Core i5-6400 vs Core i7-2840QM

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-2840QM and Core i5-6400 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1674	1466
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	1.40
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Core i5
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Skylake (2015−2016)
Release date	4 September 2011 (12 years ago)	2 July 2015 (9 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$187
Current price	no data	$107 (0.6x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-2840QM and Core i5-6400 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)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	8	4
Base clock speed	no data	2.7 GHz
Boost clock speed	2.4 GHz	3.3 GHz
Bus support	4 × 5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	256 KB	64K (per core)
L2 cache	1 MB	256K (per core)
L3 cache	8 MB	6 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Die size	216 mm2	177 mm2
Maximum core temperature	no data	71 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	72 °C
Number of transistors	1160 Million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-2840QM and Core i5-6400 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 (Uniprocessor)	1
Socket	Socket G2	FCLGA1151
Power consumption (TDP)	45 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-2840QM and Core i5-6400. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

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

Security technologies

Core i7-2840QM and Core i5-6400 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-2840QM and Core i5-6400 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 i7-2840QM and Core i5-6400. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	no data	DDR3, DDR4
Maximum memory size	32 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	no data	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.598 GB/s	34.1 GB/s
ECC memory support	no data	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 3000	Intel HD Graphics 530
Max video memory	no data	64 GB
Quick Sync Video	no data	+
Clear Video	no data	+
Clear Video HD	no data	+
Graphics max frequency	no data	950 MHz
InTru 3D	no data	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-2840QM and Core i5-6400 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	no data	3
eDP	no data	+
DisplayPort	no data	+
HDMI	no data	+
DVI	no data	+

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-2840QM and Core i5-6400 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	no data	+
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	no data	4096x2304@24Hz
Max resolution over eDP	no data	4096x2304@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	no data	4096x2304@60Hz
Max resolution over VGA	no data	N/A

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-2840QM and Core i5-6400 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	no data	12
OpenGL	no data	4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-2840QM and Core i5-6400.

PCIe version	no data	3.0
PCI Express lanes	no data	16

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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Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

Core i5-6400 outperforms Core i7-2840QM by 41% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	2.48	3.50
Integrated graphics card	0.66	2.59
Recency	4 September 2011	2 July 2015
Threads	8	4
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	45 Watt	65 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-2840QM and Core i5-6400, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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