Intel Core i5-6400 vs Intel Core i5-7200U

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Perhaps you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i5-6400 vs Intel Core i5-7200U and decide which is better for games or simple use for video editing, programming, rendering, streaming, machine learning. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. 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 video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, SuperPi, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Handbrake, AIDA64, Blender, RealBench, Dolphin Emulator, Furmark, UserBenchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, WPrime, VeraCrypt, 3DMark, Gears 5, MATLAB, PCMark 10, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 7zip, PassMark, Prime95.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-7200U 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 i5-7200U

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-6400

51%

Core i5-7200U

51%

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 this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a little game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Horizon Zero Dawn, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Forza Horizon 4, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Battlefield V, Ghostrunner, League of Legends (LOL), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Control, Hitman 3, DOTA 2A, Half-Life: Alyx, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Metro Exodus, Monster Hunter World, NBA 2K20.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	91.3	90.0
Valorant	103.7	102.3
Cyberpunk 2077	58.1	57.3
Apex Legends	97.5	96.1
Call of Duty Warzone	77.8	76.7
Overwatch	84.0	82.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.6	70.6
DOOM Eternal	51.9	51.1
Warzone	80.9	79.8
Assassin's Creed	87.1	85.9
Valheim	86.1	84.9

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 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: 4K, 2K 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%

Core i5-7200U

192%

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 i5-7200U is more energy efficient than the Core i5-6400 since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 15W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, 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 make sure that the program 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 run, 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 i5-6400	Intel Core i5-7200U
Cinbench 15 Single-core	140	132
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	497	334
Cinbench 20 Single-core	275	308
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1061	652
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1001	817
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3997	1978

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

	Intel Core i5-6400	Intel Core i5-7200U
Single-Core	1957	1807
Multi-Core	5167	3391

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

	Intel Core i5-6400	Intel Core i5-7200U
Single-Core	959	864
Multi-Core	3221	1952

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 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. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-6400	Intel Core i5-7200U
Announcement date	April 01, 2015	October 01, 2016
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Socket	LGA 1151	FCBGA1356
Core name	Skylake	Kaby Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	6	7
Turbo Frequency	3.3 MHz	3.1 MHz
Frequency	2.7 MHz	2.5 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	1810 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 7% better than Core i5-7200U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-6400 has 2 more core than Core i5-7200U. 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 i5-7200U is better: 4
Although it should be understood that all the data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i5-6400 and Intel Core i5-7200U before making a decision which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i5-6400 specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-7200U specs and review.