Core i5-8400 CPU By Intel Review
Core i5-8400 CPU[amazon fields=”B0759FGJ3Q” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_alt=”Core i5-8400 “] [amazon fields=”B0759FGJ3Q” value=”button”] The Core i5-8400 is a six-core CPU with six threads, 2.8 GHz base clock and 4.0 GHz maximum clock, being one of the mainstream models from Intel’s eighth generation of Core i CPUs. Let’s see how fast it is. The new eighth generation of Core i7 CPUs from Intel, codename Coffee Lake, was recently launched with the new Z370 chipset. In this new generation, the microarchitecture is very similar to the previous one (Kaby Lake), with the same graphics engines, same supported technologies, and the same 14 nm manufacturing technology. The biggest difference is the CPU core count: while, on previous generations, Core i7 CPUs had four cores and eight threads (thanks to the Hyper-Threading technology), Core i5 had four cores and four threads, and the Core i3 had two cores and four threads, on the eighth generation Core i7 CPUs have six cores (and 12 threads), Core i5 processors have six cores (and six threads), and Core i3 CPUs now have four cores (and four threads, as they lose HT technology).It may be motivated by the launch of AMD Ryzen processors, that bring more cores than Intel counterparts, with similar single core performance. The tendency of the industry is to offer a higher core count on desktop CPUs, and we can expect programs and games to take advantage of the extra cores in the near future. Keep in mind that, even if the socket used by the eighth generation CPUs is physically the same used in the sixth and seventh generations (LGA1151), the pin disposition is not exactly the same, allegedly to meet the higher power demand of the new CPUs with more cores. Because of this, sixth and seventh generation CPUs do not work in motherboards designed for the eighth generation ones (that use 300-series chipsets), and vice-versa. The Core i5-8400 is the most basic CPU of the new Core i5 family, being aimed at cost/benefit-oriented desktop computers for gaming or working. It has a base clock of 2.8 GHz and a maximum Turbo clock of 4.0 GHz, with 9 MiB of L3 cache. It has a TDP of 65 W and brings Intel UHD 630 integrated video running up to 1.05 GHz.
[amazon fields=”B0759FGJ3Q” value=”button”] |
It is sold with a cooler, but we received the CPU sample only. Figure 1 shows the Core i5-8400
The Core i5-8400
Figure 1
In Figure 2 we have the underside of the CPU.
Underside of the Core i5-8400
Figure 2
For our benchmarks, we compared the Core i5-8400 to the Ryzen 5 1500X (review here), which is its direct competitor, and to the Core i5-7400 (read about it here), which is the CPU to be replaced in the market by the Core i5-8400. We also included the Core i7-8700K (review), the Ryzen 7 1700X (read review here), and the Core i7-7700K (review).
We used a GeForce GTX 1080 video card on all tests.
Let’s compare the main specs of the reviewed CPUs on the next page.
In the tables below, we compare the main features of the CPUs included in our review.
CPU |
Cores |
HT/SMT |
IGP |
Internal Clock |
Turbo Clock |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Core i5-8400
|
6 |
No |
Yes |
2.8 GHz |
4.0 GHz |
Core i7-8700K
|
6 |
Yes |
Yes |
3.7 GHz |
4.7 GHz |
Ryzen 5 1500X
|
4 |
Yes |
No |
3.0 GHz |
3.7 GHz |
Core i5-7400
|
4 |
No |
Yes |
3.0 GHz |
3.5 GHz |
Ryzen 7 1700X
|
8 |
Yes |
No |
3..4 GHz |
3.8 GHz |
Core i7-7700K
|
4 |
Yes |
Yes |
4.2 GHz |
4.5 GHz |
CPU |
Turbo Clock |
Core |
Tech. |
TDP |
Socket |
Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Core i5-8400
|
4.0 GHz |
Coffee Lake |
14 nm |
65W |
LGA1151 |
USD 700 |
Core i7-8700K
|
4.7 GHz |
Coffee Lake |
14 nm |
95W |
LGA1151 |
USD 380 |
Ryzen 5 1500X |
3.7 GHz |
SUmmit Ridge |
14 nm |
65W |
AM4 |
USD 190 |
Core i5-7400
|
3.5 GHz |
Kaby Lake |
14 nm |
65W |
LGA1151 |
USD 190 |
Ryzen 7 1700X
|
3.8 GHz |
Summit Ridge |
14 nm |
95W |
AM4 |
USD 360 |
Core i7-7700K
|
4.5 GHz |
Kaby Lake |
14 nm |
91W |
LGA1151 |
USD 340 |
Below you can see the memory configuration for each CPU.
