Intel Core i5-2400 vs Intel Core i7-6700HQ

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   If you have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i5-2400 vs Intel Core i7-6700HQ and understand which is better for games or simple use for rendering, machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like PCMark 10, VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, SuperPi, 3DMark, MATLAB, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, 7zip, Gears 5, Furmark, Blender, RealBench, PassMark, Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, WPrime, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Prime95, Handbrake.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-6700HQ 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 i7-6700HQ

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-2400

51%

Core i7-6700HQ

52%

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 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, just 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: NBA 2K20, League of Legends (LOL), Forza Horizon 4, Ghostrunner, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Monster Hunter World, DOTA 2A, Battlefield V, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Metro Exodus, Half-Life: Alyx, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Control, Hitman 3, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	90.5	91.7
Valorant	102.9	104.2
Cyberpunk 2077	57.6	58.4
Apex Legends	96.7	98.0
Call of Duty Warzone	77.2	78.2
Overwatch	83.3	84.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.0	71.9
DOOM Eternal	51.4	52.1
Warzone	80.2	81.3
Assassin's Creed	86.4	87.5
Valheim	85.4	86.5

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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. 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. 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 i7-6700HQ

71%

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 i7-6700HQ is more energy efficient than the Core i5-2400 since it has less power consumption: 95W vs. 45W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

For example you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, 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 learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can 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 i7-6700HQ
Cinbench 15 Single-core	104	148
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	378	692
Cinbench 20 Single-core	267	361
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	941	1651
Cinbench 23 Single-core	635	891
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	2350	3958

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

	Intel Core i5-2400	Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Single-Core	1589	1937
Multi-Core	3799	6493

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

	Intel Core i5-2400	Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Single-Core	756	971
Multi-Core	2483	3643

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 in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i5-2400	Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Announcement date	October 01, 2010	April 01, 2015
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Socket	LGA1155	FCBGA1440
Core name	Sandy Bridge	Skylake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	2	6
Turbo Frequency	3.4 MHz	3.5 MHz
Frequency	3.1 MHz	2.6 MHz
Cores	4	4
Threads	4	8
Bus rate	5 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	2480 millions	1880 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	95 W	45 W
Memory type	DDR3 1066/1333	DDR4-2133, LPDDR3-1866, DDR3L-1600
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 i5-2400 is 16% better than Core i7-6700HQ 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 i7-6700HQ is better: 30
However, it should be realized that the summary data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i5-2400 and Intel Core i7-6700HQ before deciding which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i5-2400 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-6700HQ specs and review.