Intel Core i5-10400H vs Intel Core i5-9600 Comparison

The Intel Core i5-9600 and the Intel Core i5-10400H occupy different corners of the desktop and mobile markets, respectively. The data shows a consistent performance advantage for the desktop part across every benchmark, but the comparison is not purely about raw speed; it also highlights architectural trade-offs between a 6-core desktop chip and a 4-core mobile chip with Hyper-Threading. Benchmark results indicate that the i5-9600 leads in all measured workloads, yet the i5-10400H holds its own in specific contexts due to its design goals.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data is unambiguous: the Intel Core i5-9600 wins all six recorded comparisons. The largest deltas appear in multi-core workloads, where the i5-9600’s two additional physical cores provide a clear edge. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i5-9600 scores 820 against the i5-10400H’s 697, a 17.6% advantage. The same 17.6% delta repeats in Cinebench R20 multi-core (3419 vs 2908) and Cinebench R23 multi-core (8141 vs 6924). These consistent percentages suggest the gap is structural rather than workload-specific.

Single-core results tell a similar story, though with slightly less dramatic margins. In Cinebench R15 single-core, the i5-9600 posts 115 versus 98 for the i5-10400H, a 17.3% lead. Cinebench R20 single-core shows 482 against 410, and Cinebench R23 single-core shows 1149 against 977, both reflecting the same 17.6% delta. Notably, the i5-10400H has a higher boost clock (4.60 GHz vs 4.50 GHz), yet it still trails in single-threaded tests. This indicates that the i5-9600’s higher base clock (3.10 GHz vs 2.60 GHz) and older but higher-clocked architecture contribute more to single-core performance than the newer mobile chip’s marginal boost advantage.

The i5-10400H does have a Geekbench result not present for the i5-9600, scoring 5000 multi-core and 1413 single-core. However, without a direct comparison in that test, no delta can be calculated. Across the six shared benchmarks, the i5-9600’s average lead is 17.6% in five tests and 17.3% in one, making it the clear winner on paper. The i5-10400H’s 4-core/8-thread configuration cannot overcome the i5-9600’s 6-core/6-thread setup in Cinebench’s scaling patterns, even with Hyper-Threading.

Architecture Differences

The two processors belong to different Intel generations and platforms. The i5-9600 uses the Coffee Lake architecture on a 14 nm process, while the i5-10400H uses Comet Lake, also on 14 nm. Both are manufactured by Intel, but the core configurations diverge: the i5-9600 has 6 cores and 6 threads, whereas the i5-10400H has 4 cores and 8 threads. This means the mobile chip relies on Hyper-Threading to reach 8 threads, while the desktop chip uses pure physical cores.

Cache hierarchies differ as well. The i5-9600 offers 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 9 MB of shared L3 cache. The i5-10400H matches the per-core L1 and L2 sizes but halves the shared L3 to 6 MB. This reduced cache could impact workloads that depend on large working sets, though the benchmark data does not isolate this effect. Memory support also varies: the i5-9600 supports DDR4 only, with dual-channel bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, while the i5-10400H supports both DDR3 and DDR4, with dual-channel bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s. Despite the mobile chip’s higher theoretical memory bandwidth, the desktop part still wins in compute-bound tests.

The platforms are fundamentally different. The i5-9600 uses Intel Socket 1151 and is marked for desktop, with a 65 W TDP. The i5-10400H uses Intel BGA 1440, is marked for mobile, and has a 45 W TDP. The i5-9600’s PCIe implementation is listed as Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the i5-10400H’s is simply Gen 3 without a lane count. Integrated graphics differ in naming: the i5-9600 has UHD 630, while the i5-10400H has UHD Graphics. Both lack ECC memory support and have locked multipliers. The i5-9600 is end-of-life, released in October 2018, while the i5-10400H is active, released in April 2020.

Where Each One Wins

The i5-9600 wins every recorded benchmark, so the use-case split is less about which chip is faster and more about which context favors each design. The i5-9600 is clearly better for multi-threaded rendering and CPU-intensive tasks. Its 17.6% lead in Cinebench R23 multi-core (8141 vs 6924) indicates that video rendering, 3D modeling, and batch processing will complete faster on the desktop part. The 6-core layout provides more physical parallelism, which is a direct benefit for software that scales linearly with core count.

