Core i5-2400 vs Core i5-7260U

The Core i5-2400 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Core i5-7260U 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 3.4 GHz on the Core i5-7260U — identical boost frequencies (base: 3.1 GHz vs 2.2 GHz). The Core i5-2400 uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Core i5-7260U uses Kaby Lake (2016−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-2400 scores 3,870 against the Core i5-7260U's 3,953 — a 2.1% lead for the Core i5-7260U. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 595 vs 1,192, a 66.8% lead for the Core i5-7260U that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 6144 kB (total) on the Core i5-2400 vs 4 MB on the Core i5-7260U.

The Core i5-2400 uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i5-7260U uses BGA1356 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1333 on the Core i5-2400 versus DDR4-2133 on the Core i5-7260U — the Core i5-7260U supports 28.6% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 32 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i5-2400) vs 12 (Core i5-7260U) — the Core i5-2400 offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H61,H67,P67,Z68,B75,Z77 (Core i5-2400) and Kaby Lake-U (Core i5-7260U).

Neither processor supports overclocking. Both support VT-x, VT-d, EPT virtualization. Both include integrated graphics — HD Graphics 2000 (Core i5-2400) and Iris Plus Graphics 640 (Core i5-7260U) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-2400 targets Legacy Desktop, Core i5-7260U targets Mainstream Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i5-2400 rivals Phenom II X4 975; Core i5-7260U rivals A12-9720P.