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Intel Core i5-8400H vs Intel Core i5-8279U vs Intel Core i9-9980HK

Intel Core i5-8400H

► remove from comparison Intel 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.

Intel Core i5-8279U

► remove from comparison

The Intel Core i5-8279U is a quad-core SoC for notebooks based on the Coffee Lake architecture and was announced in the first quarter of 2019. Compared to its predecessor Core i5-7287U, the CPU is now a quad-core with Hyperthreading support for the execution of up to 8 threads simultaneously. The base frequency is 2.4 GHz, but the Turbo goes all the way up to 4.1 GHz. It is also equipped with an Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 GPU with 128 MB eDRAM, a dual-channel memory controller (DDR4) as well as VP9 and H.265 video decoding as well as encoding. The chip is still manufactured in a 14nm process with FinFET transistors. 

Compared to faster Core i7 model (e.g. Core i7-8559U) with eDRAM and 28 Watts, the i5-8279U only features 6 MB smart cache and a slower clock of the Iris Plus GPU.

Architecture

Intel basically uses the same micro architecture compared to Kaby Lake, so the per-MHz performance does not differ. The manufacturer only reworked the Speed Shift technology for faster dynamic adjustments of voltages and clocks, and the improved 14nm process allows much higher frequencies combined with better efficiency than before.

Performance

Considering the clocks of the Core i5-8259U, its performance should be between above the 15W model Core i7-8650U. The i5-82769U should still be faster than the i7-8650U in practice thanks to the increased TDP, especially during sustained workloads. Compared to the similar named Intel Core i5-8269U, the 8279U offers a slightly lower performance (-200 MHz Turbo, -100 MHz base) although the name suggests otherwise.

Graphics

The integrated Intel Iris Plus 655 Graphics is the GT3e model of the Kaby Lake GPU (Intel Gen. 9.5). It has 48 Execution Units running at 300-1150 MHz and the performance is comparable to a GeForce 930M or 940MX thanks to fast eDRAM cache. However, there aren't any significant improvements compared to the old Iris Plus 650, so modern games can often not be played smoothly or only at the lowest or medium settings, respectively.

Contrary to Skylake, Kaby lake now also supports H.265/HEVC Main 10 with a 10-bit color depth as well as Google's VP9 codec. The dual-core Kaby Lake processors announced in January should also support HDCP 2.2.

Power Consumption

The chip is manufactured in an improved 14nm process with FinFET transistors, which improves the efficiency even further. Intel specifies the TDP with 28 Watts, which can be reduced to 23 Watts (cTDP Down) depending on the usage scenario. The TDP is pretty high compared to the common 15-Watt TDP for quad-core processors, but allows a better utilization of CPU and GPU Turbo.

Intel Core i9-9980HK

► remove from comparison Intel i9-9980HK

The Intel Core i9-9980HK is a high-end processor for laptops with eight cores based on the Coffee Lake architecture (2019 refresh, CFL-HR). The processor clocks at between 2.4 - 5 GHz and can execute up to sixteen threads simultaneously thanks to Hyper-Threading. The 5 GHz can only be reached using the "Thermal Velocity Boost" which allows one core to boost to 5 GHz (+100 MHz) as long as the CPU temperature is below 50°C. Multiple cores can be boosted +100 MHz? below 50°C (not verified). Compared to the predecessor, the Core i9-8950HK, the 9980H is based on the same architecture but offers 2 more cores and higher clock speeds (boost).

According to Intel, the CPU is manufactured in an improved 14nm (14nm++) process. The i9-9980HK is the fastest model of the Coffee-Lake-H (refresh) series at the time of announcement and offers an unlocked multiplier for overclocking of the CPU.

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

Performance

Due to the two additional cores, performance has increased by almost 33% compared to a similar clocked 6-core processor. According to first benchmarks, the mobile variant can reach the performance of the Core i9-9900K if the cooling is sufficient.

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. 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 i9 is only suited for big laptops with good cooling solutions.

