Intel Core i5-11400 vs Intel Core i9-10850K

Processor comparisons   19-03-2021
   If you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i5-11400 vs Intel Core i9-10850K and decide which is better for games or simple use for streaming, video editing, programming, rendering, machine learning. Here is useful information from different benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications like UserBenchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Handbrake, Prime95, Blender, SuperPi, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, WPrime, GeekBench 6, 5.2, RealBench, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, 7zip, 3DMark, AIDA64, PCMark 10, Furmark, Gears 5, VeraCrypt.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-10850K or Intel Core i5-11400.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-11400

55%

Core i9-10850K

57%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-10850K is 3% better than Core i5-11400. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-11400

55%

Core i9-10850K

56%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And it is clear that 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 little game result, 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: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Battlefield V, League of Legends (LOL), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Horizon Zero Dawn, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Metro Exodus, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Hitman 3, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Ghostrunner, NBA 2K20, Monster Hunter World, Control, DOTA 2A, Half-Life: Alyx, Forza Horizon 4.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	98.5	99.8
Valorant	111.9	113.4
Cyberpunk 2077	62.7	63.5
Apex Legends	105.2	106.6
Call of Duty Warzone	83.9	85.1
Overwatch	90.7	91.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	77.2	78.3
DOOM Eternal	56.0	56.7
Warzone	87.3	88.5
Assassin's Creed	94.0	95.3
Valheim	92.9	94.1

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 tested computers not only did they have 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-11400

119%

Core i9-10850K

36%

To make a final decision 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 i5-11400 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-10850K as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 125W. Power consumption is particularly 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will find out 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. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, 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 i5-11400	Intel Core i9-10850K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	182	229
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1743	2616
Cinbench 20 Single-core	425	536
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3904	6318
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1110	1367
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10336	16820

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

	Intel Core i5-11400	Intel Core i9-10850K
Single-Core	2476	3074
Multi-Core	18858	23350

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

	Intel Core i5-11400	Intel Core i9-10850K
Single-Core	2332	1383
Multi-Core	10287	11578

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 later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. 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 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 i5-11400	Intel Core i9-10850K
Announcement date	January 20, 2021	April 01, 2020
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1200	FCLGA1200
Core name	Rocket Lake	Comet Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	11	10
Turbo Frequency	4.4 MHz	5.1 MHz
Frequency	2.6 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	6	10
Threads	12	20
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	5400 millions	9200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	125 W
Memory type	DDR4-3200	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	3200
Memory bandwidth	50 GB/s	45.8 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache	3 MB
L3 cache	12 MB	20 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 i9-10850K is 27% better than Core i5-11400 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-10850K has 4 more core than Core i5-11400. 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 i5-11400 is better: 7
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-10850K is better: 27
Although it should be realized that the summary data in the text above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i5-11400 and Intel Core i9-10850K before making a choice which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i5-11400 - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-11400 specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-10850K specs and review.