Intel Core i5-9400 vs Intel Core i3-10100

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   For example you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision by looking at the Intel Core i5-9400 vs Intel Core i3-10100 tests and understand which is better for games or normal use for machine learning, rendering, streaming, video editing, programming. Here is all information from many benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like 7zip, RealBench, VeraCrypt, MATLAB, 3DMark, WPrime, Furmark, PassMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Handbrake, Prime95, AIDA64, Gears 5, PCMark 10, GeekBench 6, 5.2, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, SuperPi, UserBenchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Dolphin Emulator, Blender.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i3-10100 or Intel Core i5-9400.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-9400

52%

Core i3-10100

52%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-9400

53%

Core i3-10100

52%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	93.5	92.8
Valorant	106.3	105.5
Cyberpunk 2077	59.5	59.1
Apex Legends	99.9	99.1
Call of Duty Warzone	79.7	79.1
Overwatch	86.1	85.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.3	72.8
DOOM Eternal	53.1	52.7
Warzone	82.9	82.3
Assassin's Creed	89.3	88.6
Valheim	88.2	87.5

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: 2K, 4K 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 i5-9400

56%

Core i3-10100

58%

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 i3-10100 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-9400 since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, video rendering or video editing, programming, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU turns on all cores and threads 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 software 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 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 i5-9400	Intel Core i3-10100
Cinbench 15 Single-core	177	191
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	987	1001
Cinbench 20 Single-core	403	448
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2284	2284
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1051	1144
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	5606	4442

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

	Intel Core i5-9400	Intel Core i3-10100
Single-Core	2474	2617
Multi-Core	9515	8889

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

	Intel Core i5-9400	Intel Core i3-10100
Single-Core	1107	1147
Multi-Core	5420	4722

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 i5-9400	Intel Core i3-10100
Announcement date	January 01, 2019	April 01, 2020
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151-2	FCLGA1200
Core name	Coffee Lake	Comet Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	9	10
Turbo Frequency	4.1 MHz	4.3 MHz
Frequency	2.9 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	6	4
Threads	6	8
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	3600 millions	2600 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	6 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 i3-10100 is 19% better than Core i5-9400 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-9400 has 2 more core than Core i3-10100. 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 i5-9400 is better: 17
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-10100 is better: 11
Although it should be understood that all the figures that you have looked at here 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 opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Core i3-10100 before making a choice which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i5-9400 specs and review.

• Intel Core i3-10100 specs and review.