Intel Core i5 10400F CPU Processor

I have used this CPU for about two months and paired with my GTX 1650, it runs every game I put at it extremely well, even on high/ultra settings. It's an awesome CPU for anyone looking to get into PC building/Gaming, with its price to performance ratio. The stock cooler keeps the temps fairly low, although I would recommend getting a dedicated one. Overall, amazing for the price.

A wonderful, wonderful upgrade; but stock heat sinks from Intel need WORK.

First of all, this processor is good--in fact, more impressive than I would've thought it would be. All those recommendations? Very wise to believe them. My issue lies with Intel sending these tiny fans with slightly large heat pipes and expecting it to still be able to handle Turbo boost without thermal throttling. This is something I've been thinking since the Core i7-7700K dropped: The Turbo boost should either be off or optional in a program, NOT on by default in the BIOS. Because odds are if your old cooler died or you don't have a secondary option, you will thermal throttle your CPU on accident using the new stock cooler like I nearly did. The problem is, Windows gives you a slight patch in the form of selecting in the power options to turn your max CPU power ... MoreFirst of all, this processor is good--in fact, more impressive than I would've thought it would be. All those recommendations? Very wise to believe them. My issue lies with Intel sending these tiny fans with slightly large heat pipes and expecting it to still be able to handle Turbo boost without thermal throttling. This is something I've been thinking since the Core i7-7700K dropped: The Turbo boost should either be off or optional in a program, NOT on by default in the BIOS. Because odds are if your old cooler died or you don't have a secondary option, you will thermal throttle your CPU on accident using the new stock cooler like I nearly did. The problem is, Windows gives you a slight patch in the form of selecting in the power options to turn your max CPU power to 98 or 99%. However, this is not ideal as you'll go from nearly 4.50GHz (which is terrifying, by the way since it's only rated for 4.30GHz tops but I digress) to 2.90GHz with nothing in-between. Not that Intel really cares at this point; but I will say, AMD does do a better job at sending a bulky cooler alongside their CPU to help deal with thermals. As I said at the beginning though: The processor itself is great. If only Intel would work more on their cooling solutions out of the box to incentivize people, especially beginners, to use their products...

Bargain Performance

Didn't even consider Intel last year when looking to upgrade from my i7-4770k and kept waiting for the then well-priced ryzens to come back in stock. Partly down to Intel's mean spirited attitude and faster memory only being usable with z-series mobos. However, a failing mobo forced me to upgrade now. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. Pc largely used for AAA gaming and photo processing and this i5 is more than fast enough for both. So far, it hasn't even broken a sweat and in a way I'm glad I haven't been able to upgrade my gtx 1660 as my *total* power draw at the wall under load is about 200w which means the pooter runs quiet. I think you'd have to spend an awful lot more for a significant improvement in performance and then you'd be looking at much more ... MoreDidn't even consider Intel last year when looking to upgrade from my i7-4770k and kept waiting for the then well-priced ryzens to come back in stock. Partly down to Intel's mean spirited attitude and faster memory only being usable with z-series mobos. However, a failing mobo forced me to upgrade now. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. Pc largely used for AAA gaming and photo processing and this i5 is more than fast enough for both. So far, it hasn't even broken a sweat and in a way I'm glad I haven't been able to upgrade my gtx 1660 as my *total* power draw at the wall under load is about 200w which means the pooter runs quiet. I think you'd have to spend an awful lot more for a significant improvement in performance and then you'd be looking at much more power hungry chips. At the time of writing, my i5-10400f + 16gb ram cost the same as a comparable but not-in-stock ryzen 5 3600x. Hell, it costs less than a used i7-4770k... No, neither the chip nor ram can be overclocked and fastest usable ram is 2666mhz but this really doesn't hurt as much as you might think but if you're thinking of getting this chip, consider getting same price 3000mhz ram and a decent b460 board (not expensive now) because they'll support and power 10th gen i7 and i9s - just in case the gear itch strikes a bit further down the road. Tbh though, next thing really is ddr5 and that would mean complete platform change anyway. Really pleased with my i5 and very pleased about how little leccy it uses. Pictured is MSI Mortar and a tower cooler with a fan that hasn't yet spun-up over 25% Also pictured is complete build because not all gaming pcs have led lighting :)

