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Intel Core i5-8400H

Intel Core i5-8400H: A Balance of Performance and Affordability in 2025

An analysis of the processor for budget laptops and its relevance years after its release

1. Architecture and Process Technology: Coffee Lake in the Era of Miniaturization

The Intel Core i5-8400H, released in 2018, is based on the Coffee Lake architecture and a 14nm manufacturing process. Despite the industry's transition to 5nm and 3nm standards by 2025, this chip remains popular in budget laptops due to its reliability and optimization.

- Cores and Threads: 4 cores and 8 threads thanks to Hyper-Threading. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with a maximum Turbo Boost of 4.2 GHz. While modest, these specs are sufficient for multi-threaded tasks (rendering, encoding).

- Cache: 12MB of L3 cache—solid capacity for data caching, speeding up applications with frequent memory requests.

- Integrated Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 630 with a base frequency of 350MHz and a peak of 1.1GHz. It supports DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.5, and 4K output, but it's weak for gaming—suitable only for less demanding projects or cloud gaming.

Why 14nm in 2025? Despite the outdated process technology, Intel continues to use modified versions of the 14nm platform in budget lines to reduce manufacturing costs.

2. TDP 45W: A Compromise Between Power and Heat

The TDP of 45W indicates that the processor is designed for laptops with active cooling systems. Compared to modern chips (e.g., Intel Core i5-13400H with 35W TDP), the i5-8400H is less energy-efficient, but its heat output is easier to manage even in thin cases.

- Thermal Management: In gaming laptops from 2019-2022 (e.g., Acer Nitro 5), this processor rarely overheated due to large heatsinks.

- Noise: Fans can run at high speeds under load, creating background noise—a downside for office environments.

3. Performance: The Realities of 2025

Geekbench 6 scores (Single-Core: 1275, Multi-Core: 3574) are comparable to the AMD Ryzen 5 4600H but lower than the Apple M1 (1800/7500).

- Office Tasks: Running Microsoft 365, a browser with 20+ tabs, and Zoom— the processor handles these without lags.

- Multimedia: Editing 1080p video in DaVinci Resolve is possible, but rendering will take 2-3 times longer than on the Apple M2.

- Gaming: When paired with a discrete GPU like the NVIDIA GTX 1650 (laptop version), it achieves 40-60 FPS in Fortnite (Low/Medium) and CS2 (Medium). Integrated graphics are only viable for indie games such as Stardew Valley.

- Turbo Boost: In Turbo mode, the frequency reaches 4.2GHz, but this lasts briefly (up to 28 seconds under stress tests). It is beneficial for short bursts of activity (e.g., opening a large file) but inefficient for prolonged loads.

4. Use Cases: Who Should Consider the i5-8400H in 2025?

- Students: Working with text, presentations, streaming video.

- Office Workers: Virtual desktops, ERP systems.

- Casual Gamers: Low to medium-load gaming with a discrete GPU.

- Not Suitable For: Video editors, 3D designers, streamers.

5. Battery Life: How Long Does It Last?

With a TDP of 45W, the battery life in laptops with the i5-8400H rarely exceeds 5-6 hours (web browsing at 50% brightness). Power-saving technologies include:

- Intel Speed Shift: Dynamic frequency management for reducing power consumption during idle periods.

- C-States: Putting cores into "sleep" mode when not under load.

Tip: Choose laptops with a battery capacity of at least 60Wh and disable Turbo Boost in power settings to extend battery life.

6. Competitors: How Does It Compare?

- AMD Ryzen 5 4600H (2020): 6 cores/12 threads, 45W TDP. Better for multi-threaded tasks but weaker in single-core performance.

- Apple M1 (2020): 30-40% faster in benchmarks, twice as energy-efficient, but only within the macOS ecosystem.

- Intel Core i5-12400H (2023): A 10nm processor with similar TDP, but 25% higher performance.

Prices: In 2025, laptops with the i5-8400H cost $600-800 (new), while those with the Ryzen 5 4600H range from $650-850, and devices with the M1 start at $900.

7. Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Reliability and proven architecture.

- Sufficient performance for basic tasks.

- Low device cost.

Weaknesses:

- Outdated 14nm process technology.

- High power consumption.

- Lack of support for PCIe 4.0 and DDR5.

8. How to Choose a Laptop with i5-8400H?

- Type of Device: Best suited for budget gaming (e.g., Acer Nitro 5) or versatile models (e.g., Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3). Avoid ultrabooks as the processor is too hot for thin cases.

- What to Check:

- Cooling system (at least 2 fans).

- Display: Full HD with an IPS panel.

- RAM: 16GB DDR4.

- Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD.

9. Conclusion: Is It Worth It in 2025?

The Intel Core i5-8400H is a choice for those seeking an affordable laptop ($600-800) for work, study, or light gaming. Its main advantages are stability and price, but it may fall short for professional tasks or the latest games.

Who Should Consider It:

- Users upgrading PCs every 5-7 years.

- Those focused on savings without major compromises.

Alternatives: If the budget allows for $900+, it's better to opt for a laptop with the Ryzen 5 7600HS or Intel Core i5-13400H—they will offer longer longevity.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

April 2018

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.

i5-8400H

Code Name

Coffee 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

2.50 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.

4.20 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

4.20 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.

Yes

L3 Cache

12 MB

CPU Socket

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

FCBGA1440

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

45 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.

DDR4-2666 | LPDDR3-2133

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

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

41.8 GB/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

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

Intel® UHD 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.

1.10 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@30Hz

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

Max Resolution (VGA)

N/A

Number of Displays Supported

Graphics Output

Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.

eDP/DP/HDMI/DVI

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.

8 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 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 Flex Memory Access

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

1275

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

3574

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1015

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

3445

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2385

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

7713

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i9-7940X

1360 +6.7%

Xeon Silver 4310

1317 +3.3%

Core i5-8400H

1275

Core i5-9500T

1236 -3.1%

Core i7-5820K

1197 -6.1%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon E3-1280 v3

4019 +12.5%

Core i5-7600

3811 +6.6%

Core i5-8400H

3574

Xeon E3-1226 v3

3349 -6.3%

Core i7-8705G

3101 -13.2%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon E-2236

1061 +4.5%

Pentium Gold 8500

1035 +2%

Core i5-8400H

1015

Xeon Gold 6338N

994 -2.1%

Core i5-9300H

968 -4.6%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i5-7600K

3707 +7.6%

Xeon E3-1240

3576 +3.8%

Core i5-8400H

3445

FX-8300

3309 -3.9%

Core i7-4770R

3189 -7.4%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i9-9820X

2450 +2.7%

Ryzen 7 2700X

2423 +1.6%

Core i5-8400H

2385

Core i5-1145GRE

2350 -1.5%

Xeon Platinum 8260

2315 -2.9%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i5-10300H

8469 +9.8%

Core i3-10305T

8136 +5.5%

Core i5-8400H

7713

Ryzen 3 4300U

7462 -3.3%

Xeon W3690

7243 -6.1%