Intel Core i5-8400 vs Intel Core i3-10110U vs Intel Core i5-8600K

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.

Intel Core i3-10110U

The Intel Core i3-10110U is a dual-core SoC of the Comet Lake family. The i3 is designed for use in ultraportable laptops of the more affordable flavor as well as mini-PCs. It was announced in August 2019. Just like the other Comet Lake processors, this Core i3 features several advantages over the outgoing Whiskey Lake family including support for faster memory (up to LPDDR4-2933).

Core i3-10110U runs at 2.1 GHz to 4.1 GHz (only 3.7 GHz are reachable when under multi-thread load). Hyper-Threading support is enabled for 4 processing threads in total.

Performance

The average 10110U in our database shapes up to be a decent entry-level CPU, as of late 2021, its multi-thread benchmark scores nearly matching those of the AMD Ryzen 3 3250U and also the Core i3-8145U. While not a whole lot faster than Intel's more affordable Pentium Gold and Pentium Silver chips, the i3 will still let you run most apps with virtually no annoying slowdowns.

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

Graphics

The Intel UHD Graphics 620 runs at up to 1,000 MHz. What makes this specific iGPU peculiar is that it only has 23 Execution Units at its disposal, not the 24 EUs typical for a UHD Graphics 620. Otherwise, it's the usual affair with 4K monitor support (up to three displays at the same time) and a hardware video decoder that's friends with VP9, AVC, HEVC but not the newer AV1 video codec.

Power consumption

This Core i3 series chip has a default TDP (also known as the long-term power limit) of 15 W, a value that laptop makers are allowed to change to anything between 10 W and 25 W with clock speeds and performance changing correspondingly. By going for the lowest value, it will be possible to build a passively cooled system around the SoC.

The i3-10110U is built with one of the old 14 nm Intel processees for low, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.

Intel Core i5-8600K

The Intel Core i5-8600K is a high-end desktop processor with six cores based on the Coffee Lake architecture and was announced in September 2017. The processor clocks at between 3.6 and 4.3 GHz and can execute up to six threads simultaneously (no HyperThreading). According to Intel, the CPU is manufactured in an improved 14nm (14nm++) process. The i5-8600K is comparatively easy to overclock thanks to the unlocked multiplier.

Performance

Due to the two additional cores, performance has increased significantly compared to the Core i7-7700K when all cores are in use. Single-core performance has not improved since its Kaby Lake predecessor. As a high-end model, the i5-8600K is suitable for the most demanding applications and games.

Graphics

The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 iGPU is basically identical to the previous generation Intel HD Graphics 630. Only some low demanding games are playable with this graphics card (see GPU page linked above).

Power Consumption

Intel specifies the TDP with 95 watts. Therefore, well-dimensioned cooling systems should easily manage to deal with the created heat. We expect increased efficiency due to the higher performance.