Intel Core i5 9400f vs 8400 vs 9600k Specifications Comparison & features

The Intel Core i5 processors have become one of the prominent options for varied reasons. Well, the Intel Core i7 processors have been one of the best options for an excellent high-end performance. The hierarchy of the processors ranges across i3, i5, and i7. This has nothing to do with the number of cores, but are indicative of the processing power offered by them. The i5 processor is the best option for those looking ahead to budget performance. For the sake of this post, we will compare the three popular i5 Intel Core processors (Core i5 9400f vs 8400 vs 9600k) in this post.

Table of Contents

Intel Core i5-9400F Processor – An Overview

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The Intel Core i5 9400F is one of the latest entrants in the i5 processors and has been made available across multiple online and offline stores. Launched under the Coffee lake series of processors, it does not have any integrated graphics.

The processor is manufactured under the 14 nm manufacturing process. The processor is specially designed for use with the mainstream PCs. It comes with six cores and comes with no Hyper-Threading. It has access to the clock speed of 2.9 to 4.1 GHz and offers 9 MB of L3 cache. Rated at 65 TDP, the processor supports a DDR4 2666 MHz memory module.

The Intel Core i5 9400F is one of the prominent entry-level processors for mainstream PCs from Intel and one of the most affordable ones in that genre. It comes with a locked multiplier and can be used with desktops that have a discrete GPU.

The processor offers better performance with the excellent latency and better support for games. However, the functionality may be limited as the processor can only be compatible with the motherboards that have an Intel 300 series chipsets.

Some of the advantages associated with the processor can include

An excellent productivity performance.
You can be assured of premium performance for gaming and multitasking.
Best suited for resource hungry applications

Go with the best performance for gaming and content creation. It also supports Intel Optane memory and SSD integration.

Intel Core i5 8400 Processor – A concise review

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The Intel Core i5 8400 is a six-core processor with the Coffee Lake integration. Once again, it does not support Hyper-Threading just like Intel Core i5 9400F. The base clock speed reads 2.8 GHz and the boost speed measures 4.0 GHz. The processor is manufactured using the 14 nm manufacturing process.

It does show off an excellent performance in comparison with the predecessor Intel Core i5 7400. It works good enough for the demanding games and other resource hungry programs. Unlike the Intel Core i5 9400F, the processor comes with an integrated graphics card in the form of Intel UHD Graphics 630 iGPU. Of course, this can be seen as a good improvement over the previous generation, but possibly will be able to run the games at the lower details.

The power rating remains similar to the Intel Core i5 9400F at 65 Watts. That should translate itself into an excellent performance when it comes to heat dissipation. Though it does not promise high-end performance being an i5 processor, you should find it impressive enough with the casual gaming and 3D applications you would want to run it at.

Intel Core i5 9600K – An Introduction

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Coming to the third processor in our list of the best and popular processors, the Intel Core i5 9600K is a great choice for most of your needs. It does come with a six-core performance and an improved clock speed.

The Intel Core i5 9600K is another option among the Coffee Lake range of processors. You have access to a base clock speed of 3.7 GHz and a boost clock speed of 4.6 GHz. Once again, you will find the lack of Hyperthreading just like the other two options listed above. The manufacturing used here is termed 14 nm++ which is an advanced 14 nm process.

The processor provides you access to an unlocked multiplier and thus can be an excellent option for better performance and overclocking. Do note that the Intel Core i5 9600K is a processor best suited for Z390 chipset motherboard. The processor is powerful enough when compared to the predecessor i5 8600K and thus should work as one of the great choices for demanding applications.

The use of Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU should be one of the prominent options for access to a clock speed of up to 1.15 GHz. The TDP rating of the processor reads 95 W which is higher than the other two options outlined in this compilation. It is recommended to use a powerful cooler if you are looking to use the processor on your desktop.

The Comparison Chart: Intel i5 9400f vs 8400 vs 9600k

The Intel Core i5 processors have been considered to be one of the best options for the budget and affordable performance. Having gone through the best features that each of these processors offers you, we thought a side by side comparison would help you arrive at a good decision in choosing the right processor that exactly meets your needs.

Features / Particulars	Intel Core i5 8400 [amazon_link asins=’B0759FGJ3Q’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’foi04-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’58e52c8b-4d82-4ee2-90c4-28b5335b575d’]	Intel Core i5 9600K [amazon_link asins=’B07HHLX1R8′ template=’PriceLink’ store=’foi04-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’fe13b888-a3c1-470e-81d1-db4924ff66b2′]	Intel Core i5 9400F [amazon_link asins=’B07MRCGQQ4′ template=’PriceLink’ store=’foi04-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’3efb7b6f-579c-457c-a618-223e9e3a50b0′]
Platform	Desktop	Desktop	Desktop
Microarchitecture	Coffee Lake	Coffee Lake R	Coffee Lake R
Launch Date	October 5, 2017	October 8, 2018	January 7, 2019
Processor family	I5	I5	I5
Manufacturing process	14 nm (CMOS) 149 mm²	14 nm (CMOS) 149 mm²	14 nm
Socket support	Socket 1151	Socket 1151	Socket 1151
Clock speed	2.8 GHz	3.7 GHz	2.9 GHz
Turbo clock speed	4000 MHz (Single-Core) 3,900 MHz (2 cores), 3,900 MHz (3 cores), 3,900 MHz (4 cores), 3,800 MHz (5 cores), 3,800 MHz (All 6 cores)	4600 MHz (Single-Core)	4100 MHz
Clock multiplier	28	37	29
L1 Cache	192 KB (code/instructions) 192 KB (data)	192 KB (code/instructions) 192 KB (data)	192 KB (code/instructions) 192 KB (data)
L2 Cache	1.54 MB 6 x 256 KiB (4 Way Set associative) Write-back	1.54 MB 6 x 256 KiB (4 Way Set associative) Write-back	1.54 MB 6 x 256 KiB (4 Way Set associative) Write-back
L3 Cache	9.2 MB 6 x 1.5 MiB (12 Way Set associative) Write-back	9.2 MB 6 x 1.5 MiB (12 Way Set associative) Write-back	9.2 MB 6 x 1.5 MiB (12 Way Set associative) Write-back
TDP	65 W	95 W	65 W
Maximum temperature	71.4 degree C	64.5 degree C	100 degree C
Number of cores	Six	Six	Six
Number of threads	Six	Six	Six
Integrated graphics	Intel UHD 630	Intel UHD 630	None
Graphics tier	GT2	GT2	None
Graphics card architecture	Gen 9 LP	Gen 9 LP	None
The base frequency of GPU	350 MHz	350 MHz	None
Maximum GPU frequency	1050 MHz	1150 MHz	None
Number of memory controllers	1	1	1
Number of memory channels	Two	Two	Two
Channel width	64 bits	64 bits	64 bits
Supported memory standard	DDR4 2666 MHz	DDR4 2666 MHz	DDR4 2666 MHz
Memory Bandwidth	42.7 GB per sec	42.7 GB per sec	42.7 GB per sec

The Concluding Thoughts

That was all we have concerning the comparison between the three capable options (i5 9400f vs 8400 vs 9600k) you would want to go with. Of course, you have access to the best features across the three competing processors from the Intel Core i5 family, but there are only a few differences outlined in this compilation. Check the features listed here in this compilation and opt for the best processor that exactly meet your requirements.

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