5-7500 rather than measured on a test bench, and every frame rate above follows from that figure. How we calculate this