A9-9420 vs i5-8400

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Aggregate performance score

Core i5-8400
2017
6 cores / 6 threads, 65 Watt
5.81
+518%
A9-9420
2016
2 cores / 2 threads, 15 Watt
0.94

Core i5-8400 outperforms A9-9420 by a whopping 518% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i5-8400 and A9-9420 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking11282523
Place by popularity63not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation4.95no data
Market segmentDesktop processorLaptop
SeriesIntel Core i5AMD Bristol Ridge
Power efficiency8.455.93
Architecture codenameCoffee Lake-S (2017−2018)Stoney Ridge (2016−2019)
Release date5 October 2017 (7 years ago)31 May 2016 (8 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$182no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i5-8400 and A9-9420 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 cores6 (Hexa-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads62
Base clock speed2.8 GHz3 GHz
Boost clock speed4 GHz3.6 GHz
Bus typeDMI 3.0no data
Bus rate4 × 8 GT/sno data
Multiplier28no data
L1 cache64K (per core)160 KB
L2 cache256K (per core)1 MB (shared)
L3 cache9 MB (shared)0 KB
Chip lithography14 nm28 nm
Die size149 mm2125 mm2
Maximum core temperature100 °C90 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)72 °C74 °C
Number of transistorsno data1,200 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility+-

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-8400 and A9-9420 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
SocketFCLGA1151FT4
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt15 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-8400 and A9-9420. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2Virtualization,
AES-NI++
FMA-+
AVX++
vPro+no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Turbo Boost Technology2.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology-no data
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+-

Security technologies

Core i5-8400 and A9-9420 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT-no data
EDB+no data
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 i5-8400 and A9-9420 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-8400 and A9-9420. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3, DDR4DDR4
Maximum memory size128 GBno data
Max memory channels2no data
Maximum memory bandwidth42.671 GB/sno data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel UHD Graphics 630Radeon R5
Max video memory64 GBno data
Quick Sync Video+-
Clear Video+no data
Clear Video HD+no data
Graphics max frequency1.05 GHzno data
InTru 3D+no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-8400 and A9-9420 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported3no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i5-8400 and A9-9420 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support+no data
Max resolution over HDMI 1.44096x2304@24Hzno data
Max resolution over eDP4096x2304@60Hzno data
Max resolution over DisplayPort4096x2304@60Hzno data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i5-8400 and A9-9420 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX12no data
OpenGL4.5no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-8400 and A9-9420.

PCIe version3.03.0
PCI Express lanes168

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.

i5-8400 5.81
+518%
A9-9420 0.94

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.

i5-8400 9235
+516%
A9-9420 1500

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

i5-8400 1373
+322%
A9-9420 325

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

i5-8400 4810
+862%
A9-9420 500

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.

i5-8400 6364
+121%
A9-9420 2875

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.

i5-8400 30790
+536%
A9-9420 4841

wPrime 32

wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.

i5-8400 6.2
+243%
A9-9420 21.29

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.

i5-8400 11
+570%
A9-9420 2

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.

i5-8400 941
+602%
A9-9420 134

Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.

i5-8400 170
+109%
A9-9420 81

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.

i5-8400 1.9
+91.9%
A9-9420 0.99

TrueCrypt AES

TrueCrypt is a discontinued piece of software that was widely used for on-the-fly-encryption of disk partitions, now superseded by VeraCrypt. It contains several embedded performance tests, one of them being TrueCrypt AES, which measures data encryption speed using AES algorithm. Result is encryption speed in gigabytes per second.

i5-8400 5
+355%
A9-9420 1.1

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 5.81 0.94
Recency 5 October 2017 31 May 2016
Physical cores 6 2
Threads 6 2
Chip lithography 14 nm 28 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 65 Watt 15 Watt

i5-8400 has a 518.1% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, 200% more physical cores and 200% more threads, and a 100% more advanced lithography process.

A9-9420, on the other hand, has 333.3% lower power consumption.

The Core i5-8400 is our recommended choice as it beats the A9-9420 in performance tests.

Note that Core i5-8400 is a desktop processor while A9-9420 is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-8400 and A9-9420, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i5-8400
Core i5-8400
AMD A9-9420
A9-9420

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Community ratings

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