Intel Core i7-9700 vs Intel Core i5-8400

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision after reading the detailed tests Intel Core i7-9700 vs Intel Core i5-8400 and see which is better for games or simple use for streaming, programming, machine learning, video editing, rendering. Here is useful information from various benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A careful analysis 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 PCMark 10, SuperPi, 3DMark, AIDA64, UserBenchmark, RealBench, Dolphin Emulator, PassMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, VeraCrypt, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Gears 5, Blender, MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Furmark, Handbrake, 7zip, WPrime, Prime95.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-8400 or Intel Core i7-9700.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i7-9700

54%

Core i5-8400

52%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i7-9700 is 3% better than Core i5-8400. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-9700

54%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	95.8	93.5
Valorant	108.9	106.3
Cyberpunk 2077	61.0	59.5
Apex Legends	102.3	99.9
Call of Duty Warzone	81.6	79.7
Overwatch	88.2	86.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	75.1	73.3
DOOM Eternal	54.4	53.1
Warzone	84.9	82.9
Assassin's Creed	91.4	89.3
Valheim	90.3	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: 2K, 4K or FullHD. So 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 i7-9700

61%

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 i7-9700 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 programming, machine learning, streaming, video rendering or video editing, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because 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 i7-9700	Intel Core i5-8400
Cinbench 15 Single-core	209	161
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1491	954
Cinbench 20 Single-core	465	411
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3644	2291
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1181	1023
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	8540	5457

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

	Intel Core i7-9700	Intel Core i5-8400
Single-Core	2835	2442
Multi-Core	13511	9262

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

	Intel Core i7-9700	Intel Core i5-8400
Single-Core	1195	1106
Multi-Core	7637	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 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 the newest games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i7-9700	Intel Core i5-8400
Announcement date	April 01, 2019	October 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151-2	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Coffee Lake	Coffee Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	9	8
Turbo Frequency	4.7 MHz	4 MHz
Frequency	3 MHz	2.8 MHz
Cores	8	6
Threads	8	6
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	5600 millions	2470 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	12 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 i7-9700 is 6% better than Core i5-8400 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-9700 has 2 more core than Core i5-8400. 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 i7-9700 is better: 28
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-8400 is better: 1
However, it should be realized that all the number in the table 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 of people who bought Intel Core i7-9700 and Intel Core i5-8400 before making a choice which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i7-9700 specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-8400 specs and review.

