Core i5-8400 vs Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition
Aggregated performance score
General info
Comparing Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-8400 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 1013 | 1014 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | 70 |
| Value for money | 0.69 | 10.56 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Core i7EE | Intel Core i5 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018) |
| Release date | 12 November 2012 (11 years ago) | 5 October 2017 (6 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $182 |
| Current price | $690 | $140 (0.8x MSRP) |
Value for money
Performance per price, higher is better.
i5-8400 has 1430% better value for money than i7-3970X Extreme Edition.
Technical specs
Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-8400 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 | 6 (Hexa-Core) | 6 (Hexa-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 6 |
| Base clock speed | no data | 2.8 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.5 GHz | 4 GHz |
| Bus support | 5 GT/s | no data |
| L1 cache | no data | 64K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 1,536 KB | 256K (per core) |
| L3 cache | 15 MB | 9 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | no data | 149 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 100 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 72 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-8400 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 | no data | FCLGA1151 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 150 Watt | 65 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-8400. 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 | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | no data | + |
| 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 i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-8400 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | - |
| 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 i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-8400 are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | no data | + |
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-8400. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR3, DDR4 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 41.6 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | no data | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
| 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 | 1.05 GHz |
| InTru 3D | no data | + |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-8400 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 3 |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-8400 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 |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-8400 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 i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-8400.
| PCIe version | 2.00 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 16 |
Advantages and disadvantages
| Recency | 12 November 2012 | 5 October 2017 |
| Threads | 12 | 6 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 150 Watt | 65 Watt |
We couldn't decide between Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-8400. The differences in performance seem too small.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and Core i5-8400, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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