Great Budget CPU for Gaming

Performance is a massive improvement over my old i5-6500. Games no longer stutter and multitasking is much smoother. 6 cores and 12 threads for $140 is an amazing deal. Just make sure you have a discrete graphics card because this CPU is an -f sku and does not have integrated graphics. To maximize performance get a good B560 motherboard with good VRM cooling to take advantage of XMP and disabling Intel power limits. This can increase performance by up to 30%. The ASUA B560-prime plus worked well for me. The stock cooler is the only weakness of this product. CPU temperatures with the stock cooler were around 90 C while under load. I got a cheap tower cooler for $25 that keeps temperatures under 70 C. This is not a huge issue, but it would nice if the stock cooler ... MorePerformance is a massive improvement over my old i5-6500. Games no longer stutter and multitasking is much smoother. 6 cores and 12 threads for $140 is an amazing deal. Just make sure you have a discrete graphics card because this CPU is an -f sku and does not have integrated graphics. To maximize performance get a good B560 motherboard with good VRM cooling to take advantage of XMP and disabling Intel power limits. This can increase performance by up to 30%. The ASUA B560-prime plus worked well for me. The stock cooler is the only weakness of this product. CPU temperatures with the stock cooler were around 90 C while under load. I got a cheap tower cooler for $25 that keeps temperatures under 70 C. This is not a huge issue, but it would nice if the stock cooler worked better or was just not included.

Great Processor

In my life time I have built a little more then 10 computers they where all amd Mainly fx & some phenoms My first being a one core athlon am3 I always considered Intel but it was always so expensive so when i seen this 10th generation i5 for 177 I couldnt pass it up Intel is superior to amd I always knew it I love that its 65 watts and twice as powerful than my fx-8300 I saved the parts for my h80i & paired it with this i5 The TJmax never goes above 64 degrees Celious & the cores never goes over 56 & silent only one exaust fan needed on my case Amd requires to much power & creates to much heat. The corsair fan actually gets to the point where it stays at 0 rpm at idle. I Paired the processor with ASRock Z590 PRO4. & a rx-470 This build is my most silent and low temp ... MoreIn my life time I have built a little more then 10 computers they where all amd Mainly fx & some phenoms My first being a one core athlon am3 I always considered Intel but it was always so expensive so when i seen this 10th generation i5 for 177 I couldnt pass it up Intel is superior to amd I always knew it I love that its 65 watts and twice as powerful than my fx-8300 I saved the parts for my h80i & paired it with this i5 The TJmax never goes above 64 degrees Celious & the cores never goes over 56 & silent only one exaust fan needed on my case Amd requires to much power & creates to much heat. The corsair fan actually gets to the point where it stays at 0 rpm at idle. I Paired the processor with ASRock Z590 PRO4. & a rx-470 This build is my most silent and low temp system i ever built My card under load doesnt ever get above 71 C Sapphire nitro 8gb

Great processor for the money

I picked this processor up for a budget 4K editing build. For what it is, the price it's listed for, it is fantastic. It certainly doesn't stand up to my Ryzen 9 5900, but then again, this is how much cheaper again? I still use the i5 for a lot of my editing and rendering. It's slower, still edits 4k 8 bit smoothly. Haven't tried it yet with the 10bit 4:2:2 4K or the 10 bit 4:2:0 6K, but for my 4K 8bit needs it is plenty.

Hard to beat for the price. Sadly 2 different versions.

There are 2 stepping versions of this CPU and there is no way to know which you are getting. Core i5-10400F Stepping Q0: It is based on the IHS with a smaller thickness and that is soldered directly to the DIE of the processor. This processor will have better temperatures as it offers better temperature transfer Core i5-10400F Stepping G1: This version of the processor has the new IHS with less thickness than previous generations. It is not soldered to the DIE of the processor and is based on the conventional thermal paste commonly used by the company. We are talking about a less efficient version in terms of heat transfer. Over all at under $140 pretty hard to beat this CPU, very good performance for what you are paying. I am an AMD guy mostly but there are more ... MoreThere are 2 stepping versions of this CPU and there is no way to know which you are getting. Core i5-10400F Stepping Q0: It is based on the IHS with a smaller thickness and that is soldered directly to the DIE of the processor. This processor will have better temperatures as it offers better temperature transfer Core i5-10400F Stepping G1: This version of the processor has the new IHS with less thickness than previous generations. It is not soldered to the DIE of the processor and is based on the conventional thermal paste commonly used by the company. We are talking about a less efficient version in terms of heat transfer. Over all at under $140 pretty hard to beat this CPU, very good performance for what you are paying. I am an AMD guy mostly but there are more choices for ITX boards with intel that and the low price is why I went with this product.

