Description
Pros
Strong multi-threaded performance
Most affordable six core processor
Includes Intel stock cooler
Great gaming performance when paired with a graphics card
Cons
Requires manual overclocking
Intel Core i5 8400 is the most budget friendly processor for gaming maniacs who have a light pocket but require high configuration processor to play games without any disruption or frame hitches. It is also a bliss for gamers who require extreme frame rate for high refresh rate gaming.
The Core i5 8400 has six high speed physical cores i.e. 2 additional cores as compared to its previous generation. It has a base frequency of 2.8 GHz and can turbo to a speed of 4.0 GHz for single threaded applications and workloads.
It has a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 65 W with limitation of manual over-clocking. Hyper-threading is still missing in 8th Generation i5 processors same as its predecessors. Another limitation which is present in all Intel 8th Generation Coffee Lake CPU’s is they will only work with Z370 chipset motherboards.
We recommend MSI Z370-A PRO motherboard priced at around $111 (on Amazon.com) for Core i5 8400 based on its compatibility , features and price.
Intel Core i5 8400 – Specifications
Following are the major specifications of Intel Core i5 8400:
Performance Specifications
| No. of Cores | 6 |
| No. of Threads | 6 |
| Processor Base Frequency | 2.8 GHz |
| TDP | 65 W |
| Cache | 9 MB SmartCache |
| Bus Speed | 8 GT/s DMI3 |
| Max Turbo Frequency | 4.0 GHz |
Memory Specifications
| Max Memory Size | 64 GB |
| Memory Types | DDR4-2666 |
| Max number of memory channels | 2 |
| Max Memory Bandwidth | 41.6 GB/s |
| ECC Memory supported | No |
Graphics Specifications
| Processor Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
| Intel Quick Sync Video | Yes |
| Graphics Video Max Memory (GB) | 64 |
| Graphics Base Frequency (MHz) | 350 |
| Max Resolution (HDMI 1.4) (Hz) | 4096*2304@24 |
| DirectX Support | 12 |
| No. of displays supported | 3 |
| OpenGL Support | 4.5 |
| Graphics Maximum Dynamic Frequency (GHz) | 1.05 |
Intel Core i5 8400 Performance Review
Intel Core i5 8400 features six physical cores with a 2.8 GHz base frequency which is lowest amongst all its Coffee lake processors.The low base frequency may look bad but Intel’s turbo boost technology speeds up the frequencies to work faster in heavier workloads without overloading all of its physical cores. So Core i5 8400 turbo boost bins trail behind the more expensive i5 8600K only by 300 MHz.
The Core i5 8400 also has an impressive turbo boost speed of 4.0 GHz as compared to its low base frequency of 2.8 GHZ which can sound scary, but in terms of performance with fully loaded six cores it can perform at speed of 3.8 GHz which is pretty impressive !!!
In terms of heating, it may exceed its 65 W TDP but does not become overheated. So in comparison to its Kaby lake predecessors , you get 50% more cores and same or higher clock speeds.
The Core i5 8400 also includes an Intel cooler and fan in the same package making it a very great purchase for gaming geeks.
Intel Core i5 8400 Versus Ryzen 5 1500X Review
Let us compare Core i5 8400 to its direct competitor Ryzen 5 1500X:
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Features, Specifications and Price
Below table provides a glance of all the features, specifications and price of Core i5 8400 and Ryzen 5 1500X:
| Features | Core i5 8400 | Ryzen 5 1500X |
| Core | 6 | 4 |
| Base Frequency (GHz) | 2.8 | 3.5 |
| Turbo Frequency (GHz) | 4.0 | 3.7 |
| TDP (W) | 65 | 65 |
| Socket | LGA1151 | AM4 |
| L2 Cache | 6*256 KiB | 4*512 MiB |
| Price (Amazon.com) | $178.99 | $149.99 |
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Benchmark Review
Here we compare all the major benchmarks of both processors in terms of performance in applications and graphics:
| Benchmarks | Core i5 8400 | Ryzen 5 1500X |
| PCMark10 (Index) | 5732 | 4986 |
| 3D Mark (Index) | 6644 | 6336 |
| Cinebench R15 (Index) | 938 | 816 |
| Blender(minutes) | 83 | 96 |
| Winrar (seconds) | 307 | 405 |
| CPU-Z multithread | 471 | 430 |
Compared to its direct competitor Ryzen 5 1500X, Core i5 8400 wins in better specifications , processor , applications and gaming performance. However, in terms of price, Ryzen 5 1500X is cheaper by narrow margin of $30 as compared to i5 8400.
Intel Core i5 8400 Price Review
Core i5 8400 (as on Amazon.com) prices varies between $178.99 to $232.55 which is similar to previous generation i5-7400 , hence a great value to get couple of more cores at same price !!!
Core i5 8400 (as on Amazon.in) prices varies in India starting from Rs. 14,749 to Rs. 15,000.
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