CPU |
L2 Cache |
L3 Cache |
Memory Support |
Memory Channels |
---|---|---|---|---|
Core i5-8400
|
6 x 256 KiB |
9 MiB |
Up to DDR4-2666 |
2
|
Pentium G4600
|
2 x 256 KiB |
3 MiB |
Up to DDR4-2400 |
2
|
Core i7-8700K
|
6 x 256 KiB |
12 MiB |
Up to DDR4-2666 |
2
|
Core i5-7400
|
4 x 256 MiB |
6 MiB |
Up to DDR4-2400 |
2
|
Ryzen 7 1700X
|
8 x 512 KiB |
2 x 4 MiB |
Up to DDR4-2666 |
2
|
Core i7-7700K
|
4 x 256 KiB |
8 MiB |
Up to DDR4-2400 |
2
|
During our benchmarking sessions, we used the configuration listed below. Between our benchmarking sessions, the only variable devicand was the CPU being tested, besides the motherboard, which had to be replaced to match the different CPUs.
Hardware Configuration
- Motherboard (Coffee Lake): Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming
- Motherboard (Kaby Lake): Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 7
- Motherboard (AM4): ASRock X370 Taichi
- Memory: 16 GiB, two DDR4-3200 8 GiB Geil modules configured at 2666 MHz
- Boot drive: Samsung 960 EVO 500 GiB SSD
- Video Card: GeForce GTX 1080
- Video Monitor: Philips 236VL
- Power Supply: Corsair CX600
Operating System Configuration
- Windows 10 Home 64-bit
- NTFS
- Video resolution: 1920 x 1080 60 Hz
Driver Versions
- NVIDIA driver version: 387.92
Software Used
- 3DMark
- Blender
- Cinebench R15
- CPU-Z 1.81
- Handbrake
- PCMark 10
- WinRAR 5.5
- V-Ray Benchmark
- Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
- Dirt Rally
- GTA V
- Hitman
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
Error Margin
We adopted a 4% error margin. Thus, differences below 4% are not considered relevant. In other words, products with a performance difference below 4% should be considered as having similar performance.
PCMark 10
PCMark 10 is benchmarking software that uses real-world applications to measure computer performance. We ran the standard test, which included opening applications, web browsing, writing, photo editing, video chat, video conversion, and rendering. Let’s see the results.
On the 3DMark 10 benchmark, the Core i5-8400 was 15% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 14% faster than the Core i5-7400.
3DMark
3DMark is a program with a set of several 3D benchmarks. Time Spy runs a DirectX 12 simulation; Fire Strike runs a “heavy” DirectX 11 simulation, and Sky Diver also measures DirectX 11 performance but is aimed at average computer
On Time Spy, the Core i5-8400 was 5% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 10% faster than the Core i5-7400.
On the Fire Strike benchmark, the Core i5-8400 was 6% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 15% faster than the Core i5-7400.
On the Sky Diver benchmark, the Core i5-8400 was 9% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 23% faster than the Core i5-7400.
Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15 is based on Cinema 4D software. It’s very useful for measuring performance gain obtained by the presence of several processing cores while rendering heavy 3D images. Rendering is an area where a bigger number of cores helps a lot because usually, this kind of software recognizes several processors (Cinebench R15, for example, can use up to 256 processing cores).
We ran the CPU benchmark, which renders a complex image using all the processing cores (real and virtual) to speed up the process. The result is given as a score
On Cinebench R15 CPU benchmark, the Core i5-8400 was 15% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 71% faster than the Core i5-7400.
Blender
Blender is an image and movie rendering software that uses all the threads of the CPU. We used the program to render a heavy image of a project named Gooseberry Benchmark. The graph below shows the time the CPU used to finish the image, so the less, the better.
On Blender, the Core i5-8400 was 16% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 64% faster than the Core i5-7400.
CPU-Z
On its current version, the well-known hardware identification software CPU-Z comes with a benchmarking tool, which measures CPU performance for one core and for all available cores.
On the single thread benchmark, the Core i5-8400 was 10% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 16% faster than the Core i5-7400.
On the multiple thread benchmark, the Core i5-8400 was 16% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 66% faster than the Core i5-7400.
