Intel Core i5-4460 vs Intel Core i5-8400

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Let's say you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i5-4460 vs Intel Core i5-8400 and see which is better for games or simple use for streaming, machine learning, programming, rendering, video editing. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or several benchmarks. A careful review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like PCMark 10, Blender, PassMark, 7zip, WPrime, RealBench, UserBenchmark, AIDA64, SuperPi, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Gears 5, Dolphin Emulator, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Handbrake, Prime95, 3DMark, Furmark, VeraCrypt, MATLAB.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-8400 or Intel Core i5-4460.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-4460

51%

Core i5-8400

52%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i5-8400 is 1% better than Core i5-4460. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-4460

51%

Core i5-8400

53%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	91.0	93.5
Valorant	103.4	106.3
Cyberpunk 2077	57.9	59.5
Apex Legends	97.2	99.9
Call of Duty Warzone	77.6	79.7
Overwatch	83.8	86.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.4	73.3
DOOM Eternal	51.7	53.1
Warzone	80.7	82.9
Assassin's Creed	86.9	89.3
Valheim	85.8	88.2

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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. 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 i5-4460

34%

Core i5-8400

56%

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 i5-8400 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-4460 as it consumes less power: 84W 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, programming, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. 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. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the advantages 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 i5-4460	Intel Core i5-8400
Cinbench 15 Single-core	132	161
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	477	954
Cinbench 20 Single-core	325	411
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1177	2291
Cinbench 23 Single-core	714	1023
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	2716	5457

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

	Intel Core i5-4460	Intel Core i5-8400
Single-Core	1877	2442
Multi-Core	4794	9262

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

	Intel Core i5-4460	Intel Core i5-8400
Single-Core	881	1106
Multi-Core	2955	5408

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 later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in new games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i5-4460	Intel Core i5-8400
Announcement date	April 01, 2014	October 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	LGA1150	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Haswell	Coffee Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	4	8
Turbo Frequency	3.4 MHz	4 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	2.8 MHz
Cores	4	6
Threads	4	6
Bus rate	5 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	22 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	2470 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	84 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	32 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	6 MB	9 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 i5-4460 is 12% better than Core i5-8400 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-8400 has 2 more core than Core i5-4460. 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 i5-4460 is better: 1
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-8400 is better: 33
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i5-4460 and Intel Core i5-8400 before making a selection which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i5-4460 specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-8400 specs and review.