Core i5-11400 vs Core i7-1260P

The Core i5-11400 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core i7-1260P offers 12 cores / 16 threads — the Core i7-1260P has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-11400 versus 4.7 GHz on the Core i7-1260P — a 6.6% clock advantage for the Core i7-1260P (base: 2.6 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Core i5-11400 uses the Rocket Lake (2021) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i7-1260P uses Alder Lake-P (2022) (Intel 7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-11400 scores 16,670 against the Core i7-1260P's 16,592 — a 0.5% lead for the Core i5-11400. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,960 vs 2,424, a 21.2% lead for the Core i7-1260P that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 7,260 vs 9,532 (27.1% advantage for the Core i7-1260P). L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-11400 vs 18 MB (total) on the Core i7-1260P.

The Core i5-11400 uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Core i7-1260P uses FCBGA1744 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-3200 on the Core i5-11400 versus DDR5-4800 on the Core i7-1260P — the Core i7-1260P supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i5-11400 supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 20 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: B560,Z590 (Core i5-11400) and Adler Lake-P PCH (Core i7-1260P).

Neither processor supports overclocking. Only the Core i5-11400 supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Both support VT-x, VT-d virtualization. Both include integrated graphics — Intel UHD Graphics 730 (Core i5-11400) and Intel Iris Xe Graphics 96EU (Core i7-1260P) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-11400 targets Mainstream Desktop, Core i7-1260P targets High Performance Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i5-11400 rivals Ryzen 5 5600X.

The Core i5-11400 launched at $182 MSRP, while the Core i7-1260P debuted at $432. At current prices ($141 vs $432), the Core i5-11400 is $291 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-11400 delivers 118.2 pts/$ vs 38.4 pts/$ for the Core i7-1260P — making the Core i5-11400 the 101.9% better value option.