Intel Core i5-10400F

[W1zzard]

That is possible. However, I don't see it anywhere else too. May be Covid-19 screwed up the supply line.
All I hope is healthy competition so we can all enjoy lower price and better performance.

Just like at most launches, US prices seem incoherent due to the lack of competition. Check European prices on gh.de, I paid 170 euros for my 10400f on monday, 3600 is 166, used to be 170 a few days ago, so pretty much identical

 

[Bee9]

Just like at most launches, US prices seem incoherent due to the lack of competition. Check European prices on gh.de, I paid 170 euros for my 10400f on monday, 3600 is 166, used to be 170 a few days ago, so pretty much identical

I see. Thanks for the reply. That solve my question. It's the logistical problem (tax, and availability also play key role of the price.).
the 10400F is nowhere to be found in the US right now, or at least in the state I'm in. It affects the value of the product tremendously.
Did you take the motherboard cost and cooler cost into consideration when calculating the value for the product? I'm just curious about the methodology. Each reviewer has different ways to calculate it.

 

[W1zzard]

Did you take the motherboard cost and cooler cost into consideration when calculating the value for the product?

I did, that's why I'm not giving our "budget" award, even though Ryzen 5 3600 got it (similar price, similar perf)

Looking forward, platform cost will change a lot with the release of low-cost chipsets from Intel. Same goes for AMD B550, but it seems that B550 pricing will be just as stupid as Z490.. we'll see.

Cooler cost is 0 for both setups, as the stock cooler will be sufficient, maybe slightly in favor of the 10400F as it has a bit lower heat output than 3600

 

[WeeRab]

Given that there are only (expensive) z490 Mobo's in the wild, and the i10400f requires an additional expense for a cooling solution, I hardly think it is a better value proposition than the R5 3600
The 3600 trounces the 10400f in almost every non-gaming scenario.
As a previous comment said: Value my @ss.

 

[MAXLD]

nice test, but nobody should pair it with a Z-Board and the perf-hit with only 2666 RAM is huge like the test of games nexus showed

Confirmed also by Steven from Techspot/HU who also did testing with both RAM speeds (3200 vs 2666), on it's "i5 10400" review, like GN. The RAM difference meant the cpu performance went down from beating the 3600 in some games, to being worse than it.

B460 boards limit ram speed to 2666MHz when paired with i5 cpus (and 2933MHz with i7/i9). To be able to run them paired with 3200 ram speed, one needs to by a Z490 board, and a decent one (VRM and features wise) is like almost $200. That completely changes the picture on the cpu+motherboard bundle value proposition and performance of the CPU itself.

From the B460 Tomahawk manual itself, for example:

Intel® Core™ i7/ i9 ▪ Supports up to DDR4 2933 MHz
Intel® Core™ i5 and below ▪ Supports up to DDR4 2666 MHz

This review, even without having tested both RAM speeds, should at least pointed that B460 board limitation and potential performance hit, because the B-series is exactly the sweetspot board type that many will buy for this kind of cpu, considering the price point of both, which something that was said on the review itself:

For multiplier-locked chips like the i5-10400F, you could save a lot of money by opting for cheaper H470 or B460 chipset motherboards.

Yes, but with a performance hit due the 2666Mhz ram speed limitation. Without the said clarification, that statement and conclusions are misleading for those that then buy it with a B460 board, convinced they'll get the same CPU performance as shown here when using a Z490 / 3200 setup.

 

[Bee9]

I did, that's why I'm not giving our "budget" award, even though Ryzen 5 3600 got it (similar price, similar perf)

Looking forward, platform cost will change a lot with the release of low-cost chipsets from Intel. Same goes for AMD B550, but it seems that B550 pricing will be just as stupid as Z490.. we'll see.

Cooler cost is 0 for both setups, as the stock cooler will be sufficient, maybe slightly in favor of the 10400F as it has a bit lower heat output than 3600

Lovely. This should clear up a lot of confusion going forward for many people. Because you guys have many awards. I had a discussion with my wife and it's the first time in the last 3 months we had a agreement. No one will buy an expensive Z490 board to pair up with this 10400F. Get cheaper board.
Looking forward to the updated review on the new chipsets. I heard the lower cost chipset for the 10th gen Intel will limit the DDR4 to 2666. That will, for sure, reduce the performance of the 10400F.

And thank you for the hard work. No matter the opinion is, I value what you guys did to inform us about new products. #respect.

 

[Dirtdog]

There isn't other chipsets than Z490 for LGA1200 on the market yet.

Then the test should have downclocked the RAM to 2666.

 

[W1zzard]

Then the test should have downclocked the RAM to 2666.

I'll get you another run at 2666, gimme a few hours

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Are you going to test the i5-10600? There's a 60 watt TDP difference between it and the K version

 

[Raendor]

Gamersnexus and hardwareunboxed (techspot) did great reviews and I find surprising the praises from TPU. 3600 provides a far better value, while for 10400 to take the lead - you have to spend 100 more on a mobo.

 

[david0852]

10400F = 179,90 € + expensive decent MB
3600 = 189,99 € + cheap decent MB

choice made

 

[W1zzard]

Are you going to test the i5-10600? There's a 60 watt TDP difference....

