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It’s going to be a fantastic review. the reason? The Intel 10th generation processor, which may offer the best value, will be put to the test. The Intel Core i5 10400F, a nearly direct rival of the Ryzen 5 3600, is also highly suggested for future-proofing. Check out this post’s assessment of the Intel 10th i5 10400F, which includes benchmark tests and advice on whether to buy it and when not to. read on below.

One of Intel’s mid-range Desktop processors is the Intel Core i5 10400F. It has 6 cores and 12 threads when it was released in 2020. with a 65W power rating, a 2.9GHz base frequency, and a 4.3GHz maximum speed. The Core i5-10400F, a member of the Core i5 series, is based on the Comet Lake 14nm family.

In its 10th Generation stack, Intel Core i5 10400F ($182) is not the company’s top-of-the-line six-core desktop CPU. (The unlocked Core i5-10600K, which we examined at launch last year, has that distinction.) The Core i5-10400 makes up for its lack of overclocking ability with persistence, though. The processor continues to compete against AMD’s barrage of Ryzen 5 5600X and previous-generation 3600X powerhouse six-core CPUs, which won Editors’ Choice awards. If you currently have an LGA 1200 motherboard and want to gaming with a discrete GPU, the Core is a great value option. AMD’s Ryzen 5 processors, if you can get one close to list price, make more sense simply as a midrange upgrade in terms of both cost per core and total performance.

Intel Core i5 10400F Specs

With 6 cores, 12 threads, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache—identical as the Core i7-8700, but with lower clock rates and at less than half its price—the Core i5-10400F in our review is a tempting draw for gamers. The introduction of AMD “Zen” and the 8th generation Core “Coffee Lake” gave game developers the incentive they needed to optimize their gaming engines to utilize more than four cores. Six cores are designed to be used by AAA games like “Battlefield 5” and others. As the around $180 AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and the significantly more expensive i5-10600K are found to be trading blows, the Core i5-10400F cannot simply saunter into this market.

The Intel Core i5-10400F is built using Intel’s brand-new “Comet Lake” microarchitecture, which supports HyperThreading, more L3 cache, faster clock rates, and introduces new boosting techniques, but only for Core i7 and Core i9 SKUs. Our Core i5-10400F under test runs at the same 2.90 GHz as its predecessor, but it also has twice as many threads, 50% more L3 cache, and a higher maximum Turbo Boost frequency of 4.30 GHz. The underlying CPU cores have the same design as the roughly five-year-old “Skylake” microarchitecture, hence the boost in frequency is necessary.

As a “locked” processor, the Intel Core i5 10400F cannot be overclocked using the base-clock multiplier. Alternatives exist, such as adjusting the base clock itself. You also miss out on the integrated graphics as a “F” SKU, especially its incredible Quick Sync media encoder. If you don’t care about the iGPU, you can save roughly $30 compared to the current i5-10400, which costs about $200.

To determine whether you could potentially save at least $100 by choosing the Core i5-10400F over the i5-10600K, or whether the AMD 3600 can defeat it with its aggressive price and unlocked multiplier, we closely examine the processor in our Core i5-10400F review across our large selection of CPU and gaming performance benchmarks. The “overclocking” options available for this multiplier-locked processor are also examined.

Essential information

Product Collection	10th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 Processors
Code Name	Products formerly Comet Lake
Vertical Segment	Desktop
Processor Number	i5-10400F
Status	Launched
Launch Date	Q2’20
Lithography	14 nm
Recommended Customer Price	$173.00 – $183.00
Use Conditions	PC/Client/Tablet

Intel Core i5 10400F specifications

Total Cores	6
Total Threads	12
Max Turbo Frequency	4.30 GHz
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency	4.30 GHz
Processor Base Frequency	2.90 GHz
Cache	12 MB Intel® Smart Cache
Bus Speed	8 GT/s
TDP	65 W

Memory specs

Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type)	128 GB
Memory Types	DDR4-2666
Max # of Memory Channels	2
Max Memory Bandwidth	41.6 GB/s

Intel Core i5 10400F performance & gaming

In productivity tasks during the past few years, Intel’s midrange alternatives have fallen short of AMD’s. However, how did the Intel Core i5 10400 perform after Hyper-Threading was enabled and its threads were put to the test?

Sadly, it was much the same as the rest. When it comes to productivity and content production duties, like-priced or slightly more expensive AMD silicon continues to rule (at least when comparing on launch prices).

When compared to the Intel Core i5 10400F or even the Core i5-10600K, the Ryzen 5 3600, Ryzen 5 3600X, Ryzen 5 3600XT, and Ryzen 5 5600X are all superior six-core options for productivity, and important productivity benchmarks like 7-Zip clearly demonstrate the gap between Intel and AMD in the six-core space. In all of the CPU tests, the four-core, IGP-equipped Ryzen 5 3400G is convincingly outperformed by the Core i5-10400; disregard that thought for the time being.

Midrange gamers who already have a discrete GPU to go with their processor or who intend to purchase one as part of their new build are among the most common customers we see with the Core i5-10400. And they’ll probably be operating at 1080p rather than 4K.

The Core i5-10400 performs admirably in these tests, while the Ryzen 3 3300X and Ryzen 5 5600X are superior in terms of affordability and performance, respectively. Compare the performance of the 5600X to that of the Ryzen 5 3600X from the previous generation to observe the enormous frame rate improvements AMD has made with the Zen 3 architecture. The Core i5 CPU does manage some unexpected victories in a few of our benchmarks for older games (the Bioshock: Infinite numbers are particularly startling), but there aren’t quite enough of them for Intel to claim a resounding triumph in this contest.

Final thoughts on Intel Core i5 10400F

The Core i5-10400 takes up the predicted position in the hierarchy of mainstream CPUs as a less expensive substitute for the Intel Core i5-10600K. The Core i5-10600K is the processor for you if you want a six-core 10th Generation Intel chip with a little bit more capability for productivity and some overclocking. However, the Core i5-10400 will still do the job for roughly 35% less if you’re looking to cut money and don’t plan to overclock.

The Intel Core i5-10400 is reliable for what it is when used alone, but as is customary these days, the Core i5-10400 falters when put up against the plethora of AMD choices. Even though the Ryzen 5 3600X is excellent but expensive and difficult to obtain, it is nearly always preferable to the Core i5-10400 (as well as the Core i5-10600K). That applies to both their inherent CPU performance as well as their broad motherboard compatibility. However, the $120 Ryzen 3 3300X (if you can find one for anywhere near that price, that is) or the $99 Ryzen 3 3100 will perform better for gamers on a budget using a discrete GPU (ditto that).