ModelIntel Core i5-8400HIntel Core i5-8279UIntel Core i9-9980HK
SeriesIntel Coffee LakeIntel Coffee LakeIntel Coffee Lake
CodenameCoffee Lake-HCoffee Lake-UCoffee Lake-H
Series: Coffee Lake Coffee Lake-H
Intel Core i9-9980HK2.4 - 5 GHz8 / 16 cores16 MB L3
Intel Core i9-9880H2.3 - 4.8 GHz8 / 16 cores16 MB L3
Intel Core i9-8950HK2.9 - 4.8 GHz6 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Xeon E-2186M2.9 - 4.8 GHz6 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Xeon E-2276M2.8 - 4.7 GHz6 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i7-9850H2.6 - 4.6 GHz6 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i7-9750H2.6 - 4.5 GHz6 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Xeon E-2176M2.7 - 4.4 GHz6 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i7-8850H2.6 - 4.3 GHz6 / 12 cores9 MB L3
Intel Core i7-8750H2.2 - 4.1 GHz6 / 12 cores9 MB L3
Intel Core i5-9400H2.5 - 4.3 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i5-9300HF2.4 - 4.1 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i5-9300H2.4 - 4.1 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i5-8400H « 2.5 - 4.2 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i5-8300H2.3 - 4 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i3-8100H3 GHz4 / 4 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i7-8559U2.7 - 4.5 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i7-8557U1.7 - 4.5 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i5-8269U2.6 - 4.2 GHz4 / 8 cores6 MB L3
Intel Core i5-8279U « 2.4 - 4.1 GHz4 / 8 cores6 MB L3
Intel Core i5-8259U2.3 - 3.8 GHz4 / 8 cores6 MB L3
Intel Core i5-8257U1.4 - 3.9 GHz4 / 8 cores6 MB L3
Intel Core i3-8109U3 - 3.6 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Core i9-9980HK « 2.4 - 5 GHz8 / 16 cores16 MB L3
Intel Core i9-9880H2.3 - 4.8 GHz8 / 16 cores16 MB L3
Intel Core i9-8950HK2.9 - 4.8 GHz6 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Xeon E-2186M2.9 - 4.8 GHz6 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Xeon E-2276M2.8 - 4.7 GHz6 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i7-9850H2.6 - 4.6 GHz6 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i7-9750H2.6 - 4.5 GHz6 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Xeon E-2176M2.7 - 4.4 GHz6 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i7-8850H2.6 - 4.3 GHz6 / 12 cores9 MB L3
Intel Core i7-8750H2.2 - 4.1 GHz6 / 12 cores9 MB L3
Intel Core i5-9400H2.5 - 4.3 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i5-9300HF2.4 - 4.1 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i5-9300H2.4 - 4.1 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i5-8400H2.5 - 4.2 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i5-8300H2.3 - 4 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i3-8100H3 GHz4 / 4 cores8 MB L3
Clock2500 - 4200 MHz2400 - 4100 MHz2400 - 5000 MHz
L1 Cache256 KB256 KB512 KB
L2 Cache1 MB1 MB2 MB
L3 Cache8 MB6 MB16 MB
Cores / Threads4 / 84 / 88 / 16
TDP45 Watt28 Watt45 Watt
Technology14 nm14 nm14 nm
SocketFCBGA1440FCBGA1528FCBGA1440
FeaturesDual-Channel DDR4 Memory Controller, HyperThreading, AVX, AVX2, Quick Sync, Virtualization, AES-NIDual-Channel DDR4 Memory Controller, HyperThreading, AVX, AVX2, Quick Sync, Virtualization, AES-NI, Intel SSE4.1, Intel SSE 4.2Dual-Channel DDR4 Memory Controller, HyperThreading, AVX, AVX2, Quick Sync, Virtualization, AES-NI
iGPUIntel UHD Graphics 630 (350 - 1100 MHz)Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (300 - 1150 MHz)Intel UHD Graphics 630 (350 - 1250 MHz)
Architecturex86x86x86
Announced
Manufacturerark.intel.comark.intel.com
max. Temp.100 °C100 °C

