Intel Pentium Gold G5600 And G5400 Review: Four Threads Under $100
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Tom’s Hardware Verdict
The Pentium Gold G5600 offers solid gaming performance if you plan to pair your processor with a discrete GPU. Unfortunately, overclocking isn’t an option. If you intend to use the Pentium Gold G5600 without add-in graphics, expect Intel’s UHD Graphics 630 engine to fall short of AMD’s less expensive Ryzen 3 2200G with Radeon Vega graphics.
Pros
- +
Hyper-Threading allows two cores to operate on four threads
- +
Bundled cooler improves value proposition
- +
Excellent performance in lightly-threaded workloads
Cons
- —
Locked multiplier prevents overclocking
- —
No AVX/AVX2 support
- —
Dual-core architecture
- —
Comparatively weak integrated graphics
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Building a capable PC for less than $500 is challenging, especially as memory prices soar. Fortunately, a competitive CPU market means it’s possible to get lots of processing power without breaking the bank.
Fast, affordable Ryzen models from AMD forced Intel to improve its dual-core Pentium chips with Hyper-Threading Technology and larger L3 caches. As a result, today’s Pentiums look a lot like yesterday’s Core i3s. That makes them a big win for budget-oriented builders, particularly when they’re paired up with Intel’s h470, h410, and B360 chipsets.
Intel’s victory isn’t assured, though. AMD has a fearsome competitor in its overclockable Raven Ridge-based Ryzen 3 2200G, which sells for $100 and sports four execution cores plus the impressive Radeon Vega integrated graphics engine. It’s quick enough for low-resolution gaming, potentially saving lots of money on a discrete GPU.
The UHD Graphics 630 solution built-into Intel’s Pentium Gold G5600 can’t even come close to AMD’s Radeon Vega, and the G5400’s UHD Graphics 610 is even slower. So, we matched the host processors up to an add-in graphics card for a more direct comparison in our benchmark suite. In the end, we found that Ryzen 3 2200G tells a better value story than the Pentium Gold G5600, while the Pentium Gold G5400 is simply unmatched at its $64 price point.
- Intel Pentium G4620 (Black Intel Pentium) at Amazon for $99.99
Intel Pentium Gold G5600
Intel Pentium Gold G5400
Pentium Gold G5600 and G5400
Last year, Intel announced it was rebranding the Pentium family.
Pentium Gold comprised the higher-performance socketed models based on the Kaby Lake architecture (and now Coffee Lake), while Pentium Silver CPUs were power-optimized and BGA-attached, leveraging Intel’s Goldmont Plus design.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Row 0 — Cell 0 | Pentium Gold G5600 | Pentium Gold G5400 |
| Socket | LGA 1151 | LGA 1151 |
| TDP | 54W | 54W |
| Architecture | Coffee Lake | Coffee Lake |
| Process | 14nm++ | 14nm++ |
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 4 | 2 / 4 |
| Frequency Base / Boost | 3. 9 / — |
3.7 / — |
| Memory Speed | DDR4-2400 | DDR4-2400 |
| Memory Controller | Dual-Channel | Dual-Channel |
| Cache (L3) | 4MB | 4MB |
| Integrated Graphics | UHD Graphics 630 | UHD Graphics 610 |
| PCIe Lanes | x16 | x16 |
| Unlocked Multiplier | No | No |
| MSRP | $86 | $64 |
Intel also added Hyper-Threading Technology to its Kaby Lake-based Pentiums in an effort to stave off the then-impending Ryzen onslaught.
That practice continues with today’s Coffee Lake-based models, allowing the dual-core Pentium Gold G5600 and G5400 CPUs to operate on four threads concurrently.
Of course, Coffee Lake is manufactured using an optimized 14nm++ process. That, plus a 3W-higher thermal design power, is responsible for the 200 MHz speed-up available across the Pentium Gold family. Intel also bumped L3 cache capacity up to 4MB, a 33% increase compared to Kaby Lake-based Pentiums. The dual-channel DDR4 memory controller is still limited to 2400 MT/s, so peak bandwidth does not change. And whereas AMD’s Ryzen 3 2200G only gives you eight lanes of PCIe 3.0 for discrete graphics upgrades, both Pentium chips offer a full 16-lane link.
Pentium Gold CPUs don’t get all of Intel’s special sauce, though. Similar to the Core i3 models, Pentiums lack Turbo Boost functionality altogether. Under load, you get one static frequency, regardless of how many cores are active. Intel also locks its ratio multipliers, preventing overclockers from coaxing extra performance from the chips.
