Core i7-2600S vs Core i5-4460S

The Core i7-2600S packs 4 cores / 8 threads, matching the Core i5-4460S's 4 cores. Boost clocks reach 3.8 GHz on the Core i7-2600S versus 3.4 GHz on the Core i5-4460S — a 11.1% clock advantage for the Core i7-2600S (base: 2.8 GHz vs 2.9 GHz). The Core i7-2600S uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Core i5-4460S uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-2600S scores 4,637 against the Core i5-4460S's 4,645 — a 0.2% lead for the Core i5-4460S. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 630 vs 847, a 29.4% lead for the Core i5-4460S that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 8192 kB (total) on the Core i7-2600S vs 6 MB (total) on the Core i5-4460S.

The Core i7-2600S uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i5-4460S uses LGA1150 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR3-1333 memory speed. Both support up to 32 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 16 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: H61,H67,Z68,B75 (Core i7-2600S) and H81,B85,H87,Z87,H97,Z97 (Core i5-4460S).

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i7-2600S) vs VT-x (Core i5-4460S). Both include integrated graphics — HD Graphics 2000 (Core i7-2600S) and Intel HD Graphics 4600 (Core i5-4460S) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-2600S targets Low Power Desktop, Core i5-4460S targets Office Desktop. Direct competitor: Core i7-2600S rivals Phenom II X4 910e.

The Core i7-2600S launched at $297 MSRP, while the Core i5-4460S debuted at $182. At current prices ($99 vs $50), the Core i5-4460S is $49 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-2600S delivers 46.8 pts/$ vs 92.9 pts/$ for the Core i5-4460S — making the Core i5-4460S the 65.9% better value option.