Intel Core i7-9700 Processor Comparisons
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 2600
• Vs Ryzen 7 4700U
• Vs Core i7-8700K
• Vs Ryzen 5 2600X
• Vs Core i7-9700K
• Vs Ryzen 5 4600H
• Vs Ryzen 7 2700
• Vs Core i7-10875H
• Vs Core i7-10700
• Vs Ryzen 7 2700X
• Vs Ryzen 5 3600
• Vs Ryzen 5 3600X
• Vs Core i9-9900K
• Vs Ryzen 5 3600XT
• Vs Ryzen 7 4800H
• Vs Core i7-10700K
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600X
• Vs Ryzen 7 3700X
• Vs Core i9-10850K
• Vs Ryzen 7 3800X
• Vs Core i9-10900K
• Vs Ryzen 5 3500X
• Vs Ryzen 5 2600
• Vs Core i7-8700
• Vs Core i7-10750H
• Vs Core i5-10400F
• Vs Core i5-10400
• Vs Ryzen 5 1600
• Vs Ryzen 3 3100
• Vs Ryzen 5 4500U
• Vs Core i7-9750H
• Vs Core i5-9600K
• Vs Core i7-1165G7
• Vs Core i7-8750H
• Vs Core i5-1135G7
• Vs Core i7-7700K
• Vs Core i5-9400F
• Vs Ryzen 5 3400G
• Vs Core i7-6700K
• Vs Core i7-1065G7
• Vs Core i3-10100
• Vs Core i5-10300H
• Vs Ryzen 5 2400G
• Vs Core i7-7700
• Vs Core i7-4790K
• Vs Core i7-6700
• Vs Core i5-1035G1
• Vs Core i5-9300H
• Vs Core i5-8300H
• Vs Ryzen 3 3200G
• Vs Core i5-10600K
• Vs Ryzen 7 1700
• Vs Core i7-10700F
• Vs Core i5-9400
• Vs Ryzen 5 3550H
• Vs Core i9-10980XE
• Vs Core i9-9980XE
• Vs Core i9-9990XE
• Vs Xeon W-3175X
• Vs Core i9-9960X
• Vs Ryzen 7 5700G
• Vs Ryzen 7 5800H
• Vs Ryzen 9 5980HS
• Vs Ryzen 9 5980HX
• Vs Apple M1X
• Vs Ryzen 7 Pro 5850U
• Vs Ryzen 7 5800U
• Vs Apple M1
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600G
• Vs Ryzen 9 4900U
• Vs Core i5-11600K
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 4750GE
• Vs Core i9-9920X
• Vs Ryzen 3 3300X
• Vs Ryzen 9 5900HX
• Vs Core i5-1145G7
• Vs Ryzen 3 4300GE
• Vs Ryzen 7 5800
• Vs Core i7-1160G7
• Vs Core i3-10320
• Vs Core i7-9700E
• Vs Core i3-10100F
• Vs Ryzen 5 3350G
• Vs Xeon E5-2697R v4
• Vs Ryzen 3 PRO 4200GE
• Vs Xeon W-1290T
• Vs Core i5-10200H
• Vs EPYC 7F32
• Vs Core i5-10600
• Vs Core i5-10500
• Vs Core i7-10700T
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 4400GE
• Vs Core i7-10870H
• Vs Ryzen 5 4600HS
• Vs Xeon Gold 6130T
• Vs Ryzen 5 4600U
• Vs Xeon E5-2680R v4
• Vs Xeon W-2235
• Vs Core i5-10600T
• Vs Core i7-11800H
• Vs Core i5-11600T
• Vs Core i5-11500T
• Vs Core i5-11400F
• Vs Core i5-11400T
• Vs Core i5-1145GRE
• Vs Core i5-1145G7E
• Vs Core i5-1140G7
• Vs Core i5-11300H
• Vs Core i7-1185GRE
• Vs Core i7-1185G7E
• Vs Core i7-11375H
• Vs Core i7-1185G7
• Vs Core i7-11370H
• Vs Core i7-1180G7
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
• Vs Ryzen 5 2600E
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600HS
• Vs Ryzen 5 5500U
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600H
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600U
• Vs Core i9-10900T
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 3600
• Vs Core i7-7820X
• Vs Ryzen 7 4800U
• Vs Core i7-6950X
• Vs Ryzen Threadripper 1900X
• Vs Core i9-9900
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X
• Vs Core i9-10980HK
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 4650G
• Vs Core i9-10885H
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 4400G
• Vs Core i9-10880H
• Vs Ryzen 7 1800X
• Vs Core i5-10600KF
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 4650GE
• Vs Core i7-9700KF
• Vs Ryzen 5 4600GE
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 1700X
• Vs Core i7-8086K
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U
• Vs Core i9-9900T
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 2700
• Vs Ryzen 7 2700E
• Vs Core i7-6900K
• Vs Core i7-9700F
• Vs Ryzen 7 1700X
• Vs Core i7-5960X
• Vs Ryzen 3 4300G
• Vs Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE
• Vs Core i7-7800X
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 1700
• Vs Core i7-10850H
• Vs Ryzen 3 5300G
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 4500U
• Vs Core i5-11320H
• Vs Core i5-11260H
• Vs Core i7-1195G7
• Vs Core i7-11390H
• Vs Xeon W-10855M
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U
• Vs Xeon W-11855M
• Vs Celeron 7300
• Vs Celeron 7305
• Vs Pentium 8500
• Vs Pentium 8505
• Vs Ryzen 3 5425U
• Vs Core i7-9750HF
• Vs Core i9-9880H
• Vs Core i7-8700B
• Vs Ryzen 5 3500
• Vs Ryzen 5 1600X
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600
• Vs Core i3-13100T
• Vs Core i3-13100F
• Vs Ryzen 7 5700X
• Vs Ryzen 3 1200
• Vs Ryzen 5 5500
• Vs Core i3-13300F
• Vs Ryzen 3 PRO 5350GE
• Vs Ryzen 9 7950X3D
• Vs Ryzen 9 7900X3D
• Vs Core i3-8100
• Vs Core i5-6600K
• Vs Ryzen 5 4500
• Vs Core i5-6500T
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600GE
• Vs Ryzen 3 5300GE
• Vs Ryzen 7 4700GE
• Vs Ryzen 5 4600G
• Vs Ryzen 7 7800X3D
• Vs Ryzen 3 PRO 4355G

