Intel Core i5-2400 vs Intel Core i7-3770

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Let's say you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice by looking at the Intel Core i5-2400 vs Intel Core i7-3770 tests and understand which is better for games or normal use for programming, streaming, video editing, machine learning, rendering. Here is all 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 read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests such as RealBench, Handbrake, AIDA64, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 3DMark, Furmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), WPrime, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, UserBenchmark, 7zip, MATLAB, PassMark, Gears 5, PCMark 10, Prime95, VeraCrypt, SuperPi, Dolphin Emulator, Blender.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-3770 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 i7-3770

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-2400

51%

Core i7-3770

51%

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 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 small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Control, Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), League of Legends (LOL), Monster Hunter World, DOTA 2A, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Battlefield V, NBA 2K20, Ghostrunner, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Hitman 3, Half-Life: Alyx, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	90.5	91.4
Valorant	102.9	103.8
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	87.2
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: 2K, 4K or FullHD. So 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 i5-2400

26%

Core i7-3770

35%

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 i7-3770 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-2400 since it has less power consumption: 95W vs. 77W. 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, video editing or video rendering, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the program 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 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 i5-2400	Intel Core i7-3770
Cinbench 15 Single-core	104	134
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	378	669
Cinbench 20 Single-core	267	298
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	941	1419
Cinbench 23 Single-core	635	820
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	2350	3650

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

	Intel Core i5-2400	Intel Core i7-3770
Single-Core	1589	2091
Multi-Core	3799	6346

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

	Intel Core i5-2400	Intel Core i7-3770
Single-Core	756	823
Multi-Core	2483	3319

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 i5-2400	Intel Core i7-3770
Announcement date	October 01, 2010	January 01, 2012
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	LGA1155	LGA1155
Core name	Sandy Bridge	Ivy Bridge
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	2
Turbo Frequency	3.4 MHz	3.9 MHz
Frequency	3.1 MHz	3.4 MHz
Cores	4	4
Threads	4	8
Bus rate	5 GT/s	5 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Transistors count	2480 millions	1440 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	95 W	77 W
Memory type	DDR3 1066/1333	DDR3 1333/1600
Max. Memory	32 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	25.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	6 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 i7-3770 is 8% 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: 2
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-3770 is better: 29
Although it should be realized that the summary data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i5-2400 and Intel Core i7-3770 before deciding which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i5-2400 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-3770 specs and review.