Atom 230 vs i5-6400

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core i5-6400
2015
4 cores / 4 threads, 65 Watt
3.41
+3000%
Atom 230
2008
1 core / 2 threads, 4 Watt
0.11

Core i5-6400 outperforms Atom 230 by a whopping 3000% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i5-6400 and Atom 230 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking15643375
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.78no data
Market segmentDesktop processorLaptop
SeriesIntel Core i5Intel Atom
Power efficiency4.962.60
Architecture codenameSkylake (2015−2016)Silverthorne (2008−2010)
Release date2 July 2015 (9 years ago)2 April 2008 (16 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$187$29

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i5-6400 and Atom 230 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores4 (Quad-Core)1 (Single-Core)
Threads42
Base clock speed2.7 GHz1.6 GHz
Boost clock speed3.3 GHz0.1 GHz
Bus typeDMI 3.0FSB
Bus rate4 × 8 GT/s533.33 MT/s
Multiplier2712
L1 cache64K (per core)56 KB
L2 cache256K (per core)512 KB
L3 cache6 MB (shared)0 KB
Chip lithography14 nm45 nm
Die size177 mm225.9638 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data85 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)72 °Cno data
Number of transistorsno data47 Million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
VID voltage rangeno data0.9V-1.1625V

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-6400 and Atom 230 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration1 (Uniprocessor)1 (Uniprocessor)
SocketFCLGA1151PBGA437
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt4 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-6400 and Atom 230. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2Intel® SSE2, Intel® SSE3, Intel® SSSE3
AES-NI+-
AVX+-
vPro+no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+-
Turbo Boost Technology2.0-
Hyper-Threading Technology-+
Idle States+-
Thermal Monitoring+-
Demand Based Switchingno data-
FSB parityno data-

Security technologies

Core i5-6400 and Atom 230 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT--
EDB++
Secure Key+no data
MPX+-
Identity Protection+-
SGXYes with Intel® MEno data
OS Guard+no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-6400 and Atom 230 are enumerated here.

AMD-V+-
VT-d+-
VT-x+-
EPT+no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-6400 and Atom 230. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3, DDR4no data
Maximum memory size64 GB8 GB
Max memory channels2no data
Maximum memory bandwidth34.134 GB/sno data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel HD Graphics 530-
Max video memory64 GB-
Quick Sync Video+-
Clear Video+-
Clear Video HD+-
Graphics max frequency950 MHz-
InTru 3D+-

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-6400 and Atom 230 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported3-
eDP+-
DisplayPort+-
HDMI+-
DVI+-

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i5-6400 and Atom 230 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support+-
Max resolution over HDMI 1.44096x2304@24Hz-
Max resolution over eDP4096x2304@60Hz-
Max resolution over DisplayPort4096x2304@60Hz-
Max resolution over VGAN/A-

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i5-6400 and Atom 230 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX12-
OpenGL4.5-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-6400 and Atom 230.

PCIe version3.0no data
PCI Express lanes16no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

i5-6400 3.41
+3000%
Atom 230 0.11

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

i5-6400 5417
+3105%
Atom 230 169

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

i5-6400 5088
+813%
Atom 230 557

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

i5-6400 18297
+2050%
Atom 230 851

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.41 0.11
Recency 2 July 2015 2 April 2008
Physical cores 4 1
Threads 4 2
Chip lithography 14 nm 45 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 65 Watt 4 Watt

i5-6400 has a 3000% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 7 years, 300% more physical cores and 100% more threads, and a 221.4% more advanced lithography process.

Atom 230, on the other hand, has 1525% lower power consumption.

The Core i5-6400 is our recommended choice as it beats the Atom 230 in performance tests.

Note that Core i5-6400 is a desktop processor while Atom 230 is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-6400 and Atom 230, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.


Intel Core i5-6400
Core i5-6400
Intel Atom 230
Atom 230

Similar processor comparisons

We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.

Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


3.5 1247 votes

Rate Core i5-6400 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
3.2 56 votes

Rate Atom 230 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i5-6400 or Atom 230, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.