Intel Core i5-6400 vs AMD FX-8350 Eight-Core

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Perhaps you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision after reading the full tests Intel Core i5-6400 vs AMD FX-8350 Eight-Core and decide which is better for games or simple use for streaming, rendering, programming, machine learning, video editing. Here is useful information from various 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 presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like Cinebench 23 (20, 15), SuperPi, Furmark, AIDA64, WPrime, MATLAB, VeraCrypt, Handbrake, 7zip, PCMark 10, GeekBench 6, 5.2, PassMark, RealBench, UserBenchmark, Prime95, Gears 5, 3DMark, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, Dolphin Emulator.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD FX-8350 Eight-Core or Intel Core i5-6400.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-6400

51%

FX-8350 Eight-Core

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-6400

51%

FX-8350 Eight-Core

51%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. 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 low game result, just 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	91.3	91.0
Valorant	103.7	103.4
Cyberpunk 2077	58.1	57.9
Apex Legends	97.5	97.2
Call of Duty Warzone	77.8	77.6
Overwatch	84.0	83.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.6	71.4
DOOM Eternal	51.9	51.7
Warzone	80.9	80.7
Assassin's Creed	87.1	86.9
Valheim	86.1	85.9

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 that were in the comparisons not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-6400

49%

FX-8350 Eight-Core

16%

To make a finishing resolution 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 i5-6400 is more energy efficient than the FX-8350 Eight-Core since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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 video editing or video rendering, programming, machine learning, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor turns on all threads and cores that it has. You will find out 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 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 i5-6400	AMD FX-8350 Eight-Core
Cinbench 15 Single-core	140	96
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	497	665
Cinbench 20 Single-core	275	209
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1061	1298
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1001	581
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3997	3804

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

	Intel Core i5-6400	AMD FX-8350 Eight-Core
Single-Core	1957	1551
Multi-Core	5167	5940

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

	Intel Core i5-6400	AMD FX-8350 Eight-Core
Single-Core	959	608
Multi-Core	3221	2973

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful 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. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-6400	AMD FX-8350 Eight-Core
Announcement date	April 01, 2015	October 01, 2012
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	LGA 1151	AM3+
Core name	Skylake	Vishera
Architecture	x86	Piledriver
Generation	6	1
Turbo Frequency	3.3 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	2.7 MHz	4 MHz
Cores	4	8
Threads	4	8
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	1200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	125 W
Memory type	DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V	DDR3
Max. Memory	64 Gb
Memory Frequency		1866
Memory bandwidth	34.1 GB/s
L1 cache		384KB
L2 cache		8MB
L3 cache	6 MB	8MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		FD8350FRW8KHK FD8350FRHKBOX

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here FX-8350 Eight-Core is 32% better than Core i5-6400 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that FX-8350 Eight-Core has 4 more core than Core i5-6400. 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 i5-6400 is better: 26
The number of parameters for which AMD FX-8350 Eight-Core is better: 11
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 entirely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i5-6400 and AMD FX-8350 Eight-Core before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i5-6400 specs and review.

• AMD FX-8350 Eight-Core specs and review.