Intel Core i5-8400 vs Apple S9 SiP

Intel Core i5-8400

The Intel Core i5-8400 is a mid-range 6-core CPU. The processor belongs to the Coffee Lake generation and was presented in September 2017. It does not support Hyper-Threading, which means it can run six threads simultaneously. The base clock rate is 2.8 GHz and the CPU can speed up to 4.0 GHz under high load. Despite belonging to the new generation of CPUs, the Core i5-8400 is manufactured in an improved 14nm process.

Performance

The processor offers a strong performance increase compared to the Core i5-7400 due to its two additional cores. Single-core performance has not improved significantly compared to its Kaby Lake predecessor. As a mid-range model, the Core i5-8400 should be suitable for demanding games and programs.

Graphics

The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 iGPU is supposed to offer higher performance as its clock rate has been increased by 50 MHz. The build 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 65 watts. Therefore, well-dimensioned cooling systems should easily manage to deal with the created heat. We expect increased efficiency due to the higher performance.

Apple S9 SiP

The Apple S9 SiP (System in a Package) is a 64-bit processor with two cores (Sawtooth Dual-Core) that is used in the Apple Watch Series 9. The two CPU cores are based on the same microarchitecture as in the Apple A15 SoC. The chip also includes a Neural Engine (with 4 cores) for AI tasks for the first time.

The S9 offers 64 GB internal memory, L1 GPS, GNSS, Galileo and BaeiDou, WLAN 4 (802.11n), Bluetooth 5.3), and LTE / UMTS (optional). The ultra-wideband chip Apple U1 is also integrated.

The chip is manufactured in the modern 4nm process at TSMC (N4P).