CPU Comparison

The Intel Core i5-6500 and Intel Core i5-7400 are both 4-core, 4-thread desktop processors on the Intel Socket 1151 platform, yet the benchmark data consistently favors the older Skylake part. The i5-6500 wins all 19 head-to-head comparisons, with the average benchmark score of 7569 sitting 1.3% above the i5-7400’s 7469. Neither chip reaches a distinct performance tier, as both hold the 63rd percentile among all CPUs, but the consistency of the i5-6500’s lead across every workload category is the defining pattern in this comparison.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive margin appears in Geekbench multi-core, where the i5-6500 scores 3118 against the i5-7400’s 2740, a 13.8% advantage. That is the single largest delta in the entire head-to-head set, and it is nearly three times the size of the next-largest gap. The single-core Geekbench test tells a similar story, with the i5-6500 at 1099 and the i5-7400 at 1043, a 5.4% lead. These results indicate that the i5-6500’s advantage is not merely a multi-threaded artifact; it also wins single-threaded tests, which suggests a per-core performance edge rather than just better scheduling.

Cinebench results are tighter but still uniformly favor the i5-6500. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the i5-6500 scores 4760 versus 4658, a 2.2% lead, while the single-core test shows 672 against 657, a 2.3% margin. The R20 suite mirrors this pattern, with the i5-6500 ahead by 2.2% in multi-core (1999 vs 1956) and 2.5% in single-core (282 vs 275). The older R15 test shows the same direction: 479 vs 469 in multi-core (2.1%) and 67 vs 66 in single-core (1.5%). The margins shrink slightly as the workload scales down, but the winner never changes.

PassMark tests reveal where the two chips are closest. Data compression is nearly a dead heat, with the i5-6500 at 76510 and the i5-7400 at 76268, a 0.3% difference. Random string sorting is also close, at 9357 versus 9301, a 0.6% gap. Finding prime numbers produces an exact tie at 27 for both processors. These near-parity results suggest that memory-bound or latency-sensitive tasks do not expose the same performance gap as compute-heavy workloads.

The wider PassMark suite shows moderate leads for the i5-6500. Floating point math comes in at 12391 versus 12042, a 2.9% edge, while integer math shows 14585 against 14293, a 2% margin. Extended instructions favor the i5-6500 by 1.5% (6549 vs 6452), and data encryption shows a 4.2% lead (1678 vs 1611). Multi-threaded PassMark scores are 5604 for the i5-6500 and 5475 for the i5-7400, a 2.4% difference, while single-thread PassMark sits at 2093 versus 2074, a 0.9% edge. Physics and single-thread tests both show roughly 0.9% leads for the i5-6500.

Architecture Differences

The i5-6500 uses the Skylake architecture on a 14 nm process with a 177 mm² die size, while the i5-7400 uses Kaby Lake, also on 14 nm but with no die size listed. Both processors have 4 cores and 4 threads, with identical cache hierarchies: 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 6 MB of shared L3. The process node and foundry are the same, and both use DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The key architectural shifts are in clock speeds and memory bandwidth, not in core topology.

The i5-6500 has a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 3.60 GHz, while the i5-7400 runs at 3.00 GHz base and 3.50 GHz boost. That 200 MHz deficit at both base and boost explains why the i5-7400 trails despite being the newer generation. The i5-6500 also has a higher memory bandwidth rating of 34.1 GB/s, while the i5-7400 lists 38.4 GB/s. Despite the i5-7400’s larger memory bandwidth figure, it still loses the Geekbench multi-core test by 13.8%, which indicates that the clock speed penalty outweighs the memory bandwidth advantage in these workloads.

Integrated graphics differ as well, with the i5-6500 featuring HD Graphics 530 and the i5-7400 using HD 630. Both processors support PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU, and neither supports ECC memory. The i5-6500 is marked as end-of-life production, while the i5-7400 remains active. The i5-6500 launched in July 2015, and the i5-7400 followed in January 2017, a gap of roughly 18 months that did not translate into better performance for the newer chip.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner: the Intel Core i5-6500. It wins every single benchmark comparison, from the 13.8% Geekbench multi-core blowout to the 0.3% data compression squeaker. The average benchmark score of 7569 versus 7469 confirms the overall lead, and the 1.3% deltaPct in the nearest rivals list places the i5-6500 directly ahead of the i5-7400. Any user choosing between these two purely on benchmark performance should select the i5-6500, as it delivers higher scores in every measured category.

