Intel Core i5-4590 vs Intel Pentium Gold G6400 Comparison

The Intel Core i5-4590 and Intel Pentium Gold G6400 occupy the same 63rd percentile in the database, yet their benchmark profiles diverge sharply. The i5-4590 holds an average benchmark score of 7609, while the Pentium Gold G6400 sits at 6969. In direct head-to-head testing, the i5-4590 wins 13 of 16 workloads, with the Pentium Gold G6400 taking only three. These results reflect fundamental differences in core count, architecture, and memory support, which the recorded data makes clear.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The i5-4590 dominates the Cinebench suite. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, it scores 460 against 305 for the Pentium Gold G6400, a 50.8% advantage. The gap persists in Cinebench R20 multi-core (1920 vs 1272, 50.9%) and Cinebench R23 multi-core (4573 vs 3030, 50.9%). Even in single-core Cinebench tests, the i5-4590 leads: R20 single-core shows 270 vs 179 (50.8%), and R23 single-core shows 645 vs 427 (51.1%). This is notable because the Pentium Gold G6400 has a higher base clock (4.00 GHz vs 3.30 GHz), yet the i5-4590 still wins in these single-threaded rendering workloads.

The PassMark suite tells a more nuanced story. The i5-4590 wins in most compute-heavy tests. Its largest margin is in extended instructions, where it scores 6133 against 1784, a 243.8% lead. It also wins in find prime numbers (32 vs 17, 88.2%), floating point math (12057 vs 8788, 37.2%), multithread (5373 vs 4118, 30.5%), random string sorting (10238 vs 8034, 27.4%), data compression (76800 vs 62806, 22.3%), integer math (15862 vs 13941, 13.8%), and physics (402 vs 356, 12.9%). These results align with the i5-4590's four physical cores versus the Pentium Gold G6400's two, even though both support four threads.

The Pentium Gold G6400 wins in two PassMark tests. In data encryption, it scores 1535 against 1353, an 11.9% advantage. In single-thread PassMark, it scores 2457 against 2081, a 15.3% lead. The single-thread result is consistent with its higher base clock and newer Comet Lake architecture. The encryption win suggests that the Pentium Gold G6400's instruction set or memory path handles that specific workload more efficiently.

The i5-4590's average score of 7609 places it within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX (7578) and the Intel Core i5-6500 (7569), and 1.7% below the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX (7741). The Pentium Gold G6400's average of 6969 is within 0.5% of the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260 (6992) and the AMD Ryzen 3 3200G (6931), and 0.7% below the Intel Core i9-7980XE (7018). These nearest-rival comparisons show that the i5-4590 competes in a higher performance tier, despite both CPUs sharing the same percentile ranking.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the Intel Core i5-4590 for most workloads. It wins 13 of 16 head-to-head tests, including all Cinebench variants and the majority of PassMark compute tasks. Its four cores and larger L3 cache (6 MB vs 4 MB) give it a decisive edge in multi-threaded rendering, physics, and extended instruction workloads. The i5-4590 is the better choice for users who run CPU-intensive applications such as video encoding, 3D rendering, or scientific simulations.

The Intel Pentium Gold G6400 is the better option only for specific single-threaded tasks and data encryption. Its PassMark single-thread score of 2457 is 15.3% higher than the i5-4590's 2081, and its data encryption score of 1535 is 11.9% higher. For lightly threaded applications that rely on a single core, or for workloads that involve heavy encryption, the Pentium Gold G6400 may deliver better responsiveness. Its lower TDP (58 W vs 84 W) also makes it more power-efficient, though the database does not include power consumption measurements.

The i5-4590's average benchmark score of 7609 is 9.2% higher than the Pentium Gold G6400's 6969. This overall margin, combined with the 13-3 win count, makes the i5-4590 the stronger general-purpose processor. The Pentium Gold G6400 is a viable alternative only when its specific strengths align with the user's workload.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster in multi-core workloads?