Benchmarks

Performance Rating - CB R15 + R20 + 7-Zip + X265 + Blender + 3DM11 CPU - i9-9980HK
35.4 pt (49%)
Cinebench R23 - Cinebench R23 Multi Core
4657 Points (4%)
Cinebench R23 - Cinebench R23 Single Core
1128 Points (48%)
Cinebench R20 - Cinebench R20 CPU (Single Core)
393 Points (44%)
421 Points (47%)
min: 431     avg: 471.3     median: 478.5 (53%)     max: 505 Points
Cinebench R20 - Cinebench R20 CPU (Multi Core)
1793 Points (4%)
1717 Points (4%)
min: 2974     avg: 3530     median: 3475 (8%)     max: 4150 Points
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
min: 753     avg: 762     median: 761.5 (5%)     max: 770 Points
min: 743     avg: 750     median: 750 (5%)     max: 757 Points
min: 1327     avg: 1656     median: 1624 (10%)     max: 1930 Points
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64 Bit
min: 168     avg: 170.4     median: 170.4 (51%)     max: 172.8 Points
min: 166     avg: 167.5     median: 167.5 (50%)     max: 169 Points
min: 181     avg: 198.8     median: 201 (61%)     max: 215 Points
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64 Bit
8.3 Points (11%)
min: 14.81     avg: 16.7     median: 17.2 (22%)     max: 18.04 Points
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64 Bit
1.9 Points (48%)
min: 2.25     avg: 2.3     median: 2.3 (57%)     max: 2.4 Points
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Single (32bit)
6659 Points (40%)
6551 Points (40%)
min: 7709     avg: 8346     median: 7969.5 (48%)     max: 9734 Points
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Multi (32bit)
21711 Points (16%)
24096 Points (17%)
min: 39440     avg: 44697     median: 44455 (32%)     max: 50439 Points
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Multi (64bit)
55742 Points (39%)
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Single (64bit)
10359 Points (13%)
wPrime 2.10 - wPrime 2.0 1024m *
230.8 s (3%)
266.1 s (3%)
min: 110.4     avg: 115.3     median: 115.3 (1%)     max: 120.2 s
wPrime 2.10 - wPrime 2.0 32m *
7.2 s (1%)
8.6 s (2%)
min: 3.788     avg: 4.4     median: 4.4 (1%)     max: 4.941 s
WinRAR - WinRAR 4.0
5391 Points (9%)
5862 Points (9%)
min: 7266     avg: 7351     median: 7351 (12%)     max: 7436 Points
7-Zip 18.03 - 7-Zip 18.03 Multli Thread 4 runs
22023 MIPS (13%)
22683 MIPS (13%)
min: 39566     avg: 41756     median: 41688 (24%)     max: 44081 MIPS
7-Zip 18.03 - 7-Zip 18.03 Single Thread 4 runs
4553 MIPS (54%)
4276 MIPS (51%)
min: 5283     avg: 5426     median: 5389.5 (64%)     max: 5642 MIPS
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0 - x264 Pass 2
45.3 fps (16%)
45.7 fps (16%)
min: 92.8     avg: 93.8     median: 93.8 (33%)     max: 94.8 fps
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0 - x264 Pass 1
185.2 fps (43%)
190 fps (44%)
min: 237.5     avg: 238.1     median: 238.1 (55%)     max: 238.7 fps
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 - HWBOT x265 4k Preset
6.5 fps (11%)
6 fps (11%)
min: 10.8     avg: 11.5     median: 11.4 (20%)     max: 12.35 fps
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt Serpent
0.5 GB/s (0%)
1 GB/s (0%)
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt Twofish
0.8 GB/s (13%)
1.7 GB/s (29%)
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt AES
4.6 GB/s (12%)
min: 10.1     avg: 10.2     median: 10.2 (27%)     max: 10.3 GB/s
Blender - Blender 3.3 Classroom CPU *
1151 Seconds (15%)
Blender - Blender 2.79 BMW27 CPU *
596 Seconds (4%)
627 Seconds (4%)
min: 317.4     avg: 397.6     median: 348.4 (2%)     max: 527 Seconds
R Benchmark 2.5 - R Benchmark 2.5 *
0.7 sec (15%)
0.5 sec (12%)
3DMark 06 - CPU - 3DMark 06 - CPU
8830 Points (19%)
min: 11256     avg: 12585     median: 13208 (28%)     max: 13290 Points
Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 1M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 1M *
9 s (2%)
9.2 s (2%)
min: 7.639     avg: 7.7     median: 7.7 (2%)     max: 7.856 s
Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 2M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 2M *
21.3 s (1%)
min: 16.84     avg: 17.1     median: 17.1 (1%)     max: 17.26 s
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 32M *
498.3 s (2%)
512 s (2%)
min: 424.4     avg: 432.3     median: 432.3 (2%)     max: 440.1 s
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. CPU no Physx
