9th Gen Intel Core i5 9400F
- Boost/Base Clock:
- 4.1 GHz / 2.9 GHz
- Core/Thread Count:
- 6C/6T
- Cache:
- 9MB L3 + 1.5MB L2 + 384KB L1
- TDP:
- 65W
- CPU Process Node:
- 14 Nanometers
- CPU Socket:
- FCLGA1151
- CPU Series:
- Coffee Lake, 9th Gen Intel Core
- Memory Support:
- DDR4-2666
- Form Factor:
- Desktop
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Manufacturer: Intel Last updated: September 9, 2026
9th Gen Intel Core i5 9400F Review
The 9th Gen Intel Core i5 9400F is the F-suffix variant of the non-K i5-9400, a 6-core desktop processor without integrated graphics, running a 2.9 GHz base clock that boosts to 4.1 GHz within an efficient 65 Watt TDP.
As one of the most widely recommended budget gaming CPUs of its generation, this chip's genuine 6-core layout at an accessible F-suffix price made it a favorite pairing with mid-range discrete GPUs.
Integrated Graphics
This F-suffix variant ships without a functional integrated GPU; a discrete graphics card is required for display output, in exchange for a lower price than the standard i5-9400.
How Is the Core i5 9400F in Terms of Performance
The 6-core layout at an efficient 65W TDP gives this chip genuinely strong budget gaming performance, a widely recommended pairing with mid-range discrete GPUs throughout its generation.
Benchmarks
The benchmarks below are published results for specific applications. They are measured separately and do not feed the two scores above.
Puget Bench for Photoshop v1.0 - points (More is Better)
- Apple M5 Max15043.83 points
- Apple M5 Pro14885.21 points
- Apple M512095.89 points
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D12088.31 points
- Intel Core i9-14900KF10029.96 points
- 11th Gen Intel Core i7 11700K7098.88 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10900KF6892.97 points
- 9th Gen Intel Core i5 9400F (this product)4397.8 points
Puget Systems runs a fixed set of real Photoshop jobs: opening and saving large files, resizing, content-aware fill, blurs and filters. A higher score means less waiting on the tasks a retoucher repeats all day.
Photoshop is decided mostly by how fast a few cores are, not how many there are, so a chip with fewer but faster cores often beats one with more cores. Treat a gap under about 5 percent as something you would never notice while working.
Puget Bench for Premiere Pro v1.0-1.1 - points (More is Better)
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10900KF8213.67 points
- 11th Gen Intel Core i7 11700K8123.47 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10920X8063.5 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10900K7881.73 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980XE7835.06 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K7227.4 points
- 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900KS7211.33 points
- 9th Gen Intel Core i5 9400F (this product)3010.25 points
Plays back and exports 4K and 8K timelines across several camera codecs, with effects and multi-stream sequences, in Adobe Premiere Pro.
Export time rewards more cores, but much of the timeline work runs on the hardware decoder and the graphics card instead of the processor. A small gap here rarely changes how the edit feels.
Benchmarks
Cinebench R20 single-core scores of 422 reflect solid per-core performance for a budget 6-core chip, a key reason this processor earned a strong reputation as a budget gaming value pick.
Our verdict
Reviewed by Burooj Alam. Rated by us, not by users.
Best for
- Budget gaming desktop builds wanting genuine 6-core performance at an accessible F-suffix price
Not for
- Buyers wanting integrated graphics or needing hyperthreading for lightly multi-threaded work
Specifications
What these specs meanIdentity
| Brand | Intel |
|---|---|
| Product Line | Core i5 |
| Model Number | 9400F |
| Codename | Coffee Lake |
| Release Year | 2019 |
Segment and platform
| Market Segment | Desktop |
|---|---|
| Microarchitecture | Coffee Lake |
| Socket | FCLGA1151 |
| Socket Status | End of Life |
| Process Node | 14 nm |
Core configuration
| Total Cores | 6 |
|---|---|
| Performance Cores | 6 |
| Efficiency Cores | 0 |
| Total Threads | 6 |
| SMT Enabled | No |
Clock speeds
| P-Core Base Clock | 2.9 GHz |
|---|---|
| P-Core Boost Clock | 4.1 GHz |
Cache
| L2 Cache | 1.5 MB |
|---|---|
| L3 Cache | 9 MB |
Power and thermal
| Base Power | 65 W |
|---|---|
| Max Turbo Power | 65 W |
Memory
| Memory Type | DDR4-2666 |
|---|---|
| Max Memory Speed | 2666 MT/s |
| Memory Channels | 2 |
| ECC Support | No |
Graphics and AI
| Integrated Graphics | No |
|---|---|
| Copilot Plus Certified | No |
Expansion
| PCIe Generation | 3.0 |
|---|---|
| PCIe Lanes | 16 |
Commercial
| Launch MSRP | 167 USD |
|---|---|
| Retail Availability | Retail |
| Form Factor | Desktop |
|---|---|
| TDP | 65 W |
| iGPU | None |
FAQs
What are the key specifications of the 9th Gen Intel Core i5 9400F?
The 9th Gen Intel Core i5 9400F has 6 cores and 6 threads, a 2.9 GHz base and 4.1 GHz boost clock, 9 MB of L3 cache and a 65 W TDP. It has no integrated graphics, so it needs a graphics card. Socket: FCLGA1151.
Will the 9th Gen Intel Core i5 9400F work with my current setup?
The 9th Gen Intel Core i5 9400F lists CPU Socket is LGA 1151. Check that against the hardware you already own before buying, since this is the field that most often decides whether a part fits.
Who is the 9th Gen Intel Core i5 9400F best suited to?
Best suited to: Budget gaming desktop builds wanting genuine 6-core performance at an accessible F-suffix price.
What are the drawbacks of the 9th Gen Intel Core i5 9400F?
Not the best fit for: Buyers wanting integrated graphics or needing hyperthreading for lightly multi-threaded work.