Intel Core i5-8400 vs Intel Core i7-8700

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   If you have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i5-8400 vs Intel Core i7-8700 and understand which is better for games or normal use for programming, rendering, streaming, machine learning, video editing. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A thorough review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like Dolphin Emulator, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), DaVinci Resolve Studio, Gears 5, 7zip, Blender, Handbrake, VeraCrypt, Furmark, PassMark, UserBenchmark, MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, Blender, AIDA64, WPrime, SuperPi, Prime95, 3DMark, RealBench, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-8700 or Intel Core i5-8400.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-8400

52%

Core i7-8700

53%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i7-8700 is 1% better than Core i5-8400. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-8400

53%

Core i7-8700

53%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	93.5	94.8
Valorant	106.3	107.7
Cyberpunk 2077	59.5	60.3
Apex Legends	99.9	101.2
Call of Duty Warzone	79.7	80.8
Overwatch	86.1	87.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.3	74.3
DOOM Eternal	53.1	53.8
Warzone	82.9	84.0
Assassin's Creed	89.3	90.4
Valheim	88.2	89.4

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 tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. 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 i5-8400

56%

Core i7-8700

64%

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 i7-8700 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-8400 as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. 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

For example you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, programming, video editing or video rendering, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software 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 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 i5-8400	Intel Core i7-8700
Cinbench 15 Single-core	161	203
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	954	1434
Cinbench 20 Single-core	411	481
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2291	3547
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1023	1146
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	5457	7969

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

	Intel Core i5-8400	Intel Core i7-8700
Single-Core	2442	2706
Multi-Core	9262	13125

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

	Intel Core i5-8400	Intel Core i7-8700
Single-Core	1106	1260
Multi-Core	5408	6618

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 in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest 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 i5-8400	Intel Core i7-8700
Announcement date	October 01, 2017	October 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151-2	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Coffee Lake	Coffee Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	8	8
Turbo Frequency	4 MHz	4.6 MHz
Frequency	2.8 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	6	6
Threads	6	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	2470 millions	3200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	41.6 GB/s	41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	9 MB	12 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 i7-8700 is 12% better than Core i5-8400 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 i5-8400 is better: 1
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-8700 is better: 25
Although 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 quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i5-8400 and Intel Core i7-8700 before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i5-8400 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-8700 specs and review.