The i5-7400 is not without merit, but its advantages are not reflected in the benchmark suite. It has a higher memory bandwidth rating (38.4 GB/s vs 34.1 GB/s) and a newer architecture (Kaby Lake vs Skylake), yet these do not produce a single winning result. The i5-7400 also holds active production status, which may matter for availability, but that is a supply consideration rather than a performance one. For workloads that stress the CPU, the i5-6500 is the superior choice.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins the most benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-6500 wins all 19 head-to-head benchmark comparisons against the Intel Core i5-7400, with the i5-7400 recording zero wins.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two?

A: The largest margin is in Geekbench multi-core, where the i5-6500 scores 3118 versus the i5-7400’s 2740, a 13.8% difference.

Q: Are there any benchmarks where the two processors tie?

A: Yes, in the PassMark find prime numbers test, both processors score exactly 27, resulting in a 0% delta.

Q: How do the clock speeds compare?

A: The i5-6500 has a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 3.60 GHz, while the i5-7400 has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 3.50 GHz.

Q: Do both processors have the same core and thread count?

A: Yes, both the i5-6500 and i5-7400 have 4 cores and 4 threads, and both have 6 MB of shared L3 cache.

Q: Which processor has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The i5-7400 lists a memory bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s, which is higher than the i5-6500’s 34.1 GB/s, despite the i5-6500 winning the benchmark comparisons.

Where Each One Wins

The i5-6500 wins every benchmark category, but the size of the win varies by workload type. The largest advantage is in Geekbench multi-core (13.8%), which suggests that the i5-6500 handles complex, multi-threaded workloads with noticeably better efficiency. The 5.4% single-core Geekbench lead indicates that even lightly threaded applications favor the i5-6500. For compute-intensive tasks like Cinebench rendering, the i5-6500 maintains a consistent 2.1% to 2.5% edge across all versions of the test, making it the reliable pick for rendering and simulation work.

The i5-7400’s only theoretical win is in memory bandwidth, where it lists 38.4 GB/s versus 34.1 GB/s. However, this does not translate into a single benchmark victory. In PassMark tests that might stress memory, such as data compression (0.3% gap) and random string sorting (0.6% gap), the i5-7400 comes closest to matching the i5-6500, but it still loses. The i5-7400 also has the advantage of active production status, which could make it easier to source in new systems, while the i5-6500 is end-of-life.

For users prioritizing raw CPU performance, the i5-6500 is the winner in every measurable way. For users who value a newer architecture and higher memory bandwidth specifications, the i5-7400 offers those features, but the benchmark data shows that those specifications do not overcome the clock speed deficit. The i5-7400’s best case is to be a close second, which it achieves in data compression (0.3% delta) and random string sorting (0.6% delta), but it never takes the lead.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several specification fields. The i5-6500 has a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 3.60 GHz, while the i5-7400 has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 3.50 GHz. The i5-6500 uses the Skylake architecture with a codename of Skylake, while the i5-7400 uses Kaby Lake with a codename of Kaby Lake. The generation field lists the i5-6500 as Core i5 (Skylake) and the i5-7400 as Core i5 (Kaby Lake).

The i5-6500 has a die size of 177 mm², while the i5-7400 has no die size listed. Memory bandwidth differs, with the i5-6500 at 34.1 GB/s and the i5-7400 at 38.4 GB/s. Integrated graphics differ, with the i5-6500 featuring HD Graphics 530 and the i5-7400 featuring HD 630. Production status differs, with the i5-6500 marked as end-of-life and the i5-7400 marked as active. Release dates differ, with the i5-6500 launching in July 2015 and the i5-7400 launching in January 2017. The part numbers are SR2L6 for the i5-6500 and SR32W for the i5-7400. Both processors share the same core count, thread count, TDP of 65, socket, process node of 14 nm, cache sizes, memory support for DDR4, dual-channel memory bus, lack of ECC support, PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes, desktop market segment, and locked multipliers.