Intel Pentium Gold G5400 G5400T G5500 G5500T G5600 Coffee Lake Dual-Core 3.7 GHz LGA 1151 58W SR3X9 Desktop Processor

Intel Pentium Gold Processor Family (Coffee Lake)

1. Pentium Gold G5400

• The Entry-Level Workhorse

  • 2 cores / 4 threads with 3.7GHz base clock (no turbo)

  • Features Intel UHD Graphics 610 (1050MHz)

  • 54W TDP with standard cooling requirements

  • 4MB L3 cache shared between cores

  • Supports up to 64GB DDR4-2400 memory

  • Best for: Basic office PCs, home theater systems, and secondary computers where cost is the primary concern

  • Value proposition: Most affordable way to get Hyper-Threading in Intel’s lineup

2. Pentium Gold G5400T

• The Energy-Efficient Variant

  • Same 2C/4T configuration but lower 3.1GHz base clock

  • Reduced 35W TDP for passive/small form factor builds

  • Maintains UHD 610 graphics at same 1050MHz

  • Ideal for: Fanless systems, mini-PCs, and 24/7 operation devices

  • Special feature: 35% lower power consumption than standard G5400

  • Trade-off: ~16% lower CPU performance than G5400

3. Pentium Gold G5500

• The Sweet Spot Performer

  • 3.8GHz base clock (100MHz faster than G5400)

  • Upgraded to UHD Graphics 630 (1100MHz)

  • Same 54W TDP as G5400

  • Notable improvement: ~10% better graphics performance over G5400

  • Perfect for: Budget gaming builds (when paired with discrete GPU) and general home use

  • Standout feature: Lowest-cost Coffee Lake with UHD 630 graphics

4. Pentium Gold G5500T

• Balanced Power Efficiency

  • 3.2GHz base clock in 35W TDP package

  • Shares UHD 630 graphics with standard G5500

  • Designed for: Small business PCs needing reliable 24/7 operation

  • Advantage: Better sustained performance than G5400T at same TDP

  • Use case: Digital signage, kiosks, and low-profile office PCs

5. Pentium Gold G5600

• The Flagship Pentium

  • 3.9GHz base clock (highest in Pentium Gold series)

  • Full UHD 630 graphics at 1100MHz

  • 54W TDP like other non-T models

  • Positioning: Near-Celeron pricing with almost i3-level performance

  • Best suited for: Budget-conscious users wanting maximum Pentium performance

  • Unique value: Often just slightly more expensive than G5500

Common Features Across All Models:

• Socket: LGA 1151 (300-series compatible)

• Memory: Dual-channel DDR4-2400 support

• PCIe: 16 lanes total (typically x16 or x8/x8 configurations)

• Instruction Sets: Includes modern SSE4.1/4.2, AVX2

• Security: Hardware-level OS guard protection

Performance Comparison:

• CPU Performance: G5600 (100%) > G5500 (97%) > G5400 (95%) > G5500T (84%) > G5400T (81%)

• GPU Performance: G5500/G5600/G5500T (100%) > G5400/G5400T (85%)

• Power Efficiency: G5400T/G5500T (100%) > G5400/G5500/G5600 (65%)

Recommended Pairings:

• Motherboard: H310 for budget builds, B360 for future upgradability

• RAM: 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4-2400 for dual-channel benefits

• Storage: 240GB SSD for optimal system responsiveness

• Cooling: Stock cooler sufficient for all models

Market Positioning (At Launch):

• G5400 Series: Replacement for older Pentium G4560

• G5500 Series: Mainstream Pentium option

• G5600: Premium Pentium competing with low-end i3s