The i5-10400H, despite losing all head-to-head tests, offers a different set of advantages. Its 45 W TDP and mobile socket make it suitable for laptops where power and thermal limits are stricter than in desktop towers. The 4-core/8-thread configuration provides better multi-threading efficiency per core than the i5-9600’s 6-core/6-thread setup, which could help in lightly threaded workloads that occasionally use extra threads. Its higher boost clock (4.60 GHz) also gives it a nominal clock advantage, though the benchmark data shows this does not translate to wins.

For users who prioritize single-core responsiveness, the i5-9600 still wins with scores like 1149 in Cinebench R23 single-core versus 977 for the i5-10400H. The desktop part’s higher base clock and older but more mature architecture seem to outweigh the mobile chip’s slight boost clock edge. In practical terms, the i5-9600 is the pick for stationary workstations, while the i5-10400H is the only logical choice for portable systems where the socket and TDP are constraints.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more cores?

A: The Intel Core i5-9600 has 6 cores and 6 threads, while the Intel Core i5-10400H has 4 cores and 8 threads.

Q: Is the i5-10400H faster in any benchmark?

A: No. The i5-9600 wins all six shared benchmarks, with deltas ranging from 17.3% to 17.6%. The i5-10400H has Geekbench scores (5000 multi-core, 1413 single-core) that are not compared head-to-head.

Q: What is the TDP difference?

A: The i5-9600 has a TDP of 65 W, while the i5-10400H has a TDP of 45 W.

Q: Do they support the same memory types?

A: No. The i5-9600 supports DDR4 only, with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth. The i5-10400H supports both DDR3 and DDR4, with 46.9 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which processor has more L3 cache?

A: The i5-9600 has 9 MB of shared L3 cache, while the i5-10400H has 6 MB of shared L3 cache.

Q: What are their production statuses?

A: The i5-9600 is end-of-life, while the i5-10400H is active.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear choice for raw performance: the Intel Core i5-9600. It leads in every shared benchmark, with a consistent 17.6% margin in multi-core and single-core Cinebench tests. Its 6 physical cores and larger 9 MB L3 cache provide a structural advantage that the i5-10400H’s 4 cores with Hyper-Threading cannot overcome. The i5-9600’s 65 W TDP and desktop socket make it suitable for systems where power is not a limiting factor.

The i5-10400H is not without merit, but its strengths lie outside the measured benchmarks. It offers a lower 45 W TDP, a mobile BGA 1440 socket, and support for both DDR3 and DDR4 memory, making it the only viable option for laptops. Its higher boost clock (4.60 GHz) and higher memory bandwidth (46.9 GB/s) are notable, but they do not translate into benchmark wins. For desktop users seeking maximum performance, the i5-9600 is the superior choice. For mobile users requiring a balance of performance and portability, the i5-10400H is the intended part, even if it trails in compute-bound tests.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two processors:

• Cores: 6 (i5-9600) vs 4 (i5-10400H)
• Threads: 6 (i5-9600) vs 8 (i5-10400H)
• Base Clock: 3.10 GHz (i5-9600) vs 2.60 GHz (i5-10400H)
• Boost Clock: 4.50 GHz (i5-9600) vs 4.60 GHz (i5-10400H)
• TDP: 65 W (i5-9600) vs 45 W (i5-10400H)
• Socket: Intel Socket 1151 (i5-9600) vs Intel BGA 1440 (i5-10400H)
• Architecture: Coffee Lake (i5-9600) vs Comet Lake (i5-10400H)
• Codename: Coffee Lake (i5-9600) vs Comet Lake-H (i5-10400H)
• Generation: Core i5 (Coffee Lake Refresh) vs Core i5 (Comet Lake-H)
• L3 Cache: 9 MB shared (i5-9600) vs 6 MB shared (i5-10400H)
• Memory Support: DDR4 (i5-9600) vs DDR3, DDR4 (i5-10400H)
• Memory Bandwidth: 42.7 GB/s (i5-9600) vs 46.9 GB/s (i5-10400H)
• PCIe: Gen 3, 16 Lanes (CPU only) (i5-9600) vs Gen 3 (i5-10400H)
• Integrated Graphics: UHD 630 (i5-9600) vs UHD Graphics (i5-10400H)
• Market Segment: Desktop (i5-9600) vs Mobile (i5-10400H)
• Production Status: End-of-life (i5-9600) vs Active (i5-10400H)
• Release Date: 2018-10-18 (i5-9600) vs 2020-04-01 (i5-10400H)
• Part Number: SR3X2 (i5-9600) vs SRH8R (i5-10400H)
• Percentile Vs All CPUs: 48 (i5-9600) vs 47 (i5-10400H)
• Average Benchmark Score: 2354 (i5-9600) vs 2303 (i5-10400H)