Intel Core i5-9400 vs Intel Core i7-4790K

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Perhaps you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice by looking at the Intel Core i5-9400 vs Intel Core i7-4790K tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for programming, rendering, streaming, video editing, machine learning. Here is useful information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software like Dolphin Emulator, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), AIDA64, WPrime, PCMark 10, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, Prime95, Furmark, 3DMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, RealBench, PassMark, Gears 5, UserBenchmark, SuperPi, Handbrake, 7zip, VeraCrypt, GeekBench 6, 5.2, MATLAB.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-4790K 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 i7-4790K

52%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-9400

53%

Core i7-4790K

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	93.5	92.8
Valorant	106.3	105.5
Cyberpunk 2077	59.5	59.1
Apex Legends	99.9	99.2
Call of Duty Warzone	79.7	79.1
Overwatch	86.1	85.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.3	72.8
DOOM Eternal	53.1	52.8
Warzone	82.9	82.3
Assassin's Creed	89.3	88.6
Valheim	88.2	87.6

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: 4K, 2K or FullHD. So 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 i7-4790K

46%

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 i5-9400 is more energy efficient than the Core i7-4790K since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 88W. 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, programming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU uses all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the advantages 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 i5-9400	Intel Core i7-4790K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	177	169
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	987	854
Cinbench 20 Single-core	403	411
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2284	1982
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1051	1069
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	5606	4936

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

	Intel Core i5-9400	Intel Core i7-4790K
Single-Core	2474	2491
Multi-Core	9515	8030

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

	Intel Core i5-9400	Intel Core i7-4790K
Single-Core	1107	1230
Multi-Core	5420	4747

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 later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-9400	Intel Core i7-4790K
Announcement date	January 01, 2019	April 01, 2014
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151-2	LGA1150
Core name	Coffee Lake	Devil's Canyon
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	9	4
Turbo Frequency	4.1 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	2.9 MHz	4 MHz
Cores	6	4
Threads	6	8
Bus rate	8 GT/s	5 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	22 nm
Transistors count	3600 millions	1420 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	88 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V
Max. Memory	128 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	41.6 GB/s	25.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	9 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 i7-4790K is 27% better than Core i5-9400 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-9400 has 2 more core than Core i7-4790K. 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: 27
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-4790K is better: 7
Although it should be realized that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Core i7-4790K before making a choice which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i5-9400 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-4790K specs and review.