Home / Intel Core i5 / Intel Core i5-7400: Performance and Specs

Intel Core i5-7400

Intel Core i5-7400: Review and Relevance in 2025

Architecture, Performance, and Key Features of the Budget Processor

Main Characteristics: Kaby Lake in the Era of 3 nm

The Intel Core i5-7400 processor, released in 2017, belongs to the Kaby Lake architecture (7th generation). Despite its age, it remains popular in the secondary market due to its balance of price and performance.

- Manufacturing Process: 14 nm — an outdated standard by 2025, where 5–3 nm technologies dominate.

- Cores and Threads: 4 cores, 4 threads (no Hyper-Threading).

- Clock Speeds: Base — 3.0 GHz, maximum — 3.5 GHz (Turbo Boost 2.0).

- Cache: 6 MB L3.

- Integrated Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 630 (supports 4K@60 Hz via HDMI 1.4/DisplayPort 1.2).

- TDP: 65 W — low power consumption for basic tasks.

Geekbench 6 (2025):

- Single-Core: 1169 — comparable to modern budget CPUs, such as the Intel Celeron G6900 (1200 points).

- Multi-Core: 3214 — lower than 4-core Ryzen 3 5300G (≈4000 points).

Key Features:

- Support for hardware decoding of VP9 and HEVC — useful for 4K streaming.

- Optane Memory — accelerates HDD (relevant for older builds).

Compatible Motherboards: Caution with Upgrades

The processor uses the LGA 1151 socket (version v1), which limits the choice of motherboards.

Compatible Chipsets:

- H110/B250/H270: Budget boards with basic functionality (e.g., ASUS Prime B250M-A).

- Z270: For overclocking (but the i5-7400 doesn’t support multiplier overclocking).

Features to Consider in 2025:

- New LGA 1151 boards are hardly being produced. Prices on remaining stock are $60-100.

- It is recommended to check the list of supported CPUs on the manufacturer’s website (not all boards are compatible with Kaby Lake after BIOS updates).

Example: The Gigabyte H270-HD3 motherboard (about $80) is suitable for a basic build but lacks PCIe 4.0 or USB 3.2 Gen 2.

Memory Support: DDR4, But No Prospects

- Memory Type: DDR4-2133/2400 MHz (officially).

- Maximum Capacity: 64 GB (realistically — 32 GB due to motherboard limitations).

Important:

- DDR5 and LPDDR4x are not supported.

- For DDR4-3200+, overclocking will be needed, but stability is not guaranteed.

Tip: Use 2 modules of 8 GB DDR4-2400 (≈$40) for Dual Channel mode.

Power Supply: Minimum Requirements

With a TDP of 65 W and no support for powerful graphics cards (PCIe 3.0 x16), a build with the i5-7400 does not require an expensive PSU.

Recommendations:

- Without a discrete graphics card: 300–400 W (e.g., be quiet! System Power 10, $45).

- With a graphics card like the NVIDIA GTX 1660: 450–500 W (Corsair CX550, $60).

Important: When using older PSUs, check for the presence of an 8-pin EPS connector for the CPU.

Pros and Cons: Who is it Relevant for in 2025?

Pros:

- Low price: new units (if available) — $100-120.

- Energy efficiency.

- Sufficient performance for office tasks and multimedia.

Cons:

- No Hyper-Threading — multi-threaded performance falls behind Ryzen 3.

- Outdated PCIe 3.0.

- No support for Windows 12 (officially).

Usage Scenarios: Where is the Power Sufficient?

1. Office Tasks: Document work, browsing, Zoom — the processor handles it without lags.

2. Multimedia: Watching 4K, basic editing in Shotcut or DaVinci Resolve (with limitations).

3. Light Gaming: CS:2 at medium settings (1080p, 60 FPS) paired with GTX 1650.

4. Home Server: Media center based on Plex or file storage.

Limitations: Modern AAA games (like Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty) will require at least 6 cores.

Comparison with Competitors: Who is Better in 2025?

- Intel Core i3-12100F (2022): 4 cores/8 threads, 12th generation. Single-Core — 1800, Multi-Core — 6500. Price — $110. Conclusion: i3-12100F wins in all parameters.

