Intel Core i3-7130U vs Intel Core i5-8400H

Intel Core i3-7130U

The Intel Core i3-7130U is a dual-core processor of the Kaby-Lake architecture. It offers two CPU cores clocked at 2.7 GHz (without Turbo Boost) and integrates HyperThreading to work with up to 4 threads at once. The architectural differences are rather small compared to the Skylake generation, therefore the performance per MHz should be very similar. The SoC includes a dual channel DDR4 memory controller and Intel HD Graphics 620 graphics adapter (clocked at 300 MHz to 1,000 MHz). It is manufactured on improved 14 nm Intel process with FinFETs.

Performance

The average 7130U in our database only just matches the Core i5-4310U, a dual-core CPU of similar energy efficiency that launched in 2014, in multi-thread performance. While not as horribly slow as most N-class Intel chips, this Core i3 is unlikely to make a power user happy.

Your mileage may vary depending on how competent the cooling solution of your system is, and how high the CPU power limits are.

Power consumption

This Core i3 series chip has a default TDP, also known as the long-term power limit, of 15 W. Laptop makers are allowed to significantly reduce that value (7.5 W being the lower limit) resulting in lower clock speeds and lower performance.

Last but not the least, the i3-7130U is manufactured on one of the old 14 nm Intel processes for subpar, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.

Intel Core i5-8400H

The Intel Core i5-8400H is a high-end processor for laptops with four cores based on the Coffee Lake architecture and will be announced early 2018. The processor clocks at between 2.5 and 4.2 GHz (4.1 with 4 cores) and can execute up to eight threads simultaneously thanks to Hyper-Threading. According to Intel, the CPU is manufactured in an improved 14nm (14nm++) process.

The Coffee Lake architecture is similar to Kaby Lake and differs only in the amount of cores (now six cores for the high end versions) and the improved 14nm process (14nm++ according to Intel).

Performance

The Intel Core i5-8400H should perform similar as the older Core i7-7920HQ (3.1 - 4.1 GHz). The faster Coffee Lake CPUs, like the Core i7-8750H offers two additional cores and is therefore up to 50% faster in multithreaded benchmarks. Still, the performance of the i5-8400H should be sufficient for even demanding applications and games.

Graphics

The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 iGPU is supposed to offer a slightly higher performance as its clock rate has been increased by 50 MHz (rumored). The architecture is identical to that of the Intel HD Graphics 630. We do expect a performance improvement, but as a low-end solution it will probably only display current games smoothly at reduced details - if at all.

Power Consumption

Intel specifies the TDP with 45 watts and therefore the i5 is only suited for big laptops with good cooling solutions. Using cTDP-down, the CPU can also be configured to 35 Watt resulting in a reduced performance.