Core i7-870 vs Core i5-2400S

The Core i7-870 packs 4 cores / 8 threads, matching the Core i5-2400S's 4 cores. Boost clocks reach 3.6 GHz on the Core i7-870 versus 3.3 GHz on the Core i5-2400S — a 8.7% clock advantage for the Core i7-870 (base: 2.93 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Core i7-870 uses the Lynnfield (2009−2010) architecture (45 nm), while the Core i5-2400S uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-870 scores 3,164 against the Core i5-2400S's 3,187 — a 0.7% lead for the Core i5-2400S. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 476 vs 578, a 19.4% lead for the Core i5-2400S that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 1,541 vs 1,966 (24.2% advantage for the Core i5-2400S). L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Core i7-870 vs 6144 kB (total) on the Core i5-2400S.

The Core i7-870 uses the LGA1156 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i5-2400S uses LGA1155 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR3-1333 memory speed. The Core i5-2400S supports up to 32 GB of RAM compared to 16 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 16 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: P55,H55,H57,Q57 (Core i7-870) and H61,H67,P67,Z68,B75,Z77 (Core i5-2400S).

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-870) vs Yes (Core i5-2400S). The Core i5-2400S includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics 2000), while the Core i7-870 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-870 targets Legacy Desktop.

The Core i7-870 launched at $300 MSRP, while the Core i5-2400S debuted at $135. At current prices ($80 vs $10), the Core i5-2400S is $70 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-870 delivers 39.5 pts/$ vs 318.7 pts/$ for the Core i5-2400S — making the Core i5-2400S the 155.8% better value option.