Core i5-2400 vs Core i3-4370

The Core i5-2400 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Core i3-4370 offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Core i5-2400 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.4 GHz on the Core i5-2400 versus 3.8 GHz on the Core i3-4370 — a 11.1% clock advantage for the Core i3-4370 (base: 3.1 GHz vs 3.8 GHz). The Core i5-2400 uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Core i3-4370 uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-2400 scores 3,870 against the Core i3-4370's 3,854 — a 0.4% lead for the Core i5-2400. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 595 vs 904, a 41.2% lead for the Core i3-4370 that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 6144 kB (total) on the Core i5-2400 vs 4 MB (total) on the Core i3-4370.

The Core i5-2400 uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i3-4370 uses LGA1150 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR3-1333 memory speed. Both support up to 32 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 16 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: H61,H67,P67,Z68,B75,Z77 (Core i5-2400) and Intel H81,Intel B85,Intel H87,Intel Z87,Intel H97,Intel Z97 (Core i3-4370).

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-2400) vs true (Core i3-4370). Both include integrated graphics — HD Graphics 2000 (Core i5-2400) and Intel HD Graphics 4600 (Core i3-4370) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-2400 targets Legacy Desktop. Direct competitor: Core i5-2400 rivals Phenom II X4 975.

The Core i5-2400 launched at $184 MSRP, while the Core i3-4370 debuted at $149. At current prices ($25 vs $41), the Core i5-2400 is $16 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-2400 delivers 154.8 pts/$ vs 94.0 pts/$ for the Core i3-4370 — making the Core i5-2400 the 48.9% better value option.