Core i5-8400H vs Core i5-9300H

Both the Core i5-8400H and Core i5-9300H share an identical 4-core/8-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the Core i5-8400H versus 4.1 GHz on the Core i5-9300H — a 2.4% clock advantage for the Core i5-8400H (base: 2.5 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). Both are built on the Coffee Lake-H (2018−2019) architecture using a 14 nm process. In PassMark, the Core i5-8400H scores 7,456 against the Core i5-9300H's 7,438 — a 0.2% lead for the Core i5-8400H. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 4,657 vs 4,729 (1.5% advantage for the Core i5-9300H). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,493 vs 1,050, a 34.8% lead for the Core i5-8400H that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 4,963 vs 3,700 (29.2% advantage for the Core i5-8400H). L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-8400H vs 8 MB on the Core i5-9300H.

Both processors use the BGA1440 socket with PCIe 3.0. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4 2666 MHz on the Core i5-8400H versus DDR4-2666 on the Core i5-9300H — the Core i5-8400H supports 200% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i5-9300H 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 16 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: Intel HM370,Intel QM370 (Core i5-8400H) and HM370 (Core i5-9300H).

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: true (Core i5-8400H) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-9300H). Both include integrated graphics — Intel UHD Graphics 630 (Core i5-8400H) and Intel UHD Graphics 630 (Core i5-9300H) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-8400H targets Mobile, Core i5-9300H targets Gaming Laptop.