Pentium processors don’t support the AVX/AVX2 instructions that accelerate certain productivity workloads, either. As a result, AMD’s AVX-enabled Ryzen 3 2200G enjoys a performance advantage in several optimized applications, as you’ll see in our benchmarks. Finally, Optane memory isn’t an option in Pentium-based PCs.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Row 0 — Cell 0 | Pentium Gold G5600 | Pentium Gold G5400 | Pentium G4620 | Pentium G4560 | Ryzen 3 1300X | Ryzen 3 2200G | Core i3-8100 |
| TDP | 54W | 54W | 51W | 51W | 65W | 65W | 65W |
| Architecture | Coffee Lake | Coffee Lake | Kaby Lake | Kaby Lake | Zen | Zen | Coffee Lake |
| Process | 14nm++ | 14nm++ | 14nm+ | 14nm+ | 14nm | 14nm | 14nm++ |
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 4 | 2 / 4 | 2 / 4 | 2 / 4 | 4 /4 | 4 / 4 | 4 / 4 |
| Frequency Base / Boost | 3. 9 / — |
3.7 / — | 3.7 / — | 3.5 / — | 3.5 / 3.7 | 3.5 / 3.7 | 3.6 / — |
| Memory Speed | DDR4-2400 | DDR4-2400 | DDR4-2400 | DDR4-2400 | DDR4-2667 | DDR4-2667 | DDR4-2400 |
| Memory Controller | Dual-Channel | Dual-Channel | Dual-Channel | Dual-Channel | Dual-Channel | Dual-Channel | Dual-Channel |
| Cache (L3) | 4MB | 4MB | 3MB | 3MB | 8MB | 4MB | 6MB |
| Integrated Graphics | UHD Graphics 630 | UHD Graphics 610 | HD Graphics 630 | HD Graphics 610 | No | Radeon Vega 8 | UHD Graphics 630 |
| Unlocked Multiplier | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| MSRP | $86 | $64 | $86 | $64 | $124 | $99 | $117 |
Intel’s Pentium Gold G5600 includes on-die UHD Graphics 630, while the G5400 utilizes UHD Graphics 610.
The former is composed of 24 execution units in what is referred to as a GT2 configuration, while the latter consists of 12 EUs in a GT1 setup. A 350 MHz base graphics frequency boosts up to 1.1 GHz on the Pentium Gold G5600 and 1.05 GHz on the G5400.
UHD Graphics 630/610 supports a wide range of codecs and provides hardware acceleration for most media consumption tasks. It’s also equipped with plenty of connectivity options, including native support for DisplayPort 1.2a and HDMI 1.4. But the UHD Graphics engine isn’t really suitable for gaming, even at low resolutions and relaxed quality settings. Plan on adding a discrete graphics card if you plan to build a gaming PC around Intel’s Pentium Gold.
Fortunately, you should have some room left in your budget for an upgrade. The G5400 model sells for a mere $64, placing it well under AMD’s low-end Ryzen options. We don’t expect it to face any real competition at that price point. Meanwhile, the Pentium Gold G5600 should be available at $86.
But as we saw with Intel’s previous-gen G4620, street pricing is much higher. You’ll currently find it around $95, placing it close to AMD’s Ryzen 3 2200G. Consequently, the Pentium grapples with an overclockable competitor armed with four physical cores and impressive Radeon Vega integrated graphics.
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Paul Alcorn is the Deputy Managing Editor for Tom’s Hardware US. He writes news and reviews on CPUs, storage and enterprise hardware.
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Intel Pentium Gold G5400 vs Intel Pentium Gold G5600: What is the difference?
54points
Intel Pentium Gold G5400
49points
Intel Pentium Gold G5600
Comparison winner
vs
66 facts in comparison
Intel Pentium Gold G5400
Intel Pentium Gold G5600
Why is Intel Pentium Gold G5400 better than Intel Pentium Gold G5600?
Why is Intel Pentium Gold G5600 better than Intel Pentium Gold G5400?
- 5.
41% faster CPU speed?
2 x 3.9GHzvs2 x 3.7GHz - 4W lower TDP?
54Wvs58W - 6.87% higher PassMark result?
5570vs5212 - 2 higher clock multiplier?
39vs37
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Price comparison
User reviews
Overall Rating
Intel Pentium Gold G5400
2 User reviews
Intel Pentium Gold G5400
10.
0/10
2 User reviews
Intel Pentium Gold G5600
0 User reviews
Intel Pentium Gold G5600
0.0/10
0 User reviews
Features
Value for money
10.0/10
2 votes
No reviews yet
Gaming
10.0/10
2 votes
No reviews yet
Performance
10.0/10
2 votes
No reviews yet
Reliability
10.0/10
2 votes
No reviews yet
Energy efficiency
10.0/10
2 votes
No reviews yet
Performance
CPU speed
2 x 3.7GHz
2 x 3.9GHz
The CPU speed indicates how many processing cycles per second can be executed by a CPU, considering all of its cores (processing units). It is calculated by adding the clock rates of each core or, in the case of multi-core processors employing different microarchitectures, of each group of cores.
CPU threads
More threads result in faster performance and better multitasking.
turbo clock speed
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5400)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5600)
When the CPU is running below its limitations, it can boost to a higher clock speed in order to give increased performance.
Has an unlocked multiplier
✖Intel Pentium Gold G5400
✖Intel Pentium Gold G5600
Some processors come with an unlocked multiplier which makes them easy to overclock, allowing you to gain increased performance in games and other apps.
L2 cache
A larger L2 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.
L3 cache
A larger L3 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.
L1 cache
A larger L1 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.
L2 core
0.
25MB/core
0.25MB/core
More data can be stored in the L2 cache for access by each core of the CPU.