No concrete plan for that yet. Today I've ordered 10100, 10300, 10320, 10500, 10700 and 10700K, which will keep me busy for a while

 

[Nater]

So it comes with a cooler and has sub-$100 mainboards available? I don't see how on Earth you can write that headline with a straight face.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

No concrete plan for that yet. Today I've ordered 10100, 10300, 10320, 10500, 10700 and 10700K, which will keep me busy for a while

So, basically, every one BUT the one I want. So, what did I do to hack you off? JUST KIDDING!

 

[W1zzard]

So it comes with a cooler and has sub-$100 mainboards available? I don't see how on Earth you can write that headline with a straight face.

Alright, I changed the subtitle, let's wait for H410 boards. Stock cooler is included

 

[dirtyferret]

A lot of new members coming out of the woodwork most with clear resentment towards the CPU and wizards test....

 

[claylomax]

A lot of new members coming out of the woodwork most with clear resentment towards the CPU and wizards test....

Indeed.

 

[Dirtdog]

A lot of new members coming out of the woodwork most with clear resentment towards the CPU and wizards test....

Not sure if resentment is fair, but I think it is important to present a balanced picture so that potential purchasers aren't potentially misled, because not everyone this CPU is aimed at will understand the importance of RAM speed and that the cheaper boards only allow 2666 speeds. I have no axe to grind and I have an (older) Intel CPU myself, a 4790K which is still going strong.

 

[mahoney]

And this review is using a 3rd party cooler from what I understood? Totally unrealistic...

Yes totally unrealistic lmao
You do realize that it's better to use aftermarket coolers even with Ryzen cpu's?
The 3300x can't hit the highest frequency because the stock cooler can't handle the heat.

 

[Vayra86]

This is why there is no such thing as a 'Gaming CPU'. You can get results all over the place based on the game, the latest game patch, the cooling inside your system, etc. etc etc. Most games work just fine at any resolution with a quad core or higher CPU from either AMD and Intel. Minor differences of 10% or less is just noise and varies from test to test. If you are one of the few trying to get the highest possible frame rates, you will always be disappointed in the result as that goal is nigh unobtainable. Here is the simple truth to buying a CPU:

Single/lightly threaded tasks or multitasking only: Any latest gen AMD/Intel Quad core or higher CPU
Highly Multithreaded tasks or lots of multitasking: Latest gen AMD 12-core or higher
Gaming only: Any latest gen AMD/Intel Quad core or higher CPU
Gaming plus multitasking: Latest gen AMD 12-core or higher

Hi there sir, 2017 was 3 years ago... things have progressed a little since.

A quad core for gaming was not the go-to part since 2018. It became clear already with the 7700K, it would fall short against higher thread parts despite a much higher clock. And that was not a quad, but a quad with HT, so 8T CPU. 4T CPUs have not been in fashion for gaming for a loooong time.

 

[ppn]

testing with 3200-14 is unfair because of the price. you are not running 3200-14 memory with Ryzen 3600. 3200-16 is you best bet.
2660 can tighten timings too. what is the lowest 2660 can go. even at same CL14,
the improvement is not that big. 6-10%, that performance doesn't just disaspear, you can set better texture settings with that.

 

[Vayra86]

interesting indeed, and it seems to be the case with 1080p, 1440p and 4K in metro, so doesn't look like a random variation. maybe metro somehow prefers 6c over 8c ? or it prefers 8c, but loading 8c = lower boost clock than 6c loaded?

We've also had that odd one out with similar 6c6t 8th gen in some Ubisoft titles where it would perform absolutely horribly in some places.

Puzzling indeed. But it is more likely to be within the game code than it is a CPU issue. IMO... ignore and move on Shitty games appear left and right and Far Cry / AC games are not exempt. I still remember Unity at launch, utterly painful regardless of hardware.

Gamersnexus and hardwareunboxed (techspot) did great reviews and I find surprising the praises from TPU. 3600 provides a far better value, while for 10400 to take the lead - you have to spend 100 more on a mobo.

Difference between written and video content, perhaps, though the bandwagon is alive and well over here too. Part in jest, as well. Not all can make the distinction all the time

Sentiment is worthless anyway because people are sheeple and liars. What counts is the sales number, it speaks the truth.

 

[ncrs]

Yes totally unrealistic lmao
You do realize that it's better to use aftermarket coolers even with Ryzen cpu's?
The 3300x can't hit the highest frequency because the stock cooler can't handle the heat.

That's not the point... Potential 10400F buyers are not going to be using the memory, motherboard (that allows to overclock RAM above 2666) and cooler used in this review in their builds.
Anyway the issues (conclusion in title and lack of 2666 RAM results) are fixed/will be fixed soon. Yet again @W1zzard proves that he can take warranted criticisms and act upon it.

 

[theGryphon]

@W1zzard Thank you for the more accurate review title!

 

[ppn]

That's not the point... Potential 10400F buyers are not going to be using the memory, motherboard (that allows to overclock RAM above 2666) and cooler used in this review in their builds.
Anyway the issues (conclusion in title and lack of 2666 RAM results) are fixed/will be fixed soon. Yet again @W1zzard proves that he can take warranted criticisms and act upon it.

why do you need 2666 results,
3200- CL16 and 2666- CL14, are the same performance. If you include 3200 CL14 that should be reflected in the price, it is not the same price at all.