Intel Core i5-10400 vs Intel Core i7-4790K

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Perhaps you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice after reading the detailed tests Intel Core i5-10400 vs Intel Core i7-4790K and see which is better for games or simple use for streaming, programming, rendering, machine learning, video editing. Here you can find useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications such as World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Gears 5, 3DMark, Furmark, SuperPi, AIDA64, VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, PassMark, Handbrake, MATLAB, Blender, Prime95, RealBench, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PCMark 10, 7zip, WPrime, Blender, Dolphin Emulator, DaVinci Resolve Studio.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-4790K or Intel Core i5-10400.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-10400

53%

Core i7-4790K

52%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i5-10400 is 1% better than Core i7-4790K. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-10400

53%

Core i7-4790K

52%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.8	92.8
Valorant	107.7	105.5
Cyberpunk 2077	60.3	59.1
Apex Legends	101.2	99.2
Call of Duty Warzone	80.8	79.1
Overwatch	87.2	85.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.3	72.8
DOOM Eternal	53.9	52.8
Warzone	84.0	82.3
Assassin's Creed	90.5	88.6
Valheim	89.4	87.6

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 comparisons not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. So 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 i5-10400

63%

Core i7-4790K

46%

To make a final resolution 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 i5-10400 is more energy efficient than the Core i7-4790K since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 88W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video rendering or video editing, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the processor uses all cores and threads 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 program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the advantages 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 i5-10400	Intel Core i7-4790K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	190	169
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1341	854
Cinbench 20 Single-core	450	411
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3197	1982
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1110	1069
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	7610	4936

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

	Intel Core i5-10400	Intel Core i7-4790K
Single-Core	2626	2491
Multi-Core	12503	8030

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

	Intel Core i5-10400	Intel Core i7-4790K
Single-Core	1245	1230
Multi-Core	6654	4747

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i5-10400	Intel Core i7-4790K
Announcement date	April 01, 2020	April 01, 2014
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1200	LGA1150
Core name	Comet Lake	Devil's Canyon
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	10	4
Turbo Frequency	4.3 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	2.9 MHz	4 MHz
Cores	6	4
Threads	12	8
Bus rate	8 GT/s	5 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	22 nm
Transistors count	4800 millions	1420 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	88 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V
Max. Memory	128 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	41.6 GB/s	25.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	12 MB	8 MB
Overclocking	Yes	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 i7-4790K is 27% better than Core i5-10400 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-10400 has 2 more core than Core i7-4790K. 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 i5-10400 is better: 31
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-4790K is better: 3
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. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i5-10400 and Intel Core i7-4790K before making a choice which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i5-10400 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-4790K specs and review.