Intel Core i3-6100 vs Intel Core i5-7400

Processor comparisons   04-02-2023
   If you have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i3-6100 vs Intel Core i5-7400 and see which is better for games or simple use for programming, video editing, streaming, machine learning, rendering. Here you can find useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or different benchmarks. A careful review of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications such as AIDA64, MATLAB, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, PassMark, Handbrake, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, UserBenchmark, Furmark, 7zip, SuperPi, RealBench, GeekBench 6, 5.2, VeraCrypt, WPrime, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, 3DMark, Gears 5, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Prime95, PCMark 10.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

Red Dead Redemption 2
Halo Infinite
Last Man Standing
Fortnite
Cyberpunk 2077
DOOM: Eternal
Valorant
Valheim
Borderlands 3
Fallout 76
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Death Stranding
Grand Theft Auto V
Watch Dogs Legion
Rainbow Six Siege
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Overwatch
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Apex Legends

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-7400 or Intel Core i3-6100.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Core i3-6100

51%

Core i5-7400

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-6100

51%

Core i5-7400

51%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a low game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Metro Exodus, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, League of Legends (LOL), Hitman 3, Forza Horizon 4, Horizon Zero Dawn, DOTA 2A, Battlefield V, Ghostrunner, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Half-Life: Alyx, Control, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Monster Hunter World, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), NBA 2K20.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	90.3	91.4
Valorant	102.6	103.9
Cyberpunk 2077	57.5	58.2
Apex Legends	96.5	97.6
Call of Duty Warzone	77.0	77.9
Overwatch	83.1	84.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	70.8	71.7
DOOM Eternal	51.3	51.9
Warzone	80.1	81.0
Assassin's Creed	86.2	87.3
Valheim	85.2	86.2

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K or FullHD. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i3-6100

68%

Core i5-7400

49%

To make a final choice on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i3-6100 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-7400 as it consumes less power: 51W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

For example you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video editing or video rendering, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the benefit of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i3-6100	Intel Core i5-7400
Cinbench 15 Single-core	152	149
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	392	564
Cinbench 20 Single-core	368	345
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	916	1266
Cinbench 23 Single-core	538	820
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	2090	2853

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i3-6100	Intel Core i5-7400
Single-Core	2256	2131
Multi-Core	4180	5499

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i3-6100	Intel Core i5-7400
Single-Core	1050	959
Multi-Core	2271	3349

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i3-6100	Intel Core i5-7400
Announcement date	September 17, 2015	January 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151	FCLGA1151
Core name	Skylake	Kaby Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	6	7
Turbo Frequency		3.5 MHz
Frequency	3.7 MHz	3 MHz
Cores	2	4
Threads	4	4
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	2460 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	51 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V	DDR4-2133/2400, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V
Max. Memory	64 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	34.1 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	3 MB	6 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	Yes	No
Part number	Expansion Options

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i3-6100 is 18% better than Core i5-7400 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-7400 has 2 more core than Core i3-6100. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-6100 is better: 8
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-7400 is better: 23
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i3-6100 and Intel Core i5-7400 before deciding which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i3-6100 - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i3-6100 specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-7400 specs and review.