Celeron E3400 vs Core i5-12400F

CPU

GPU

Celeron E3400

2 Cores2 Thrd65 WWMax: 2.6 GHz2010

Core i5-12400F

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.4 GHz2022

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Celeron E3400

2 / 2

1,220

0.0%

19,532

+1501.0%

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 Celeron E3400 is positioned at rank #727 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 Celeron E3400

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

13541%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

12795%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

9290%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

2799%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

2217%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

1939%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

1111%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

1096%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

998%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

998%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

987%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

960%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

947%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

943%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

934%

#727

Celeron E3400

MSRP: $53|Avg: $15

100%

#728

FX-4100

MSRP: $115|Avg: $20

99%

#729

Core i5-7440EQ

MSRP: $250|Avg: $30

99%

#730

Core i5-3350P

MSRP: $189|Avg: $25

99%

#732

Core i3-4350T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $20

99%

#733

Athlon II X4 641

MSRP: $102|Avg: $102

99%

#734

Athlon II X3 460

MSRP: $87|Avg: $15

98%

#735

Pentium G2100T

MSRP: $75|Avg: $10

98%

#736

Core i5-3330

MSRP: $182|Avg: $21

98%

#737

Core i3-4330T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $15

98%

#738

Pentium E5300

MSRP: $62|Avg: $25

98%

#739

Athlon II X2 215

MSRP: $45|Avg: $10

98%

#740

Core i7-4790S

MSRP: $312|Avg: $60

97%

#741

FX-6100

MSRP: $165|Avg: $25

97%

#742

Pentium G2020T

MSRP: $64|Avg: $69

97%

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	Celeron E3400	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 (Wolfdale (2008−2010) / 45 nm)	✨ Modern (Alder Lake-S (2022) / Intel 7 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Celeron E3400 (2010) relies on 45 nm technology and DDR1, DDR2, DDR3, placing it in a different performance category relative to modern standards.

Insight	Celeron E3400	Core i5-12400F
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+118%)
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.

Celeron E3400 Benchmark Check

Core i5-12400F Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Celeron E3400 and Core i5-12400F

Celeron E3400

The Celeron E3400 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 17 January 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Wolfdale (2008−2010) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 2.6 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB (total). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA775. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR1, DDR2, DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,220 points. Launch price was $76.

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 Celeron E3400 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 2.6 GHz on the Celeron E3400 versus 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F — a 51.4% clock advantage for the Core i5-12400F (base: 2.6 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Celeron E3400 uses the Wolfdale (2008−2010) architecture (45 nm), while the Core i5-12400F uses Alder Lake-S (2022) (Intel 7 nm). In PassMark, the Celeron E3400 scores 1,220 against the Core i5-12400F's 19,532 — a 176.5% lead for the Core i5-12400F. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 347 vs 1,700, a 132.2% lead for the Core i5-12400F that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 624 vs 657 (5.2% advantage for the Core i5-12400F). L3 cache: 0 kB on the Celeron E3400 vs 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F.

Feature	Celeron E3400	Core i5-12400F
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	6 / 12+200%
Boost Clock	2.6 GHz	4.4 GHz+69%
Base Clock	2.6 GHz+4%	2.5 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	18 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (total)	1.25 MB (per core)+25%
Process	45 nm	Intel 7 nm-84%
Architecture	Wolfdale (2008−2010)	Alder Lake-S (2022)
PassMark	1,220	19,532+1501%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	12,380
Geekbench 6 Single	347	1,700+390%
Geekbench 6 Multi	624	657+5%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Celeron E3400 uses the LGA775 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Core i5-12400F uses LGA1700 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 1066 on the Celeron E3400 versus DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 on the Core i5-12400F — the Celeron E3400 supports 198.1% 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 — 176.5% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 0 (Celeron E3400) vs 20 (Core i5-12400F) — the Core i5-12400F offers 20 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: G31,G41,P35,P45 (Celeron E3400) and H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F).

Feature	Celeron E3400	Core i5-12400F
Socket	LGA775	LGA1700
PCIe Generation	PCIe 1.1	PCIe 3.0+173%
Max RAM Speed	1066+21220%	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	8	128 GB+1677721500%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	❌	❌
PCIe Lanes	0	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: true (Celeron E3400) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F). Primary use case: Celeron E3400 targets Budget, Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Celeron E3400 rivals Pentium E5200; Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Celeron E3400	Core i5-12400F
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	No	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	true	VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use	Budget	Gaming Performance/Value

💰

Value Analysis

The Celeron E3400 launched at $53 MSRP, while the Core i5-12400F debuted at $174. At current prices ($15 vs $110), the Celeron E3400 is $95 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Celeron E3400 delivers 81.3 pts/$ vs 177.6 pts/$ for the Core i5-12400F — making the Core i5-12400F the 74.3% better value option.