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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core i3-1210U

2022

Why buy it

✅+0.7% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 9W instead of 65W, a 56W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FCBGA1781 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-9400 across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Core i5-9400

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +18.9% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (9,372 vs 9,438).
❌Launch MSRP is still $192 MSRP, while Core i3-1210U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌622.2% higher power demand at 65W vs 9W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1151 with DDR4, while Core i3-1210U moves to FCBGA1781 and DDR5.

Core i3-1210U

2022

Core i5-9400

2019

Why buy it

✅+0.7% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 9W instead of 65W, a 56W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FCBGA1781 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +18.9% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-9400 across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (9,372 vs 9,438).
❌Launch MSRP is still $192 MSRP, while Core i3-1210U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌622.2% higher power demand at 65W vs 9W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1151 with DDR4, while Core i3-1210U moves to FCBGA1781 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i3-1210U better than Core i5-9400?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i5-9400 is ahead with a 18.9% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i3-1210U pulls ahead with 0.7% better PassMark.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i3-1210U is the better fit. You are getting 0.7% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 8 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Core i3-1210U is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-9400 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Core i3-1210U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $192 MSRP, and it gives you 0.7% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i5-9400 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 18.9% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-9400 is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (48.8 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Core i3-1210U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2019), a healthier platform with FCBGA1781 and DDR5 instead of LGA1151, and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 8 threads instead of 6/6. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

Games Benchmarks

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.

Core i3-1210U Benchmark Check

Core i5-9400 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i3-1210U	Core i5-9400
1080p
low	184 FPS	179 FPS
medium	150 FPS	144 FPS
high	124 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	91 FPS
1440p
low	150 FPS	152 FPS
medium	119 FPS	122 FPS
high	97 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	75 FPS
4K
low	84 FPS	71 FPS
medium	72 FPS	61 FPS
high	58 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	37 FPS

Open Core i3-1210U Open Core i5-9400

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i3-1210U	Core i5-9400
1080p
low	185 FPS	234 FPS
medium	153 FPS	234 FPS
high	141 FPS	234 FPS
ultra	122 FPS	222 FPS
1440p
low	161 FPS	234 FPS
medium	136 FPS	234 FPS
high	129 FPS	226 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	202 FPS
4K
low	135 FPS	234 FPS
medium	118 FPS	216 FPS
high	110 FPS	196 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	170 FPS

Open Core i3-1210U Open Core i5-9400

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i3-1210U	Core i5-9400
1080p
low	236 FPS	234 FPS
medium	236 FPS	234 FPS
high	236 FPS	234 FPS
ultra	236 FPS	234 FPS
1440p
low	236 FPS	234 FPS
medium	236 FPS	234 FPS
high	236 FPS	234 FPS
ultra	236 FPS	234 FPS
4K
low	236 FPS	234 FPS
medium	236 FPS	226 FPS
high	236 FPS	192 FPS
ultra	236 FPS	152 FPS

Open Core i3-1210U Open Core i5-9400

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i3-1210U	Core i5-9400
1080p
low	236 FPS	234 FPS
medium	236 FPS	234 FPS
high	236 FPS	234 FPS
ultra	236 FPS	234 FPS
1440p
low	236 FPS	234 FPS
medium	236 FPS	234 FPS
high	236 FPS	234 FPS
ultra	236 FPS	234 FPS
4K
low	236 FPS	234 FPS
medium	236 FPS	234 FPS
high	236 FPS	234 FPS
ultra	236 FPS	234 FPS

Open Core i3-1210U Open Core i5-9400

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i3-1210U and Core i5-9400

Core i3-1210U

The Core i3-1210U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 23 February 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-U (2022) architecture. It features 6 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 1 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 10 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1781. Thermal design power (TDP): 9 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 9,438 points. Launch price was $149.

Core i5-9400

The Core i5-9400 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake (2017−2019) architecture. It features 6 cores and 6 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 4.1 GHz. L3 cache: 9 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 9,372 points. Launch price was $182.

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Processing Power

The Core i3-1210U packs 6 cores / 8 threads, matching the Core i5-9400's 6 cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i3-1210U versus 4.1 GHz on the Core i5-9400 — a 7.1% clock advantage for the Core i3-1210U (base: 1 GHz vs 2.9 GHz). The Core i3-1210U uses the Alder Lake-U (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Core i5-9400 uses Coffee Lake (2017−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i3-1210U scores 9,438 against the Core i5-9400's 9,372 — a 0.7% lead for the Core i3-1210U. L3 cache: 10 MB (total) on the Core i3-1210U vs 9 MB (total) on the Core i5-9400.

Feature	Core i3-1210U	Core i5-9400
Cores / Threads	6 / 8	6 / 6
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+7%	4.1 GHz
Base Clock	1 GHz	2.9 GHz+190%
L3 Cache	10 MB (total)+11%	9 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+400%	256K (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-U (2022)	Coffee Lake (2017−2019)
PassMark	9,438	9,372
Geekbench 6 Single	2,040	—

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Memory & Platform

The Core i3-1210U uses the FCBGA1781 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Core i5-9400 uses LGA1151 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches LPDDR5-5200 on the Core i3-1210U versus DDR4-2666 on the Core i5-9400 — the Core i3-1210U supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i5-9400 supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 14 (Core i3-1210U) vs 16 (Core i5-9400) — the Core i5-9400 offers 2 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Core i3-1210U	Core i5-9400
Socket	FCBGA1781	LGA1151
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	LPDDR5-5200+25%	DDR4-2666
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	128 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	14	16+14%

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i3-1210U) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-9400). Both include integrated graphics — UHD Graphics for 12th Gen (64 EU) (Core i3-1210U) and UHD Graphics 630 (Core i5-9400) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-1210U targets Thin & Light Laptop, Core i5-9400 targets Desktop. Direct competitor: Core i3-1210U rivals Ryzen 3 5425U.

Feature	Core i3-1210U	Core i5-9400
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics for 12th Gen (64 EU)	UHD Graphics 630
Unlocked	No	No
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	Thin & Light Laptop	Desktop