Intel Core i5-9400 vs Intel Core i7-7700K

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   If you have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i5-9400 vs Intel Core i7-7700K and decide which is better for games or simple use for video editing, rendering, machine learning, streaming, programming. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A careful review 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 joint testing in special testing software like Prime95, AIDA64, SuperPi, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), RealBench, UserBenchmark, Dolphin Emulator, Furmark, 3DMark, Handbrake, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 7zip, VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, Blender, WPrime, PassMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Gears 5, MATLAB.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-7700K 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 i7-7700K

52%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-9400

53%

Core i7-7700K

53%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And of course, 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 small game result, 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: Metro Exodus, Horizon Zero Dawn, NBA 2K20, Forza Horizon 4, League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, DOTA 2A, Control, Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3, Battlefield V, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Monster Hunter World, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	93.5	93.7
Valorant	106.3	106.5
Cyberpunk 2077	59.5	59.7
Apex Legends	99.9	100.1
Call of Duty Warzone	79.7	79.9
Overwatch	86.1	86.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.3	73.5
DOOM Eternal	53.1	53.3
Warzone	82.9	83.1
Assassin's Creed	89.3	89.5
Valheim	88.2	88.4

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 video cards and different amounts of RAM. 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-9400

56%

Core i7-7700K

49%

To make a final decision 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 i7-7700K as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 95W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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 machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the processor includes 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 software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can 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 i7-7700K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	177	200
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	987	995
Cinbench 20 Single-core	403	466
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2284	2257
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1051	1216
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	5606	6055

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

	Intel Core i5-9400	Intel Core i7-7700K
Single-Core	2474	2791
Multi-Core	9515	9750

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

	Intel Core i5-9400	Intel Core i7-7700K
Single-Core	1107	1412
Multi-Core	5420	5637

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful 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 later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-9400	Intel Core i7-7700K
Announcement date	January 01, 2019	October 01, 2016
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151-2	LGA 1151
Core name	Coffee Lake	Kaby Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	9	7
Turbo Frequency	4.1 MHz	4.5 MHz
Frequency	2.9 MHz	4.2 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	1760 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2133/2400, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V
Max. Memory	128 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	41.6 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 i7-7700K is 30% better than Core i5-9400 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-9400 has 2 more core than Core i7-7700K. 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: 9
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-7700K is better: 23
However, it should be realized that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Core i7-7700K before making a decision which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i5-9400 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-7700K specs and review.