🧠 Key Specifications
⚙️ CPU Details
Generation: 6th Gen Intel® Core™ (Skylake)
Cores / Threads: 4 cores / 4 threads — no Hyper-Threading support, so each core handles one thread.
Base Clock Speed: 3.20 GHz — solid speed for general workloads.
Max Turbo Boost Frequency: 3.60 GHz — automatically boosts clock speed under load.
Cache: 6 MB Intel® Smart Cache — shared memory for fast data access.
Thermal Design Power (TDP): 65 W — typical for mainstream desktop CPUs.
Manufacturing Process: 14 nm technology.
💻 Socket & Compatibility
CPU Socket: LGA 1151 — works with Intel 100-series motherboards such as B150, H110, H170, Z170, etc.
Designed for desktop systems, not laptops.
🧠 Memory Support
🎮 Integrated Graphics
Intel® HD Graphics 530 — built-in GPU for everyday visuals and light graphics tasks.
Graphics base frequency around 350 MHz, with dynamic boost up to ~1.05 GHz.
Supports 4K output via compatible display connections like DisplayPort/HDMI.
🚀 Performance & Use Cases
🧩 Everyday Tasks
✔ Smooth performance for web browsing, office work, video playback, and basic multitasking.
🕹️ Light Gaming & Media
✔ Handles older or less demanding games when paired with a suitable GPU.
✔ Good for casual gaming and multimedia playback with integrated graphics.
📈 Productivity
✔ Capable for basic photo editing, coding, and productivity workloads — but limited for very heavy or modern multi-threaded applications due to only 4 threads.
🧰 Features & Technologies
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0: Improves performance under load by increasing clock speeds.
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x): Supports virtualization tasks.
Supports AVX2, SSE4.1/4.2 and advanced instruction sets for improved performance in optimized software.
Includes Intel® Clear Video HD and Quick Sync Video for better video decoding and playback.
📌 Summary
The Intel Core i5-6500 is a quad-core desktop CPU from Intel’s 6th Gen Skylake lineup, offering good all-around performance for everyday computing, light gaming, and basic productivity. While it’s older and doesn’t support Hyper-Threading, it remains usable in many systems for general tasks and was a popular mid-range choice in its era.
