Atom 230 vs Core i5-6400

Primary details

Comparing Core i5-6400 and Atom 230 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1443	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.29	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i5	Intel Atom
Architecture codename	Skylake (2015−2016)	Silverthorne (2008−2010)
Release date	2 July 2015 (8 years ago)	1 March 2008 (16 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$187	$29
Current price	$119 (0.6x MSRP)	$170 (5.9x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i5-6400 and Atom 230 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 cores	4 (Quad-Core)	1 (Single-Core)
Threads	4	2
Base clock speed	2.7 GHz	1.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.3 GHz	1.6 GHz
Bus support	no data	533 MHz
L1 cache	64K (per core)	56 KB
L2 cache	256K (per core)	512 KB
L3 cache	6 MB (shared)	0 KB
Chip lithography	14 nm	45 nm
Die size	177 mm2	26 mm2
Maximum core temperature	71 °C	85 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	no data
Number of transistors	no data	47 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No
VID voltage range	no data	0.9V-1.1625V

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-6400 and Atom 230 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 configuration	1	1 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCLGA1151	PBGA437
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	4 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-6400 and Atom 230. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	Intel® SSE2, Intel® SSE3, Intel® SSSE3
AES-NI	+	no data
AVX	+	no data
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	-
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	-	+
TSX	-	no data
Idle States	+	-
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
SIPP	-	no data
Demand Based Switching	no data	-
FSB parity	no data	-
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Core i5-6400 and Atom 230 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	-
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	no data
MPX	+	no data
Identity Protection	+	no data
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	no data
OS Guard	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-6400 and Atom 230 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-6400 and Atom 230. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3, DDR4	no data
Maximum memory size	64 GB	8 GB
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	34.1 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	-	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 530	-
Max video memory	64 GB	-
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	-
Graphics max frequency	950 MHz	-
InTru 3D	+	-

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-6400 and Atom 230 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	-
eDP	+	-
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
DVI	+	-

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i5-6400 and Atom 230 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	+	-
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096x2304@24Hz	-
Max resolution over eDP	4096x2304@60Hz	-
Max resolution over DisplayPort	4096x2304@60Hz	-
Max resolution over VGA	N/A	-

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i5-6400 and Atom 230 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	-
OpenGL	4.5	-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-6400 and Atom 230.

PCIe version	3.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	16	no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

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Pros & cons summary

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Recency	2 July 2015	1 March 2008
Physical cores	4	1
Threads	4	2
Cost	$187	$29
Chip lithography	14 nm	45 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	4 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-6400 and Atom 230, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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