Intel Core i5-6400 vs Intel Core i7-4790

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   If there are difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Intel Core i5-6400 vs Intel Core i7-4790 and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, programming, streaming, machine learning, rendering. Here you can find useful information from several benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications like Gears 5, Furmark, Prime95, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, RealBench, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, VeraCrypt, 3DMark, Blender, PassMark, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 7zip, SuperPi, WPrime, Dolphin Emulator, Handbrake, AIDA64, MATLAB.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-4790 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 i7-4790

52%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i7-4790 is 1% better than Core i5-6400. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-6400

51%

Core i7-4790

52%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	91.3	92.1
Valorant	103.7	104.7
Cyberpunk 2077	58.1	58.6
Apex Legends	97.5	98.4
Call of Duty Warzone	77.8	78.5
Overwatch	84.0	84.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.6	72.2
DOOM Eternal	51.9	52.3
Warzone	80.9	81.6
Assassin's Creed	87.1	87.9
Valheim	86.1	86.9

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%

Core i7-4790

31%

To make a finishing choice 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 Core i7-4790 since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 84W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video rendering or video editing, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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 run, 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 i7-4790
Cinbench 15 Single-core	140	145
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	497	728
Cinbench 20 Single-core	275	384
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1061	1819
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1001	974
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3997	4564

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

	Intel Core i5-6400	Intel Core i7-4790
Single-Core	1957	2247
Multi-Core	5167	7177

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

	Intel Core i5-6400	Intel Core i7-4790
Single-Core	959	785
Multi-Core	3221	4018

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 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, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. The economy 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 i7-4790
Announcement date	April 01, 2015	April 01, 2014
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	LGA 1151	FCLGA1150
Core name	Skylake	Haswell
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	6	4
Turbo Frequency	3.3 MHz	4 MHz
Frequency	2.7 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	4	4
Threads	4	8
Bus rate	8 GT/s	5 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	22 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	1480 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	84 W
Memory type	DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V	DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V
Max. Memory	64 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	34.1 GB/s	25.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	6 MB	8 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 i7-4790 is 25% better than Core i5-6400 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 i5-6400 is better: 10
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-4790 is better: 23
However, it should be realized that the summary data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i5-6400 and Intel Core i7-4790 before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i5-6400 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-4790 specs and review.