- AMD Ryzen 5 5500 (2022): 6 cores/12 threads. Multi-Core — 8500. Price — $120. Summary: The best choice for gaming and multitasking.

- Intel Core i5-7400: Relevant only if purchased used for $50-70.

Practical Assembly Tips

1. Motherboard: Look for models with M.2 NVMe (e.g., ASUS Prime B250M-A) for SSD installation.

2. Cooling: The stock cooler is sufficient, but replacing it with a DeepCool GAMMAXX 400 ($20) will reduce noise.

3. Upgrade: Add a graphics card like the NVIDIA RTX 3050 (but check compatibility with the PSU).

4. RAM: 16 GB DDR4-2400 is optimal for Windows 11.

Final Conclusion: Who is the i5-7400 Suitable for in 2025?

This processor should be considered only in two cases:

1. Upgrading an old PC: If you already have an LGA 1151 motherboard and DDR4.

2. Building an ultra-budget system: With a limited budget ($200-300) for tasks without demanding loads.

Alternative: For the same $100-150, it is better to buy a used Ryzen 5 3600 or i3-12100F, which offer more cores and support for modern standards.

The Intel Core i5-7400 is a relic of the past, but for non-demanding users, it can serve as a temporary solution before moving on to new platforms.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

January 2017

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

i5-7400

Code Name

Kaby Lake

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Basic Frequency

3.00 GHz

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

3.50 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

3.50 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

2.0

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

L3 Cache

6 MB

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCLGA1151

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

14 nm

TDP

65 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

100°C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

3.0

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

Up to 1x16 | 2x8 | 1x8+2x4

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

DDR4-2133/2400 | DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

64 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Bus Speed

8 GT/s

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

GPU Specifications

GPU Name

Intel® HD Graphics 630

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

350 MHz

Graphics Frequency

Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.

1.00 GHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

64 GB

4K Support

Yes | at 60Hz

DirectX Support

DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.

Max Resolution (HDMI)

Max Resolution (HDMI) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the HDMI interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096x2304@24Hz

Max Resolution (DP)

Max Resolution (DP) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the DP interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096x2304@60Hz

Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)

Max Resolution (Integrated Flat Panel) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor for a device with an integrated flat panel (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your device.

4096x2304@60Hz

Number of Displays Supported

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® AVX2

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

6 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes

Intel Boot Guard

Intel® Device Protection Technology with Boot Guard helps protect the system’s pre-OS environment from viruses and malicious software attacks.

Yes

Intel Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor, Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology adds video quality enhancements for richer color and more realistic skin tones.

Yes

Intel Clear Video Technology

Yes

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel InTru 3D Technology

Yes

Intel OS Guard

Yes

OpenGL Support

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics.

4.5

Intel Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

1169

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

3214

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

884

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

2853

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2094

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

5486

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i5-9500TE

1240 +6.1%

Xeon W-3275M

1203 +2.9%

Core i5-7400

1169

Core i7-6920HQ

1134 -3%

Core i7-4870HQ

1095 -6.3%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i5-8305G

3688 +14.7%

Core i5-7500

3462 +7.7%

Core i5-7400

3214

Core i5-6402P

3017 -6.1%

Core i3-7350K

2815 -12.4%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i7-7567U

919 +4%

Xeon Platinum 8458P

901 +1.9%

Core i5-7400

884

Xeon Gold 6134

871 -1.5%

Core i3-4170

855 -3.3%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

EPYC 7501

3146 +10.3%

Ryzen 3 PRO 1200

3006 +5.4%

Core i5-7400

2853

Xeon E3-1220 v5

2723 -4.6%

Core i7-3770T

2605 -8.7%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Ryzen 5 PRO 2400G with Radeon Vega 11 Graphics

2145 +2.4%

Core i7-5850EQ

2119 +1.2%

Core i5-7400

2094

Core i7-3770

2072 -1.1%

EPYC 7532

2043 -2.4%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i3-8100B

6045 +10.2%

Core i5-7440EQ

5711 +4.1%

Core i5-7400

5486

Core i5-4590S

5125 -6.6%

Core i5-4440

4761 -13.2%