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Intel Core i5-9400T

Intel Core i5-9400T: Review and Practical Recommendations for Building a PC in 2025

(Prices are current as of April 2025)

Key Features: Coffee Lake in a Compact Form Factor

The Intel Core i5-9400T processor, released in 2019, remains a popular choice for budget and energy-efficient systems due to its balanced architecture.

Architecture and Process Technology

- Codename: Coffee Lake (9th generation Intel).

- Process Technology: 14 nm — outdated by the standards of 2025, but reliable.

- Cores and Threads: 6 cores, 6 threads (no Hyper-Threading).

- Frequency: Base — 1.8 GHz, maximum in turbo mode — 3.4 GHz.

- Cache Memory: 9 MB L3 — sufficient for everyday tasks.

- TDP: 35 W — a key feature that makes the processor ideal for compact PCs.

Performance

- Geekbench 6:

- Single-Core: 1145 points — a level comparable to modern budget processors (e.g., Intel Core i3-12100T).

- Multi-Core: 3943 points — modest performance for multi-threaded tasks due to lack of Hyper-Threading.

- Integrated Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 630 (base frequency — 350 MHz, maximum — 1.05 GHz). Suitable for office applications, 4K video playback, and less demanding games (e.g., Minecraft or League of Legends on low settings).

Key Features:

- Energy efficiency (ideal for mini PCs and systems with passive cooling).

- Support for hardware decoding of HEVC and VP9 video formats.

Compatible Motherboards: What to Choose?

The i5-9400T requires a motherboard with LGA 1151-v2 socket and 300 series chipset.

Chipsets and Their Features

1. H310/B360 — Budget options:

- Support for DDR4-2666 (max. 64 GB).

- No memory or processor overclocking (not critical for i5-9400T as the multiplier is locked).

- Examples: ASUS Prime B360M-A ($75–$90).

2. Z390 — Premium chipset:

- Memory overclocking up to DDR4-4000+ (relevant for performance optimization in games).

- Support for PCIe 3.0 x16.

- Example: MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC ($130–$150).

Tip: For office builds, choose H310/B360. If planning to upgrade to more powerful Coffee Lake processors (e.g., i7-9700K), it's worth getting Z390.

Memory Support: DDR4 and Limitations

- Memory Type: Only DDR4 (DDR5 not supported).

- Frequency: Up to 2666 MHz (on H310/B360 chipsets). On Z390, faster modules can be installed, but the processor will still limit them to 2666 MHz.

- Maximum Volume: 128 GB (16–32 GB is enough for most users).

Recommendations:

- The optimal option is 2x8 GB DDR4-2666 (e.g., Crucial DDR4-2666 16GB Kit — $45).

- Avoid cheap modules without heatsinks — they can overheat in compact cases.

Power Supply Units: Power Calculation

With a TDP of 35 W, the i5-9400T is extremely undemanding on the PSU:

- Without a discrete graphics card: A 300–400 W unit is sufficient (e.g., EVGA 400W 80+ — $40).

- With a graphics card: For models like NVIDIA GTX 1650 or AMD RX 6400, choose a PSU rated at 500–600 W (e.g., Corsair CX550M — $65).

Important: Even with low power consumption, do not skimp on the quality of the PSU — cheap units can damage components.

Pros and Cons of i5-9400T

Pros:

- Low heat output

- Sufficient performance for office tasks

- 4K video support

- Low price ($150–$180 for a new processor)

Cons:

- No Hyper-Threading

- Outdated 14 nm process

- Integrated graphics are weak for gaming

- Limited compatibility with new operating systems

Usage Scenarios

1. Office PCs: Ideal for working with documents, web browsing, and video conferencing.

2. Home Media Center: Supports 4K HDR via HDMI 1.4 and hardware decoder.

3. Undemanding Games: CS:GO (60 FPS on medium settings), World of Tanks.

4. Basic Work Tasks: Working in Photoshop, Lightroom, but not for rendering 3D models.

Real-life Example: A user built a mini PC with an i5-9400T in an InWin Chopin case for streaming Netflix in 4K — the system runs silently and consumes less than 50 W.

Comparison with Competitors

- AMD Ryzen 5 3400G (4 cores/8 threads, Vega 11, TDP 65 W, $160):

- Better in multi-threaded tasks but falls short in energy efficiency.

- Intel Core i3-12100T (4 cores/8 threads, 10 nm, $140):

- Higher performance in single-threaded tasks but fewer cores.

Conclusion: The i5-9400T excels in budget builds where low energy consumption and cost are priorities.

Practical Assembly Tips

1. Cooling: The stock cooler is sufficient, but for quieter operation, choose a tower cooler (e.g., Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 V2 — $25).

2. Storage: Always use an SSD (e.g., Kingston A400 480GB — $35).

3. Case: The Fractal Design Node 202 is suitable for mini PCs ($110).

4. BIOS: Make sure the motherboard supports 9th generation Intel (a firmware update may be required).

Final Conclusion: Who is the i5-9400T Suitable For?

This processor is a good choice if:

- Budget is limited, and you need an energy-efficient system.

- Goal is an office PC, media center, or compact home server.

- No requirements for modern gaming or professional applications.

Why in 2025? Despite its age, the i5-9400T remains a worthwhile option for the secondary market and new builds where minimalism and reliability are priorities. However, for gaming or AI work, it's better to consider more modern models (e.g., Intel Core i5-13400T).

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

September 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.

i5-9400T

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

1.80 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.

3.40 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

3.40 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.

4096 x 2304@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.

4096 x 2304@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.

4096 x 2304@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

1145

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

3943

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

849

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

3743

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2130

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

8407

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i5-5675R

1208 +5.5%

Xeon E3-1245 v3

1173 +2.4%

Core i5-9400T

1145

Core i7-6820HK

1106 -3.4%

Core i7-5775R

1071 -6.5%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon E3-1230 v6

4434 +12.5%

Xeon E3-1230 v5

4166 +5.7%

Core i5-9400T

3943

Core i3-8300

3710 -5.9%

Xeon E5-2620 v4

3508 -11%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon Gold 6212U

878 +3.4%

Xeon E3-1505M v5

864 +1.8%

Core i5-9400T

849

Core i7-10510U

830 -2.2%

Core i7-4820K

812 -4.4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Ryzen 3 7330U

4098 +9.5%

Opteron 6386 SE

3889 +3.9%

Core i5-9400T

3743

Xeon E5620

3595 -4%

Xeon Bronze 3206R

3456 -7.7%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon Gold 6150

2188 +2.7%

Core i5-10400T

2158 +1.3%

Core i5-9400T

2130

Core i5-6500

2113 -0.8%

Xeon E3-1230 v3

2085 -2.1%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon E3-1275

9254 +10.1%

Xeon E5-2630L v3

8811 +4.8%

Core i5-9400T

8407

Core i7-4790

8065 -4.1%

Core i7-5950HQ

7696 -8.5%