Intel Core i5-9400F vs Intel Core i5-8400
The Intel Core i5-9400F and Intel Core i5-8400 sit within a few percent of each other on our index. Treat them as equivalent in raw performance and decide on price, power draw and — for graphics cards — video memory instead.
| Specification | Intel Core i5-9400F | Intel Core i5-8400 |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Intel | Intel |
| Generation | 9th Gen (Coffee Lake Refresh) | 8th Gen (Coffee Lake) |
| Multi-thread index | 61 (better) | 60 |
| Single-thread index | 85 (better) | 81 |
| Cores | 6 | 6 |
| Threads | 6 | 6 |
| Base clock | 2.9 GHz (better) | 2.8 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.1 GHz (better) | 4.0 GHz |
| Socket | LGA1151 | LGA1151 |
| TDP | 65 W | 65 W |
| Release year | 2019 (better) | 2017 |
| Integrated graphics | No | Yes |
Green marks the stronger figure for that row only — for power draw and PSU requirement, lower is treated as better. Performance indexes are CanMyPcPlay estimates; read how they are derived.
Which should you pick?
- Games follow single-thread. For gaming, the single-thread index matters more than core count.
- Creative work follows multi-thread. Rendering, compiling and encoding scale with cores.
- Sockets differ. Moving between platforms usually means a new motherboard and often new memory.