Intel Core i5-1240U vs Intel Core i9-9900

Processor comparisons 10-01-2022

   Let's say you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the Intel Core i5-1240U vs Intel Core i9-9900 tests and understand which is better for games or normal use for programming, machine learning, video editing, streaming, rendering. Here you can find useful information from many 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 video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like UserBenchmark, PCMark 10, Furmark, SuperPi, AIDA64, WPrime, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 3DMark, PassMark, VeraCrypt, Prime95, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Gears 5, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Handbrake, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, 7zip, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, RealBench, MATLAB.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-9900 or Intel Core i5-1240U.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-1240U

55%

Core i9-9900

55%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-1240U

53%

Core i9-9900

55%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will play 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, 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: Metro Exodus, League of Legends (LOL), Horizon Zero Dawn, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Hitman 3, Half-Life: Alyx, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Battlefield V, Forza Horizon 4, NBA 2K20, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Control, DOTA 2A, Monster Hunter World, Ghostrunner, Microsoft Flight Simulator, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.7	97.1
Valorant	107.7	110.4
Cyberpunk 2077	60.3	61.8
Apex Legends	101.2	103.7
Call of Duty Warzone	80.7	82.8
Overwatch	87.2	89.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.3	76.1
DOOM Eternal	53.8	55.2
Warzone	84.0	86.1
Assassin's Creed	90.4	92.7
Valheim	89.4	91.6

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 tested computers not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. Therefore, 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 i5-1240U

440%

Core i9-9900

74%

To make a final decision 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 i5-1240U is more energy efficient than the Core i9-9900 as it consumes less power: 9W 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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 use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode are unused.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i5-1240U	Intel Core i9-9900
Cinbench 15 Single-core	218	219
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1607	1931
Cinbench 20 Single-core	527	518
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3649	4346
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1233	1284
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12029	12205

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

	Intel Core i5-1240U	Intel Core i9-9900
Single-Core	2885	2864
Multi-Core	16840	17110

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

	Intel Core i5-1240U	Intel Core i9-9900
Single-Core	1189	1454
Multi-Core	6604	8933

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. 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. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-1240U	Intel Core i9-9900
Announcement date	January 07, 2022	April 01, 2019
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	FCBGA1744	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Alder Lake-U	Coffee Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	12	9
Turbo Frequency	4.4 MHz	5 MHz
Frequency	1 MHz	3.1 MHz
Cores	10	8
Threads	12	16
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	10 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	9800 millions	8600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	9 W	65 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s Up to LPDDR5 5200 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	64 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	45.8 GB/s	41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	24 MB	16 MB
Overclocking	No	No
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 i9-9900 is 67% better than Core i5-1240U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-1240U has 2 more core than Core i9-9900. 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 i5-1240U is better: 10
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-9900 is better: 23
However, it should be understood that all the data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i5-1240U and Intel Core i9-9900 before deciding which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i5-1240U - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-1240U specs and review.

Intel Core i9-9900 - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-9900 specs and review.