Intel Core i7-7700 vs Intel Core i5-8400

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Let's say you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice by looking at the Intel Core i7-7700 vs Intel Core i5-8400 tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for video editing, streaming, rendering, machine learning, programming. Here is all information from various benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A careful review of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests such as Cinebench 23 (20, 15), MATLAB, Gears 5, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, UserBenchmark, WPrime, Dolphin Emulator, GeekBench 6, 5.2, AIDA64, RealBench, VeraCrypt, PassMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, 7zip, SuperPi, Blender, PCMark 10, 3DMark, Furmark, Handbrake, Prime95.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

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 i5-8400 or Intel Core i7-7700.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i7-7700

52%

Core i5-8400

52%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-7700

53%

Core i5-8400

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.1	93.5
Valorant	106.9	106.3
Cyberpunk 2077	59.9	59.5
Apex Legends	100.5	99.9
Call of Duty Warzone	80.2	79.7
Overwatch	86.6	86.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.8	73.3
DOOM Eternal	53.5	53.1
Warzone	83.4	82.9
Assassin's Creed	89.8	89.3
Valheim	88.7	88.2

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 i7-7700

59%

Core i5-8400

56%

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 i7-7700 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. 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 use only one core to run, and all the benefit 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 i7-7700	Intel Core i5-8400
Cinbench 15 Single-core	186	161
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	901	954
Cinbench 20 Single-core	414	411
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2138	2291
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1115	1023
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	4329	5457

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

	Intel Core i7-7700	Intel Core i5-8400
Single-Core	2460	2442
Multi-Core	8664	9262

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

	Intel Core i7-7700	Intel Core i5-8400
Single-Core	1162	1106
Multi-Core	5965	5408

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i7-7700	Intel Core i5-8400
Announcement date	October 01, 2016	October 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	LGA1151	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Kaby Lake	Coffee Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	7	8
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	2.8 MHz
Cores	4	6
Threads	8	6
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	2470 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-2133/2400, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	64 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth		41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	8 MB	9 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 i7-7700 is 22% better than Core i5-8400 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-8400 has 2 more core than Core i7-7700. 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 i7-7700 is better: 20
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-8400 is better: 11
All the number in the table above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i7-7700 and Intel Core i5-8400 before making a selection which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i7-7700 specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-8400 specs and review.