Handbrake
Media Espresso is a video conversion program that uses the graphics processing unit of the video engine to speed up the conversion process. We converted a 1 GiB, 1920x1080i, 23,738 kbps, .mov video file to a smaller 320×200, H.264, .MP4 file for viewing on a smartphone. The results below are given in seconds, so the lower the better
Here the Core i5-8400 was 23% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 60% faster than the Core i5-7400.
WinRAR
Another task where the CPU is very demanded is on file compacting. We ran a test compacting a folder with 8 GiB on 6.813 files to a file, using WinRAR 4.2. The graph below shows the time taken for each test.
In WinRAR, the Core i5-8400 was 32% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 20% faster than the Core i5-7400.
V-Ray Benchmark
V-Ray Benchmark is a tool for measuring image rendering performance using the processor and the graphics card. It renders two images, one using the processor (CPU) and one using the video engine (GPU). We ran the benchmark and compared the CPU time in the graphics below.
On V-Ray, the Core i5-8400 was 23% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 67% faster than the Core i5-7400.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is an action RPG with FPS elements, launched in August 2016, that uses the Dawn engine, being compatible with DirectX 12. We tested it using the benchmark included in the game, with DirectX 12 enabled, Full HD, and graphics options as “medium”.
The results below are expressed in frames per second.
On this game, the Core i5-8400 was 27% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 11% faster than the Core i5-7400.
Dirt Rally
Dirt Rally is an off-road racing game released in April 2015, using Ego engine. To measure performance using this game, we ran the performance test included in the game, in 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) resolution, image quality configured as “medium” and MSAA off.
The results below are expressed in frames per second (fps).
In this game, the Core i5-8400 was 29% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 19% faster than the Core i5-7400.
Grand Theft Auto V
Grand
In this game, the Core i5-8400 was 29% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 19% faster than the Core i5-7400.
Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto V, or simply GTA V, is an open-world action game released for PCs in April of 2015, using the RAGE engine. In order to measure performance in this game, we ran the performance test of the game, measuring the framerate with FRAPS. We ran GTA V at Full HD, with all image quality settings as “normal” and MSAA off.
The results below are expressed in frames per second.
In GTA V, the Core i5-8400 was 24% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 33% faster than the Core i5-7400.
Hitman
Hitman is an action/stealth game, launched in March 2016, that uses a DirectX 12 compatible version of the Glacier 2 engine. To measure performance in this game, we ran the benchmark in it, measuring the framerate with FRAPS. We ran this game in Full HD, with DirectX 12 enabled and image quality set as “medium”.
The results below are expressed in frames per second.
On Hitman, the Core i5-8400 was 46% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 48% faster than the Core i5-7400.
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Rise of the Tomb Raider is an adventure/action game launched in January of 2016, based on Foundation engine. In order to measure the performance using this game, we ran the benchmark included on it, using Full HD resolution and graphics quality set to “medium”.
The results below are expressed in frames per second.
Also on Rise of the Tomb Raider, the Core i5-8400 was 30% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and 9% faster than the Core i5-7400.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an open-world RPG, released in May of 2015 and based on the REDengine 3 engine. In order to measure the performance in this game, we walk around at the first scene of the game, measuring the framerate with FRAPS three times. We ran the game at Full HD (1920 x 1080), with image quality set to “medium”.
The results below are expressed in frames per second and represent the arithmetical mean of the three collected results.
In this game, the Core i5-8400 was 7% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X, and performed similarly to the Core i5-7400.
As well as in the Core i7-8700K, Intel improved their Core i CPUs in the eighth generation in their main limitation, the lower core count, when compared to the AMD competitors.
The Core i5 CPUs have been, for a long time, some of the best options for the user who wants a computer for work or gaming, focusing on cost/benefit ratio. Now, with the new Core i5 family bringing six physical cores, and not four like the models before, the Core i5-8400 is a lot faster than its predecessor, the Core i5-7400, in professional tasks like video and image processing and improving game performance.
[amazon box=”B07KNKWQKR” ]
[amazon box=”B079YGH4QP” ]
Conclusion
Compared to its direct competitor, the Ryzen 5 1500X, the Core i5-8400 is still faster in games (which the seventh generation model already was) but now the extra cores make a difference and it’s also faster in tasks that use all the available threads.
Our most important conclusion is, actually, a surprise: in all of our gaming benchmarks, the Core i5-8400 performed similarly to the Core i7-7700K and even to the new Core i7-8700K. It makes us conclude that the Core i5-8400 is a better option for gaming c
omputers than the Core i7 models since it offers the same performance, and costs half the price.
Leave a Reply