Intel Core i5-8400 Review
So much has happened this year in the desktop-PC CPU market, it's getting difficult to paint even the broad strokes without a billboard-size canvas. The thumbnail version? More cores and more threads for your CPU dollar, the more into 2017 you get. That extends to the Intel Core i5-8400 ($178.99).
AMD kicked off the trend with its eight-core Ryzen 7 chips in March, topping out on that platform with the Ryzen 7 1800X ($295.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) . And the new-CPU conveyor belt really hasn't stopped running since then, with AMD following on with six-core Ryzen 5 chips like the Ryzen 5 1600X, and quad-core, four-thread Ryzen 3 options like the AMD Ryzen 3 1300X.
Intel parried with enthusiast-class offerings in a new family called the Core X-Series, topped by the 18-core Core i9-7980XE Extreme Edtion ($1,200.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) . That extravagant mega-chip made AMD's competing counterpart, the 16-core Ryzen Threadripper 1950X ($548.70 at Amazon)(Opens ...
Intel's six-core "Coffee Lake" Core i5 trades blows away much pricier previous-generation Core i7 chips. But it's most impressive when paired with a dedicated graphics card.
Often bests previous-generation Core i7-7700K flagship CPU on multi-core tests; Best-in-class gaming performance, when paired with a dedicated graphics card
Not unlocked for overclocking; Requires a new motherboard, despite Z370 chipset offering no substantive new features