Intel Core i5-6400 vs Intel Core i5-6300U

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   If you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice by looking at the Intel Core i5-6400 vs Intel Core i5-6300U tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for rendering, programming, video editing, streaming, machine learning. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or several benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications such as World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, VeraCrypt, MATLAB, PCMark 10, Gears 5, AIDA64, WPrime, RealBench, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 3DMark, Dolphin Emulator, Prime95, UserBenchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, SuperPi, Furmark, 7zip, Handbrake, Blender.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-6300U 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%

Core i5-6300U

50%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i5-6400 is 1% better than Core i5-6300U. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-6400

51%

Core i5-6300U

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	91.3	89.9
Valorant	103.7	102.1
Cyberpunk 2077	58.1	57.2
Apex Legends	97.5	96.0
Call of Duty Warzone	77.8	76.6
Overwatch	84.0	82.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.6	70.5
DOOM Eternal	51.9	51.1
Warzone	80.9	79.6
Assassin's Creed	87.1	85.8
Valheim	86.1	84.7

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 i5-6400

49%

Core i5-6300U

175%

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 i5-6300U is more energy efficient than the Core i5-6400 as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 15W. Power consumption is particularly 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video rendering or video editing, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the processor includes 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 make sure that 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 advantages 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	Intel Core i5-6300U
Cinbench 15 Single-core	140	127
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	497	281
Cinbench 20 Single-core	275	299
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1061	739
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1001	777
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3997	1834

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

	Intel Core i5-6400	Intel Core i5-6300U
Single-Core	1957	1728
Multi-Core	5167	3275

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

	Intel Core i5-6400	Intel Core i5-6300U
Single-Core	959	790
Multi-Core	3221	1817

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 later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of 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 i5-6400	Intel Core i5-6300U
Announcement date	April 01, 2015	April 01, 2015
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Socket	LGA 1151	FCBGA1356
Core name	Skylake	Skylake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	6	6
Turbo Frequency	3.3 MHz	3 MHz
Frequency	2.7 MHz	2.4 MHz
Cores	4	2
Threads	4	4
Bus rate	8 GT/s	4 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	2400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	15 W
Memory type	DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V	DDR4-2133, LPDDR3-1866, DDR3L-1600
Max. Memory	64 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	34.1 GB/s	34.1 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	6 MB	3 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 i5-6400 is 11% better than Core i5-6300U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-6400 has 2 more core than Core i5-6300U. 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: 27
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-6300U is better: 2
However, it should be understood that the summary data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i5-6400 and Intel Core i5-6300U before making a decision which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i5-6400 specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-6300U specs and review.