Intel Core i5-9400F Review

Introducing the Core i5-9400F! This Desktop processor is a marvel in Intel's mid-range range. Debuted in 2019, it's packed with 6 cores and 6 threads. It operates at a base clock speed of 2.9GHz, can ramp up to 4.1GHz, and has a power consumption of 65W, ready to supercharge your gaming system. The Core i5-9400F is built on the Coffee Lake Refresh 14nm platform and belongs to the esteemed Core i5 series.

And guess what? The Core i5-9400F is the ultimate successor to Intel's previous-gen gaming champion, the Core i5-8400. The Core i5-8400 was based on the legendary Coffee Lake and 14nm process, and it made its grand entrance into the gaming scene back in 2017. But now, it's time for the Core i5-9400F to take the throne and conquer the gaming world!

The best CPUs are the ones that slay frames at a price that won't make you ragequit. The Core i5-9400F totally wins this game.

The Intel Core i5-9400F launched on Feb 2019 for $169, which is pretty much the same price as the last-generation Core i5-8400. At least there's no crazy price hike this generation!

Intel has been struggling lately to keep up with the new Ryzen 5 processors. This has forced them to get creative with their existing lineup. The Intel Core i5-9400F isn't exactly new - it's basically a Core i5-8400 with a higher clock speed. But there's one more twist...

The Intel has disabled the graphics on the Core i5-9400F, so it doesn't have any integrated graphics - just like the Ryzen 5 3500. This makes the Core i5-9400F cheaper than the Core i5-8400, even though the price difference might not be obvious at first glance. You can find the Core i5-9400F for $169 while the Core i5-8400 is still $182. That's a whopping 8% discount for the newer CPU! It's also cheaper than the Ryzen 5 3500 which costs $240.76.

For gamers, both the Ryzen 5 3500 and Core i5-9400F are great choices. They're neck and neck, with a slight edge to the AMD CPU if you don't overclock it. The Core i5-9400F's base performance can be achieved with cheaper RAM (around $90), whereas the Ryzen 5 3500 needs faster RAM ($110-$120) to hit the frame rates we showed. The price difference is small though, and with anything less than an RTX 2070 or Vega 64 graphics card, your GPU will bottleneck your performance anyway. BottleneckAtPlay

Today's review is on the Intel Core i5-9400F, a 6-core desktop processor launched in Feb 2019. Intel sells the Core i5-9400F without integrated graphics, making it perfect for systems with a dedicated graphics card. It costs $169 and is a great option for those who already have a GPU.

One of the best things about the Intel Core i5-9400F is that it comes with a free CPU cooler! You can grab the Core i5-9400F for $169 without having to spend extra on cooling.

The Intel Core i5-9400F comes with a basic heatsink cooler, nothing fancy. But it gets the job done for this low-power CPU (TDP of 65W). You won't need a fancy aftermarket cooler unless you want to overclock it.

For a 6-core CPU, the Intel Core i5-9400F is a steal at $169! It seems crazy cheap compared to its main competitor, the 6-core AMD Ryzen 5 3500 which costs $240.76. Basically, you get extra cores for almost nothing.

However, the Intel Core i5-9400F falls a bit behind in clock speeds. The Ryzen 5 3600 can reach 3.6GHz base clock and boost up to 4.2GHz.

With Core i5, Intel brings new innovation with its new architecture and a 14nm manufacturing process. Similar to Core i5, Core i5 is built for the LGA1151 platform with support for all the latest features like DDR4 RAM, super-fast NVMe SSDs, and Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Can you game on Intel's Core i5 CPU? Absolutely! We got a solid 87% score in our gaming benchmarks.

Looking for an affordable powerhouse CPU for work and play? Look no further than the Core i5-9400F!

Building on the success of mainstream Core i5 CPUs, Intel is now attacking the mid-range market with the Core i5-9400F processors, available since Feb 2019.