Intel Core i5-10600 vs Intel Core i5-9400

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Intel Core i5-10600 vs Intel Core i5-9400 and understand which is better for games or simple use for video editing, machine learning, rendering, programming, streaming. Here is all information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software such as WPrime, Handbrake, 7zip, RealBench, Furmark, VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, AIDA64, SuperPi, UserBenchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, PassMark, MATLAB, PCMark 10, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, Gears 5, Prime95, Dolphin Emulator, 3DMark.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-9400 or Intel Core i5-10600.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-10600

54%

Core i5-9400

52%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i5-10600 is 3% better than Core i5-9400. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-10600

54%

Core i5-9400

53%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	95.2	93.5
Valorant	108.1	106.3
Cyberpunk 2077	60.6	59.5
Apex Legends	101.6	99.9
Call of Duty Warzone	81.1	79.7
Overwatch	87.6	86.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.6	73.3
DOOM Eternal	54.1	53.1
Warzone	84.3	82.9
Assassin's Creed	90.8	89.3
Valheim	89.7	88.2

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 comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. 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 i5-10600

67%

Core i5-9400

56%

To make a finishing choice 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 i5-10600 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-9400 since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 65W. 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in 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 i5-10600	Intel Core i5-9400
Cinbench 15 Single-core	214	177
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1569	987
Cinbench 20 Single-core	494	403
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3556	2284
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1286	1051
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	9024	5606

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

	Intel Core i5-10600	Intel Core i5-9400
Single-Core	2832	2474
Multi-Core	13964	9515

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

	Intel Core i5-10600	Intel Core i5-9400
Single-Core	1307	1107
Multi-Core	7015	5420

Comparison of specifications

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

	Intel Core i5-10600	Intel Core i5-9400
Announcement date	April 01, 2020	January 01, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1200	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Comet Lake	Coffee Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	10	9
Turbo Frequency	4.8 MHz	4.1 MHz
Frequency	3.3 MHz	2.9 MHz
Cores	6	6
Threads	12	6
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	4800 millions	3600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	41.6 GB/s	41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	12 MB	9 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 i5-10600 is 12% better than Core i5-9400 in terms of CPU frequency. 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 i5-10600 is better: 27
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-9400 is better: 1
Although it should be realized that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i5-10600 and Intel Core i5-9400 before making a choice which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i5-10600 specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-9400 specs and review.