Intel Core i5-2400 vs Intel Core i5-6500

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   For example you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i5-2400 vs Intel Core i5-6500 and see which is better for games or simple use for rendering, video editing, programming, machine learning, streaming. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Furmark, Blender, Gears 5, Prime95, VeraCrypt, Handbrake, UserBenchmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Dolphin Emulator, SuperPi, PassMark, AIDA64, PCMark 10, RealBench, 7zip, Blender, 3DMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, DaVinci Resolve Studio, WPrime, MATLAB.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-6500 or Intel Core i5-2400.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-2400

51%

Core i5-6500

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-2400

51%

Core i5-6500

51%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	90.5	91.4
Valorant	102.9	103.9
Cyberpunk 2077	57.6	58.2
Apex Legends	96.7	97.6
Call of Duty Warzone	77.2	77.9
Overwatch	83.3	84.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.0	71.7
DOOM Eternal	51.4	51.9
Warzone	80.2	81.0
Assassin's Creed	86.4	87.3
Valheim	85.4	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 video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-2400

26%

Core i5-6500

51%

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 i5-6500 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-2400 since it has less power consumption: 95W 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 count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU includes 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 make sure that the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to work, 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 i5-2400	Intel Core i5-6500
Cinbench 15 Single-core	104	153
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	378	565
Cinbench 20 Single-core	267	354
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	941	1299
Cinbench 23 Single-core	635	842
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	2350	2928

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

	Intel Core i5-2400	Intel Core i5-6500
Single-Core	1589	2149
Multi-Core	3799	5644

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

	Intel Core i5-2400	Intel Core i5-6500
Single-Core	756	1004
Multi-Core	2483	3346

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 in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. 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 in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-2400	Intel Core i5-6500
Announcement date	October 01, 2010	April 01, 2015
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	LGA1155	LGA 1151
Core name	Sandy Bridge	Skylake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	2	6
Turbo Frequency	3.4 MHz	3.6 MHz
Frequency	3.1 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	4	4
Threads	4	4
Bus rate	5 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	2480 millions	1760 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	95 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR3 1066/1333	DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V
Max. Memory	32 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	34.1 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	6 MB	6 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 i5-6500 is 3% better than Core i5-2400 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 i5-2400 is better: 1
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-6500 is better: 30
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i5-2400 and Intel Core i5-6500 before making a choice which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i5-2400 specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-6500 specs and review.