Intel Core i5-8400 Processor Comparisons
• Vs Ryzen 5 3400G
• Vs Core i5-9400F
• Vs Core i7-7700K
• Vs Core i7-8750H
• Vs Core i5-9600K
• Vs Core i7-9750H
• Vs Ryzen 5 1600
• Vs Core i5-10400
• Vs Core i5-10400F
• Vs Core i7-10750H
• Vs Core i7-8700
• Vs Ryzen 5 2600
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 2600
• Vs Core i7-8700K
• Vs Ryzen 5 2600X
• Vs Ryzen 5 4600H
• Vs Core i7-10700
• Vs Ryzen 7 2700X
• Vs Ryzen 5 3600
• Vs Ryzen 5 3600X
• Vs Core i7-6700K
• Vs Core i7-1065G7
• Vs Ryzen 5 2400G
• Vs Core i7-4790K
• Vs Core i7-6700
• Vs Ryzen 5 3500U
• Vs Core i7-4790
• Vs Core i7-4770
• Vs Core i7-7700HQ
• Vs Core i5-10210U
• Vs Core i7-6700HQ
• Vs Core i7-3770
• Vs Core i5-8250U
• Vs FX-8350 Eight-Core
• Vs Core i5-6500
• Vs Core i5-9300H
• Vs Core i7-1165G7
• Vs Core i7-10510U
• Vs Core i7-2600
• Vs Ryzen 7 4700U
• Vs Core i5-4590
• Vs Ryzen 5 3500X
• Vs Core i7-8550U
• Vs Core i7-9700K
• Vs Ryzen 5 4500U
• Vs Ryzen 3 3100
• Vs Core i5-1035G1
• Vs Core i5-4570
• Vs Core i5-4460
• Vs Core i5-10300H
• Vs Core i7-7700
• Vs Core i7-10875H
• Vs Core i5-1135G7
• Vs Core i5-8265U
• Vs Core i3-10100
• Vs Ryzen 3 3200G
• Vs Core i5-8300H
• Vs Ryzen 7 2700
• Vs Core i5-7400
• Vs Core i5-10600K
• Vs Core i7-4770K
• Vs Ryzen 7 1700
• Vs Core i3-9100F
• Vs Core i7-10700F
• Vs Core i5-9400
• Vs Core i7-8565U
• Vs Core i7-3770K
• Vs Ryzen 5 3550H
• Vs Ryzen 3 3300X
• Vs Core i5-1145G7
• Vs Ryzen 3 4300GE
• Vs Core i7-1160G7
• Vs Athlon Gold PRO 3150G
• Vs Core i3-10320
• Vs Core i7-9700E
• Vs Core i3-10100F
• Vs Ryzen 5 3350G
• Vs Ryzen 5 3450U
• Vs Ryzen 3 PRO 4200GE
• Vs Core i5-10200H
• Vs Core i3-1115G4
• Vs Core i3-10300T
• Vs Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE
• Vs Core i3-9350K
• Vs Core i5-10500
• Vs Core i7-10700T
• Vs Core i5-9300HF
• Vs Ryzen 5 3550U
• Vs Core i5-10600T
• Vs Core i3-10325
• Vs Core i3-10305
• Vs Core i3-10305T
• Vs Core i3-10105T
• Vs Core i3-10105
• Vs Core i3-10105F
• Vs Core i5-1145GRE
• Vs Core i5-1145G7E
• Vs Core i5-1140G7
• Vs Core i5-1130G7
• Vs Core i7-1185GRE
• Vs Core i7-1185G7E
• Vs Core i7-11375H
• Vs Core i7-1185G7
• Vs Core i7-11370H
• Vs Core i7-1180G7
• Vs Core i3-1120G4
• Vs Core i3-1125G4
• Vs Ryzen 7 3700C
• Vs Ryzen 3 5400U
• Vs Ryzen 3 5300U
• Vs Ryzen 3 4300G
• Vs Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE
• Vs Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G
• Vs Core i3-10100T
• Vs Core i5-8260U
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 4500U
• Vs Core i5-10500T
• Vs Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U
• Vs Core i5-10400T
• Vs Ryzen 5 3350GE
• Vs Core i3-11100B
• Vs Core i7-1068NG7
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 3350GE
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 3350G
• Vs Xeon E-2234
• Vs Ryzen 5 3400GE
• Vs Core i7-10810U
• Vs Ryzen 5 3580U
• Vs Core i3-10300
• Vs Core i5-1038NG7
• Vs Core i5-9500TE
• Vs Core i5-10400H
• Vs Core i5-9600T
• Vs Core i7-8569U
• Vs Core i7-10710U
• Vs Core i7-9850HL
• Vs Core i5-1035G7
• Vs Core i5-1035G4
• Vs Core i5-9500T
• Vs Core i7-8809G
• Vs Core i5-8500
• Vs Core i5-9500F
• Vs Core i5-9500
• Vs Core i5-8600T
• Vs Core i5-9400H
• Vs Core i7-8559U
• Vs Core i5-8500B
• Vs Core i5-8600
• Vs Core i7-8850H
• Vs Core i5-8400H
• Vs Core i5-8259U
• Vs Core i5-8600K
• Vs Ryzen 5 2500X
• Vs Core i5-4690K
• Vs Ryzen 3 PRO 5350GE
• Vs Core i5-7500
• Vs Core i3-8100
• Vs Core i5-6600K
• Vs Ryzen 5 4500
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600GE
• Vs Ryzen 3 5300GE
• Vs Ryzen 3 PRO 4355G