A: The Intel Core i5-4590 wins all multi-core Cinebench tests. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, it scores 4573 against 3030 for the Pentium Gold G6400, a 50.9% advantage. It also leads in PassMark multithread (5373 vs 4118, 30.5%).

Q: Which CPU has a higher single-thread score?

A: The Pentium Gold G6400 has a higher PassMark single-thread score: 2457 vs 2081, a 15.3% lead. However, in Cinebench single-core tests, the i5-4590 wins, scoring 645 vs 427 in R23 single-core (51.1% ahead).

Q: How many cores and threads does each CPU have?

A: The i5-4590 has 4 cores and 4 threads. The Pentium Gold G6400 has 2 cores and 4 threads. Both support four threads, but the i5-4590 has two additional physical cores.

Q: What memory types do they support?

A: The i5-4590 supports DDR3 memory, while the Pentium Gold G6400 supports DDR4. The Pentium Gold G6400 also has a recorded memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s; the i5-4590 does not have a bandwidth figure in the database.

Q: Which CPU has a higher base clock?

A: The Pentium Gold G6400 has a base clock of 4.00 GHz, while the i5-4590 has a base clock of 3.30 GHz. The i5-4590 also has a boost clock of 3.70 GHz, while the Pentium Gold G6400 has no boost clock listed.

Q: What are the integrated graphics?

A: The i5-4590 includes Intel HD 4600, and the Pentium Gold G6400 includes UHD Graphics 610. The database does not provide benchmark scores for these iGPUs.

Specification Differences

The two CPUs differ in several core specifications. The i5-4590 has 4 cores and 4 threads, while the Pentium Gold G6400 has 2 cores and 4 threads. Base clocks are 3.30 GHz for the i5-4590 and 4.00 GHz for the Pentium Gold G6400. The i5-4590 has a boost clock of 3.70 GHz; the Pentium Gold G6400 has no boost clock listed. TDP is 84 W for the i5-4590 and 58 W for the Pentium Gold G6400. Sockets differ: Intel Socket 1150 for the i5-4590, Intel Socket 1200 for the Pentium Gold G6400.

Memory support differs: the i5-4590 uses DDR3, the Pentium Gold G6400 uses DDR4. The Pentium Gold G6400 has a recorded memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s; the i5-4590 has no bandwidth figure. PCIe support is Gen 3 for both, but the Pentium Gold G6400 specifies 16 lanes (CPU only), while the i5-4590 does not list a lane count. Integrated graphics are Intel HD 4600 for the i5-4590 and UHD Graphics 610 for the Pentium Gold G6400. The Pentium Gold G6400 has a production status of Active and a part number SRH3Y; the i5-4590 has neither listed. Release dates are 2014-04-30 for the i5-4590 and 2020-04-29 for the Pentium Gold G6400.

Architecture Differences

The i5-4590 is built on the Haswell architecture, using a 22 nm process node. It contains 1,400 million transistors on a 177 mm² die. The Pentium Gold G6400 uses the Comet Lake architecture on a 14 nm process node, with no transistor or die size data recorded. The i5-4590 has 4 cores, while the Pentium Gold G6400 has 2 cores. L3 cache is 6 MB shared for the i5-4590 and 4 MB shared for the Pentium Gold G6400. Both have 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core.

The i5-4590 supports DDR3 memory, while the Pentium Gold G6400 supports DDR4 with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. The Pentium Gold G6400's PCIe implementation is Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the i5-4590 lists Gen 3 without a lane count. Integrated graphics differ: Intel HD 4600 on the i5-4590, UHD Graphics 610 on the Pentium Gold G6400. The Pentium Gold G6400 is marked as Active in production, while the i5-4590 has no production status. These architectural differences explain the benchmark results: the i5-4590's extra cores and larger L3 cache drive its multi-threaded wins, while the Pentium Gold G6400's higher base clock and newer process node contribute to its single-thread PassMark advantage.