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The Intel Core i5-14400 and the i5-14600 are affordable chips designed for mid-range systems with considerable gaming prowess. They are the latest in the line of Team Blue processors and come with the latest technologies and optimizations, making them lucrative choices for upgrades.
However, multiple choices in the i5 lineup may confuse you ⎯ which is the best for budget gaming rigs? The cryptic nomenclature makes things more difficult, especially for gamers. Let's check how they differ in on-paper specs and performance levels to help ease the decision-making process.
Both Intel Core i5-14400 and Core i5-14600 are powerful gaming CPUs
The Core i5-14400 and the i5-14600 have a lot in common. However, the processors differ in multiple key aspects. Starting from the specs sheet, the two chips differ significantly and have been designed for completely different systems.
Specs comparison
The two i5 chips share a similar structure - both are based on the Raptor Lake Refresh architecture. The main difference lies in the core counts and operating clock speeds.
The i5-14600 is a cut-down 14600K, the flagship offering in the budget lineup. The non-K version is mainly focused on reducing the overall power draw to 65W. Other than this, the two chips share a lot in common ⎯ including core and threads. The 14600 is more of a cheaper alternative to the 'K' variant.
On the other hand, the 14400 has been built for a budget audience. The processor packs 10 cores instead of 14 on the costlier 14600. Moreover, operating clock speeds have been slashed to 4.7 GHz. The higher-end alternative can boost up to 5.3 GHz, in comparison. These specs cuts also mean the cheaper CPU draws just 65W and is significantly cheaper.
A detailed side-by-side comparison of the specs is as follows:
Performance comparison
The main deciding factor for most gamers is the performance that the chips can push out. While the i5-14400 is significantly cut down in terms of on-paper specs, it isn't much behind the costlier alternative. The two chips are quite close to each other in terms of single-core performance.
Where the Core i5-14400 and the 14600 differ is multi-core performance. The latter's extra core count helps it gain an edge in this metric. This is particularly helpful in multi-core-heavy workloads like video editing, 3D rendering, and others.
Below is a comparison of benchmark scores of the chips in some popular testing software. This data has been sourced from benchmark aggregator website, Nanoreview.
This makes the Core i5-14400 the better processor for gamers. It delivers competitive performance while being much cheaper than the 14400. You can put the extra $50 on a better graphics card that will promise you significantly better performance in the latest titles.
Check out Sportskeeda's other CPU comparisons:
Intel Core i9-14900K vs Ryzen 9 7900X || Intel Core i5-14600K vs Ryzen 5 7600X || Intel Core i9-14900K vs Ryzen 9 7950X || Intel Core i9-14900K vs AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D
