Core i5-9300H vs Core i5-8400H

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

Both processors use the BGA1440 socket with PCIe 3.0. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i5-9300H versus DDR4 2666 MHz on the Core i5-8400H — 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: HM370 (Core i5-9300H) and Intel HM370,Intel QM370 (Core i5-8400H).

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