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Intel Core i5-8400T

Intel Core i5-8400T: Review of an Outdated Yet Still Relevant Processor for Budget Systems (2025)

April 2025

1. Key Features: Coffee Lake Architecture and Moderate Performance

The Intel Core i5-8400T, released in 2017, belongs to the Coffee Lake generation. Despite its age, it continues to maintain niche popularity due to low power consumption and stability.

- Architecture and Process Technology: 14nm technology (optimized FinFET version), 6 physical cores without Hyper-Threading support (6 threads). Base frequency is 1.7 GHz, with Turbo Boost up to 3.3 GHz.

- Cache and TDP: 9 MB L3 cache, 35W thermal design power. This makes the processor ideal for compact PCs and systems with passive cooling.

- Integrated Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 630 (base frequency 350 MHz, maximum 1.05 GHz). Suitable for 4K output and less demanding tasks.

- Performance: In the Geekbench 6 test (2025), it scores 1097 points in single-core and 3890 in multi-core mode. By comparison, the modern budget Ryzen 5 7500 (Zen 4) scores approximately 1800/8500 points.

Key Features:

- Energy efficiency (TDP 35W).

- Support for hardware decoding of 4K video (HEVC, VP9).

- Compatibility with outdated OS, including Windows 7.

2. Compatible Motherboards: LGA 1151 v2 Socket and Limited Capabilities

The i5-8400T uses the LGA 1151 v2 socket, which is only compatible with series 300 chipsets:

- H310 / B360 / H370: Budget boards without overclocking (e.g., ASUS Prime B360M-A). Suitable for office PCs.

- Z370 / Z390: Boards with memory overclocking and PCIe 3.0 x16 support. However, the processor itself is locked for overclocking.

Selection Tips:

- For Mini PCs: Mini-ITX boards (e.g., Gigabyte H370N-WIFI).

- For Upgrading: Check Coffee Lake support in BIOS (not all Z370 boards have been updated).

- Prices (new boards in 2025): From $60 (H310) to $150 (Z390).

3. Supported Memory: Only DDR4

The processor works with DDR4-2666 (official support). The maximum capacity is 64 GB (depending on the motherboard).

Recommendations:

- For Office Tasks: 8–16 GB (2x4 GB or 2x8 GB).

- For Multimedia: 16–32 GB + dual-channel mode.

- DDR5 is not supported — this is the main limitation in 2025.

4. Power Supplies: Minimum 300W

Despite the 35W TDP, the complete system consumes about 100–150W (with an entry-level graphics card).

Advice:

- Without a discrete graphics card: 300W PSU (e.g., be quiet! SFX Power 3 300W).

- With a graphics card (e.g., GTX 1650): 400–450W PSU (Corsair CX450).

- Important: Choose units with 80 Plus Bronze certification or higher for stability.

5. Pros and Cons of the i5-8400T in 2025

Pros:

- Low power consumption and heat generation.

- Adequate performance for basic tasks (office, browsing, 4K video).

- Integrated graphics included.

Cons:

- No Hyper-Threading — underperforms in multi-threading.

- Outdated architecture (14nm vs. 5–7nm from competitors).

- No support for PCIe 4.0/5.0 and DDR5.

6. Use Cases: Who Is This Processor Relevant For?

- Office PCs: Document work, video conferences.

- Media Centers: Streaming 4K (Netflix, YouTube) via HDMI 2.0.

- Light Gaming: CS:GO, Dota 2 at low settings (30–60 FPS) + discrete graphics card like GTX 1050 Ti.

- Entry-Level Servers: NAS or home server based on Proxmox.

Practical Example:

A user built an HTPC on the i5-8400T in a Silverstone ML05 case (price $80) with passive cooling. The system consumes 25W at idle and handles 4K HDR.

7. Comparison with Competitors: Ryzen 5 2400G and Others

- AMD Ryzen 5 2400G (2018): 4 cores / 8 threads, Vega 11. Better in multi-tasking and graphics but has a TDP of 65W. Price (new, 2025): $90–110.

- Intel Core i3-12100T (2023): 4 cores / 8 threads, 10nm, TDP 35W. 30% faster in single-threaded tasks. Price: $130.

Conclusion: The i5-8400T falls short against modern counterparts but is more affordable in the second-hand market ($40–60).

8. Practical Assembly Tips

- Cooling: The stock cooler is sufficient, but for a quiet system, consider the Noctua NH-L9i.

- Case: For mini-PCs — Fractal Design Node 202; for office use — any MicroATX case.

- SSD: Be sure to install an NVMe drive (via adapter PCIe if the motherboard does not support it).

9. Final Verdict: Who Should Consider the i5-8400T?

This processor is worth considering in only two cases:

1. Upgrading an Old System on the LGA 1151 v2 socket.

2. Budget Build for an office or media center where energy efficiency is a priority.

In 2025, the i5-8400T is a ‘workhorse’ for specific tasks, but not for gaming or serious multitasking. If your budget is limited to $300–400, it’s better to opt for a modern i3 or Ryzen 3 with support for DDR5 and PCIe 4.0.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

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.

i5-8400T

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

1.70 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.

3.30 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

3.30 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

9 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

35 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

Max Memory Size

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

128 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).

41.6 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.

1.05 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.

9 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

1097

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

3890

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

877

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

3941

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1923

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

7432

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Ryzen 5 3400G

1170 +6.7%

Core i5-10400T

1138 +3.7%

Core i5-8400T

1097

Core i3-8121U

1065 -2.9%

Core i9-9960X X-series

1010 -7.9%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon E5-2648L

4386 +12.8%

Core i7-8559U

4133 +6.2%

Core i5-8400T

3890

Ryzen 3 7320U

3679 -5.4%

Xeon E5-1650 v2

3436 -11.7%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Ryzen 5 PRO 2400GE with Radeon Vega 11 Graphics

911 +3.9%

Core i7-5750HQ

893 +1.8%

Core i5-8400T

877

Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U

863 -1.6%

Xeon Gold 6421N

848 -3.3%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

EPYC 7713

4379 +11.1%

Core i7-8700T

4137 +5%

Core i5-8400T

3941

Xeon E3-1240 v3

3776 -4.2%

Core i3-10305

3613 -8.3%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon E5-2618L v4

1973 +2.6%

Ryzen 5 3500U

1950 +1.4%

Core i5-8400T

1923

Core i3-4360T

1892 -1.6%

Core i5-4308U

1859 -3.3%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon E3-1230 v5

8050 +8.3%

Xeon E5-2440 v2

7655 +3%

Core i5-8400T

7432

Core i7-7820HQ

7171 -3.5%

Xeon E3-1285 v3

6974 -6.2%