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Intel Pentium Gold G6400

Intel Pentium Gold G6400: A Budget Processor for Basic Tasks in 2025

April 2025

Key Features: Architecture and Performance

The Intel Pentium Gold G6400, released in 2020, remains relevant for budget builds due to its energy efficiency and low cost. Based on the Comet Lake microarchitecture (14nm), it features 2 cores and 4 threads (thanks to Hyper-Threading), allowing it to handle basic multitasking scenarios.

Key Features:

- Base Clock Speed: 4.0 GHz (without Turbo Boost).

- L3 Cache: 4 MB — sufficient for basic applications.

- Integrated Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 610 running at 1.05 GHz, supporting 4K via HDMI.

- TDP 58W — low power consumption for office PCs.

Performance:

According to Geekbench 6 tests (2025), the processor scores 807 points in single-threaded mode and 1677 points in multi-threaded mode. This performance is adequate for working with office applications, web browsing, and light graphic editors. For instance, in Microsoft Office 2025, it demonstrates smooth operation even with large Excel spreadsheets.

Compatible Motherboards: Sockets and Chipsets

The Pentium G6400 utilizes the LGA 1200 socket, which limits motherboard choices to outdated but affordable models.

Compatible Chipsets:

- H410/B460/H470: optimal for this processor. H410 chipsets are the cheapest (starting at $60) but lack PCIe 4.0 and USB 3.2 Gen 2.

- Z490: an excessive choice since the processor does not support overclocking.

Examples of motherboards in 2025:

- ASRock H410M-HDV ($65): mini-ATX, 2 DDR4 slots.

- Gigabyte B460M DS3H ($85): 4 RAM slots, M.2 slot for NVMe.

Important: Check BIOS support when purchasing. Some motherboards require a firmware update to work with Comet Lake.

Supported Memory: DDR4 and Dual Channel Mode

The processor works with DDR4-2666 MHz in dual-channel mode. DDR5 and higher frequencies are not supported.

RAM Recommendations:

- 8GB: minimum for Windows 11 and basic tasks.

- 16GB: comfortable operation with 10+ Chrome tabs and light video editing.

Example: A set of Crucial DDR4-2666 16GB (2x8GB) costs around $45 and ensures stability.

Power Supplies: Power Calculation

With a TDP of 58W, the Pentium G6400 does not require a powerful PSU. Even considering an entry-level discrete graphics card (e.g., GTX 1650), a 400–450W PSU will suffice.

Tips:

- Choose a PSU with an 80+ Bronze certification (85% efficiency).

- Avoid no-name brands.

Examples:

- EVGA 450 BR ($50): reliable and quiet operation.

- Corsair CV450 ($55): overload protection.

Pros and Cons of the Pentium Gold G6400

Pros:

- Price: $75–85 (new, 2025).

- Energy Efficiency: suitable for compact cases.

- Integrated Graphics: no separate graphics card required.

Cons:

- 2 Cores: slows down with multiple heavy applications running simultaneously.

- No PCIe 4.0: a limitation for modern storage solutions.

- Outdated Socket: upgrading to newer Intel processors is not possible.

Use Cases: What the Processor is Suitable For

1. Office Tasks: Word, Excel, email, video conferencing.

2. Multimedia: streaming video (Netflix, YouTube 4K), music.

3. Light Gaming: Minecraft, CS:GO (on low settings, 720p), browser games.

Real Experience: A PC owner with the G6400 noted that the processor handles Adobe Photoshop 2025 (editing 12 MP photos) but "lags" when working with 3D effects.

Comparison with Competitors

AMD Athlon 3000G (Zen, 14nm):

- Pros: cheaper ($60), unlocked multiplier.

- Cons: weaker in single-threaded tasks (Geekbench 6 Single-Core: ~720).

Intel Celeron G5900:

- Pros: price ($50).

- Cons: no Hyper-Threading, only 2 threads.

Conclusion: The Pentium G6400 outperforms the Athlon 3000G in per-core performance but falls short in price.

Practical Assembly Tips

1. SSD is Essential: Kingston A400 240GB ($30) will speed up system boot times.

2. Cooling: the stock cooler is sufficient, but for quieter operation, consider a Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 ($25).

3. Case: Mini-ITX (Fractal Design Core 500) for compactness.

4. Don't Overspend on a Motherboard: H410 will suffice with headroom.

Final Conclusion: Who is the Pentium Gold G6400 Suitable For

This processor is suitable for those who:

- Are building an office PC or home media center.

- Seek maximum savings without sacrificing stability.

- Do not plan to run AAA games or professional editing software.

Alternative: If the budget allows an additional $50–70, consider the Intel Core i3-10100 (4 cores/8 threads) or the AMD Ryzen 3 4100 (Zen 2).

In 2025, the Pentium G6400 remains a niche solution, but it is still relevant for its intended tasks.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

April 2020

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.

G6400

Code Name

Comet 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

4.00 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.

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

Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0

Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 identifies the best performing core(s) on a processor and provides increased performance on those cores through increasing frequency as needed by taking advantage of power and thermal headroom.

L3 Cache

4 MB

CPU Socket

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

FCLGA1200

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

58 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

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 610

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.

4096x2160@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

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

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.

4 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

807

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

1677

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

859

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1834

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2467

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

4124

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon E5-1603 v3

908 +12.5%

Ryzen 3 PRO 2300U

865 +7.2%

Pentium Gold G6400

807

Celeron G5900

739 -8.4%

Core i5-2500K

684 -15.2%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i7-6500U

1992 +18.8%

Athlon 200GE

1838 +9.6%

Pentium Gold G6400

1677

Athlon PRO 300U

1521 -9.3%

Athlon Silver 3050e

1371 -18.2%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon E5-1660 v4

889 +3.5%

Core i5-7300U

874 +1.7%

Pentium Gold G6400

859

Xeon E5-1660 v2

840 -2.2%

Core i3-8100H

823 -4.2%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon Gold 6146

2090 +14%

Core i5-6442EQ

1954 +6.5%

Pentium Gold G6400

1834

Core i5-5287U

1680 -8.4%

Athlon X4 950

1581 -13.8%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i5-7600K

2553 +3.5%

Ryzen Embedded V2546

2513 +1.9%

Pentium Gold G6400

2467

Ryzen 5 4600U

2436 -1.3%

Xeon E3-1585 v5

2402 -2.6%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i7-4770TE

4557 +10.5%

Opteron 4386

4378 +6.2%

Pentium Gold G6400

4124

Opteron 4332 HE

3906 -5.3%

Xeon E5640

3702 -10.2%