49107 Points (43%)
3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance Physics
min: 9056     avg: 15688     median: 16079.5 (43%)     max: 18260 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Physics
21476 Points (17%)
min: 64033     avg: 64733     median: 65047 (53%)     max: 65119 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme Physics
21581 Points (18%)
min: 64156     avg: 64682     median: 64841 (53%)     max: 65049 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Physics
24185 Points (20%)
min: 60812     avg: 63911     median: 64615.5 (54%)     max: 65599 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Cloud Gate Physics
7017 Points (18%)
min: 13173     avg: 15303     median: 15694.5 (40%)     max: 16935 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Physics
10411 Points (19%)
min: 11758     avg: 19893     median: 20357 (36%)     max: 22463 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Time Spy CPU
3439 Points (14%)
min: 5540     avg: 8487     median: 8884.5 (37%)     max: 10162 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Physics
7968 Points (94%)
Geekbench 6.2 - Geekbench 6.2 Single-Core
1493 Points (45%)
Geekbench 6.2 - Geekbench 6.2 Multi-Core
4963 Points (20%)
Geekbench 5.5 - Geekbench 5.1 - 5.4 64 Bit Single-Core
1127 Points (48%)
min: 1314     avg: 1346     median: 1346 (57%)     max: 1378 Points
Geekbench 5.5 - Geekbench 5.1 - 5.4 64 Bit Multi-Core
4352 Points (8%)
min: 6945     avg: 7405     median: 7568 (14%)     max: 7703 Points
Geekbench 5.0 - Geekbench 5.0 64 Bit Single-Core
1118 Points (5%)
min: 1171     avg: 1273     median: 1282 (6%)     max: 1355 Points
Geekbench 5.0 - Geekbench 5.0 64 Bit Multi-Core
4211 Points (13%)
min: 7072     avg: 7421     median: 7403.5 (23%)     max: 7805 Points
Geekbench 4.4 - Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4 64 Bit Single-Core
4850 Points (48%)
min: 5617     avg: 5853     median: 5969 (60%)     max: 5972 Points
Geekbench 4.4 - Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4 64 Bit Multi-Core
17643 Points (20%)
min: 28625     avg: 29620     median: 29385 (33%)     max: 30849 Points
Geekbench 4.0 - Geekbench 4.0 64 Bit Single-Core
6002 Points (82%)
Geekbench 4.0 - Geekbench 4.0 64 Bit Multi-Core
30099 Points (73%)
Geekbench 3 - Geekbench 3 32 Bit Multi-Core
31724 Points (56%)
Geekbench 3 - Geekbench 3 32 Bit Single-Core
4871 Points (95%)
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Kraken 1.1 Total Score *
987 ms (1%)
740 ms (1%)
min: 705     avg: 878     median: 941 (1%)     max: 999 ms
Octane V2 - Octane V2 Total Score
49389 Points (44%)
44259 Points (40%)
min: 40364     avg: 42641     median: 42219.5 (38%)     max: 46473 Points
WebXPRT 4 - WebXPRT 4 Score
155.3 Points (45%)
WebXPRT 3 - WebXPRT 3 Score
209 Points (44%)
233 Points (49%)
CrossMark - CrossMark Overall
1127 Points (43%)
Power Consumption - Prime95 Power Consumption - external Monitor *
min: 97.2     avg: 103.3     median: 103.3 (18%)     max: 109.4 Watt
Power Consumption - Cinebench R15 Multi Power Consumption - external Monitor *
min: 127.1     avg: 132.7     median: 132.7 (24%)     max: 138.2 Watt
Power Consumption - Cinebench R15 Multi Power Efficiency - external Monitor
13.2 Points per Watt (10%)

Average Benchmarks Intel Core i5-8400H → 100% n=19

Average Benchmarks Intel Core i5-8279U → 100% n=19

Average Benchmarks Intel Core i9-9980HK → 138% n=19

- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation

v1.26
log 24. 04:31:23

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#4 did not recreate cache, as it is less than 5 days old! Created at Tue, 23 Apr 2024 05:40:15 +0200 +0.001s ... 0.001s

#5 composed specs +0.037s ... 0.038s

#6 did output specs +0s ... 0.038s

#7 getting avg benchmarks for device 9572 +0.003s ... 0.041s

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#9 getting avg benchmarks for device 11503 +0.003s ... 0.053s

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#12 got single benchmarks 11341 +0.056s ... 0.137s

#13 got avg benchmarks for devices +0s ... 0.137s

#14 min, max, avg, median took s +0.379s ... 0.516s

#15 return log +0s ... 0.516s

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Redaktion, 2017-09- 8 (Update: 2023-07- 1)