Ok, so, I've been a MacOS user for a long time now and I haven't really had Windows in my house f...

Ok, so, I've been a MacOS user for a long time now and I haven't really had Windows in my house for...a very long time. All of my gaming I do on consoles. Well, during the pandemic I decided to build a Windows gaming box in a Mini ITX form factor to play some casual games with coworkers on Fridays. Not having bought PC components for a VERY long time, I went with the 10400F i5 after reading a bunch of reviews and looking at benchmarks. For casual gaming at 4k resolution with an Auros RX580 GPU, this CPU seemed like a good balance of cost and performance. It would've been smarter to get one with an integrated GPU in the event my RX580 dies or has issues, but hindsight is 20/20. I've played Battlefield 5, Battlefront 2, Back 4 Blood (open beta), and a number of other ... MoreOk, so, I've been a MacOS user for a long time now and I haven't really had Windows in my house for...a very long time. All of my gaming I do on consoles. Well, during the pandemic I decided to build a Windows gaming box in a Mini ITX form factor to play some casual games with coworkers on Fridays. Not having bought PC components for a VERY long time, I went with the 10400F i5 after reading a bunch of reviews and looking at benchmarks. For casual gaming at 4k resolution with an Auros RX580 GPU, this CPU seemed like a good balance of cost and performance. It would've been smarter to get one with an integrated GPU in the event my RX580 dies or has issues, but hindsight is 20/20. I've played Battlefield 5, Battlefront 2, Back 4 Blood (open beta), and a number of other fairly intensive games without much issue. I paired it with 32GB of RAM and a Noctua low profile heatsink/fan that fits in the tiny case and so far it's barely audible and doesn't run too hot. I guess my verdict is, at the time I bought it, it was a good option, especially since some of the really nice Ryzen CPUs were (at the time) basically impossible to find at a reasonable price. Maybe one day I'll switch it up. By the time you, intrepid CPU hunter, reads this, this CPU will probably already be a few generations behind and this review will no longer be useful. Hah! Technology! Ain't it great?

Perfect

Cpu came to me a few months ago and i'm only reviewing now as I forgot to do so. It was packaged impeckably and came with every thing required for install (cpu, stock cooler and instructions). The cpu has performed amazingly on my system and with a good IAO or Tower cooler can reach very low temps on idle and when pushed to the limit, my experience has been hoving below and around 30C on idle and at most 55C - 60C when pushed with cinebench however your mileage may vary. Overall, a great Cpu at a great price, with the quality of swift delivery, discrete and secure packaging that I come to expect from Overclockers UK.

Very good cpu

Very cheap and efficient cpu. But box cooler is kinda strange. I know that box cooler is noisy and at a 100% load it goes to the space, but I have some annoying problem. When it is idle mode, fan rotates approx 1200 rpm, but giving a bit load, rotation increases on 50 rpm and cooler start to buzz. It is really annoying, because I really don't do anything hard on PC, but it makes a light buzzing sound. Fortunately, you can control rpm and I put a stable 1200 rpm under the temperature 60 and after this it goes to full 3000 rpm. That made my life more comfortable. It is due to the low power consumption and heating. In idle mode it is 30 C degrees. In stress test 70-73 maximum. Also I put -20 mV on CPU Voltage and temperatures dropped by 3-4 degrees. Having -30 mv there ... MoreVery cheap and efficient cpu. But box cooler is kinda strange. I know that box cooler is noisy and at a 100% load it goes to the space, but I have some annoying problem. When it is idle mode, fan rotates approx 1200 rpm, but giving a bit load, rotation increases on 50 rpm and cooler start to buzz. It is really annoying, because I really don't do anything hard on PC, but it makes a light buzzing sound. Fortunately, you can control rpm and I put a stable 1200 rpm under the temperature 60 and after this it goes to full 3000 rpm. That made my life more comfortable. It is due to the low power consumption and heating. In idle mode it is 30 C degrees. In stress test 70-73 maximum. Also I put -20 mV on CPU Voltage and temperatures dropped by 3-4 degrees. Having -30 mv there were mistakes in Linpack and AIDA64. Finally, this cpu is very good for its price, but when 11400f has been released, it became more efficient and 20% better in games. So, today 11400f becomes the best cpu for its price.