L3 core
2MB/core
2MB/core
More data can be stored in the L3 cache for access by each core of the CPU.
Benchmarks
PassMark result
This benchmark measures the performance of the CPU using multiple threads.
PassMark result (single)
This benchmark measures the performance of the CPU using a single thread.
Geekbench 5 result (multi)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5400)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5600)
Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor’s multi-core performance. (Source: Primate Labs, 2023)
Cinebench R20 (multi) result
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
(Intel Pentium Gold G5400)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5600)
Cinebench R20 is a benchmark tool that measures a CPU’s multi-core performance by rendering a 3D scene.
Cinebench R20 (single) result
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5400)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5600)
Cinebench R20 is a benchmark tool that measures a CPU’s single-core performance by rendering a 3D scene.
Geekbench 5 result (single)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5400)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5600)
Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor’s single-core performance. (Source: Primate Labs, 2023)
Blender (bmw27) result
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5400)
Unknown.
Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5600)
The Blender (bmw27) benchmark measures the performance of a processor by rendering a 3D scene. More powerful processors can render the scene in less time.
Blender (classroom) result
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5400)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5600)
The Blender (classroom) benchmark measures the performance of a processor by rendering a 3D scene. More powerful processors can render the scene in less time.
performance per watt
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5400)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5600)
This means the CPU is more efficient, giving a greater amount of performance for each watt of power used.
Integrated graphics
GPU clock speed
350MHz
350MHz
The graphics processing unit (GPU) has a higher clock speed.
GPU turbo
1050MHz
1100MHz
When the GPU is running below its limitations, it can boost to a higher clock speed in order to give increased performance.
GPU execution units
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5400)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5600)
A graphics processing unit (GPU) with a greater number of execution units can deliver better graphics.
supported displays
Using multiple displays you can create a larger workspace, making it easier to work across multiple apps.
DirectX version
DirectX is used in games, with newer versions supporting better graphics.
OpenGL version
OpenGL is used in games, with newer versions supporting better graphics.
OpenCL version
Unknown.
Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5400)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5600)
Some apps use OpenCL to apply the power of the graphics processing unit (GPU) for non-graphical computing. Newer versions introduce more functionality and better performance.
texture mapping units (TMUs)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5400)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5600)
TMUs take textures and map them to the geometry of a 3D scene. More TMUs will typically mean that texture information is processed faster.
render output units (ROPs)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5400)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5600)
The ROPs are responsible for some of the final steps of the rendering process, writing the final pixel data to memory and carrying out other tasks such as anti-aliasing to improve the look of graphics.
Memory
RAM speed
2400MHz
2400MHz
It can support faster memory, which will give quicker system performance.
maximum memory bandwidth
37.5GB/s
35.76GB/s
This is the maximum rate that data can be read from or stored into memory.
DDR memory version
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5600)
DDR (Double Data Rate) memory is the most common type of RAM. Newer versions of DDR memory support higher maximum speeds and are more energy-efficient.
memory channels
More memory channels increases the speed of data transfer between the memory and the CPU.
maximum memory amount
The maximum amount of memory (RAM) supported.
bus transfer rate
The bus is responsible for transferring data between different components of a computer or device.
Supports ECC memory
✔Intel Pentium Gold G5400
✔Intel Pentium Gold G5600
Error-correcting code memory can detect and correct data corruption. It is used when is it essential to avoid corruption, such as scientific computing or when running a server.
eMMC version
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5400)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5600)
A higher version of eMMC allows faster memory interfaces, having a positive effect on the performance of a device. For example, when transferring files from your computer to the internal storage over USB.
bus speed
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5400)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5600)
The bus is responsible for transferring data between different components of a computer or device.
Features
uses multithreading
✔Intel Pentium Gold G5400
✔Intel Pentium Gold G5600
Multithreading technology (such as Intel’s Hyperthreading or AMD’s Simultaneous Multithreading) provides increased performance by splitting each of the processor’s physical cores into virtual cores, also known as threads. This way, each core can run two instruction streams at once.
Has AES
✔Intel Pentium Gold G5400
✔Intel Pentium Gold G5600
AES is used to speed up encryption and decryption.
Has AVX
✖Intel Pentium Gold G5400
✖Intel Pentium Gold G5600
AVX is used to help speed up calculations in multimedia, scientific and financial apps, as well as improving Linux RAID software performance.
SSE version
SSE is used to speed up multimedia tasks such as editing an image or adjusting audio volume. Each new version contains new instructions and improvements.
Has F16C
✖Intel Pentium Gold G5400
✖Intel Pentium Gold G5600
F16C is used to speed up tasks such as adjusting the contrast of an image or adjusting volume.
bits executed at a time
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5400)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Pentium Gold G5600)
NEON provides acceleration for media processing, such as listening to MP3s.
Has MMX
✔Intel Pentium Gold G5400
✔Intel Pentium Gold G5600
MMX is used to speed up tasks such as adjusting the contrast of an image or adjusting volume.
Has TrustZone
✖Intel Pentium Gold G5400
✖Intel Pentium Gold G5600
A technology integrated into the processor to secure the device for use with features such as mobile payments and streaming video using digital rights management (DRM).