Athlon II M320 vs Core i5-12400F

Athlon II M320

2 Cores2 Thrd1 WWMax: 2.1 GHz2009

Core i5-12400F

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.4 GHz2022

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Athlon II M320

2 / 2

1,795

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Core i5-12400F

6 / 12

19,532

+988.1%

About PassMark

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. The Athlon II M320 is positioned at rank #809 in our cost-efficiency ranking, representing a Lower cost-benefit for your build. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Athlon II M320

#797

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1226%

#798

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1208%

#799

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1109%

#800

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1104%

#801

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1094%

#803

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1056%

#804

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1013%

#805

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1011%

#806

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

984%

#809

Athlon II M320

MSRP: $75|Avg: $15

100%

#810

Celeron B800

MSRP: $80|Avg: $5

100%

#811

Celeron B710

MSRP: $86|Avg: $10

100%

#813

Athlon II Neo K345

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

100%

#818

Core i7-8709G

MSRP: $338|Avg: $150

98%

#819

Celeron M 560

MSRP: $86|Avg: $10

98%

#824

Celeron Dual-Core T3000

MSRP: $80|Avg: $15

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i5-12400F

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

121%

#16

Core Ultra 5 225F

MSRP: $231|Avg: $150

118%

#17

Core Ultra 7 265K

MSRP: $309|Avg: $285

116%

#18

Ryzen 9 3900

MSRP: $499|Avg: $150

115%

#19

Ryzen 5 3600X

MSRP: $249|Avg: $90

113%

#20

Core i7-14700KF

MSRP: $384|Avg: $260

113%

#21

Core i7-14700K

MSRP: $409|Avg: $270

109%

#22

Ryzen 5 4500

MSRP: $129|Avg: $85

106%

#23

Ryzen 5 5600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $115

106%

#24

Celeron G5925

MSRP: $62|Avg: $15

105%

#25

Ryzen 5 7500F

MSRP: $179|Avg: $145

104%

#26

Core Ultra 5 245

MSRP: $319|Avg: $220

103%

#27

Ryzen 7 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $86

102%

#28

Core Ultra 7 265KF

MSRP: $379|Avg: $323

102%

#29

Core Ultra 7 265F

MSRP: $369|Avg: $276

100%

#30

Core i5-12400F

MSRP: $174|Avg: $110

100%

#31

Ryzen 3 PRO 5355G

MSRP: $130|Avg: $80

99%

#32

Ryzen 7 2700X

MSRP: $329|Avg: $100

98%

#33

Core i3-10100F

MSRP: $88|Avg: $50

98%

#34

Ryzen 5 7400F

MSRP: $150|Avg: $147

98%

#35

Ryzen 5 9600X

MSRP: $279|Avg: $178

95%

#36

Ryzen 7 3800X

MSRP: $399|Avg: $140

93%

#37

Ryzen 3 5300G

MSRP: $130|Avg: $80

92%

#38

Ryzen 9 7900X

MSRP: $549|Avg: $316

91%

#39

Ryzen 5 5600X

MSRP: $299|Avg: $135

91%

#40

Core i5-14600KF

MSRP: $304|Avg: $239

91%

#41

Ryzen 7 5800

MSRP: $349|Avg: $160

91%

#42

Core i3-14100F

MSRP: $109|Avg: $96

90%

#43

Ryzen 7 3700X

MSRP: $329|Avg: $140

90%

#44

Ryzen 5 7600X

MSRP: $299|Avg: $178

90%

#45

Ryzen 3 3100

MSRP: $99|Avg: $75

90%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Generational Difference: This comparison involves processors from different technological eras. The Core i5-12400F (2022) utilizes Intel 7 nm technology and DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200, providing a fundamental performance advantage.

Insight	Athlon II M320	Core i5-12400F
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($15)	⚠️ Higher cost ($110)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Caspian (2009) / 45 nm)	✨ Modern (Alder Lake-S (2022) / Intel 7 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Athlon II M320 (2009) relies on 45 nm technology and DDR2, placing it in a different performance category relative to modern standards.

Insight	Athlon II M320	Core i5-12400F
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+48%)
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($15)	⚠️ Higher cost ($110)

Performance Check

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Athlon II M320 Benchmark Check

Core i5-12400F Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Athlon II M320 and Core i5-12400F

Athlon II M320

The Athlon II M320 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Caspian (2009) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 2.1 GHz. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1g3. Thermal design power (TDP): 1 MB. Memory support: DDR2. Passmark benchmark score: 1,795 points. Launch price was $149.

Core i5-12400F

The Core i5-12400F is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 4 January 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 18 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 19,532 points. Launch price was $180.

⚡

Processing Power

The Athlon II M320 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Core i5-12400F offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core i5-12400F has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.1 GHz on the Athlon II M320 versus 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F — a 70.8% clock advantage for the Core i5-12400F. The Athlon II M320 uses the Caspian (2009) architecture (45 nm), while the Core i5-12400F uses Alder Lake-S (2022) (Intel 7 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II M320 scores 1,795 against the Core i5-12400F's 19,532 — a 166.3% lead for the Core i5-12400F. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 188 vs 1,700, a 160.2% lead for the Core i5-12400F that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 1,955 vs 657 (99.4% advantage for the Athlon II M320).

Feature	Athlon II M320	Core i5-12400F
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	6 / 12+200%
Boost Clock	2.1 GHz	4.4 GHz+110%
Base Clock	—	2.5 GHz
L3 Cache	—	18 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB	1.25 MB (per core)+25%
Process	45 nm	Intel 7 nm-84%
Architecture	Caspian (2009)	Alder Lake-S (2022)
PassMark	1,795	19,532+988%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	12,380
Geekbench 6 Single	188	1,700+804%
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,955+198%	657

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Athlon II M320 uses the S1g3 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i5-12400F uses LGA1700 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR2-800 on the Athlon II M320 versus DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 on the Core i5-12400F — the Core i5-12400F supports 85.7% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i5-12400F supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 8 GB — 176.5% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 0 (Athlon II M320) vs 20 (Core i5-12400F) — the Core i5-12400F offers 20 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Socket S1g3 (Athlon II M320) and H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F).

Feature	Athlon II M320	Core i5-12400F
Socket	S1g3	LGA1700
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed	DDR2-800	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200+150%
Max RAM Capacity	8 GB	128 GB+1500%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	❌	❌
PCIe Lanes	0	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: AMD-V (Athlon II M320) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F). Primary use case: Athlon II M320 targets Legacy Laptop, Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Athlon II M320 rivals Core 2 Duo T6400; Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Athlon II M320	Core i5-12400F
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	None	—
Unlocked	No	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	AMD-V	VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use	Legacy Laptop	Gaming Performance/Value

💰

Value Analysis

The Athlon II M320 launched at $75 MSRP, while the Core i5-12400F debuted at $174. At current prices ($15 vs $110), the Athlon II M320 is $95 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Athlon II M320 delivers 119.7 pts/$ vs 177.6 pts/$ for the Core i5-12400F — making the Core i5-12400F the 39% better value option.