Intel Core i3-8121U vs Intel Core i5-7400

Processor comparisons 20-01-2022

   If you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i3-8121U vs Intel Core i5-7400 and decide which is better for games or normal use for streaming, rendering, machine learning, video editing, programming. Here you can find all information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications like Prime95, RealBench, SuperPi, Dolphin Emulator, 7zip, PCMark 10, WPrime, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 3DMark, VeraCrypt, Blender, MATLAB, PassMark, UserBenchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, AIDA64, Handbrake, Blender, Gears 5, Furmark.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-7400 or Intel Core i3-8121U.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i3-8121U

51%

Core i5-7400

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-8121U

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 this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you 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 CPU comparisons were performed: NBA 2K20, Ghostrunner, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Battlefield V, League of Legends (LOL), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), DOTA 2A, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Half-Life: Alyx, Horizon Zero Dawn, Control, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Forza Horizon 4, Monster Hunter World, Hitman 3.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	90.1	91.4
Valorant	102.4	103.9
Cyberpunk 2077	57.3	58.2
Apex Legends	96.2	97.6
Call of Duty Warzone	76.8	77.9
Overwatch	82.9	84.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	70.6	71.7
DOOM Eternal	51.2	51.9
Warzone	79.9	81.0
Assassin's Creed	86.0	87.3
Valheim	85.0	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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful 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 i3-8121U

200%

Core i5-7400

49%

To make a final resolution on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i3-8121U is more energy efficient than the Core i5-7400 since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to know its TDP. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the processor uses all threads and cores that it has. 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 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 i3-8121U	Intel Core i5-7400
Cinbench 15 Single-core	139	149
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	305	564
Cinbench 20 Single-core	340	345
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	598	1266
Cinbench 23 Single-core	563	820
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	2184	2853

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

	Intel Core i3-8121U	Intel Core i5-7400
Single-Core	1939	2131
Multi-Core	4369	5499

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

	Intel Core i3-8121U	Intel Core i5-7400
Single-Core	901	959
Multi-Core	2063	3349

Comparison of specifications

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

	Intel Core i3-8121U	Intel Core i5-7400
Announcement date	July 07, 2018	January 01, 2017
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	Unknown	FCLGA1151
Core name	Cannon Lake	Kaby Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	8	7
Turbo Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.5 MHz
Frequency	2.2 MHz	3 MHz
Cores	2	4
Threads	4	4
Bus rate	4 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	10 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	1800 millions	2460 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-2400, LPDDR4/x-2400	DDR4-2133/2400, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V
Max. Memory	32 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	37.5 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	4 MB	6 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i5-7400 is 26% better than Core i3-8121U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-7400 has 2 more core than Core i3-8121U. 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 i3-8121U is better: 5
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-7400 is better: 29
Although it should be realized that all the figures in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i3-8121U and Intel Core i5-7400 before making a selection which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i3-8121U - all data

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

• Intel Core i3-8121U specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-7400 specs and review.