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 i5-10400F

2020

Why buy it

✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i5-12450HX.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12450HX across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 18,064).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Core i5-12450HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌18.2% higher power demand at 65W vs 55W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Core i5-12450HX moves to FCBGA1964 and DDR5.

Core i5-12450HX

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +45.1% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 55W instead of 65W, a 10W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FCBGA1964 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.
✅200% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics for 12th Gen, while Core i5-10400F needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Core i5-12450HX

2022

Why buy it

✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i5-12450HX.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +45.1% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 55W instead of 65W, a 10W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FCBGA1964 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.
✅200% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics for 12th Gen, while Core i5-10400F needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12450HX across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 18,064).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Core i5-12450HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌18.2% higher power demand at 65W vs 55W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Core i5-12450HX moves to FCBGA1964 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-12450HX better than Core i5-10400F?

Yes. Core i5-12450HX is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 45.1% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data, 38.6% better PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core i5-12450HX is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 45.1% more average FPS across 2 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-12450HX is the better fit. You are getting 38.6% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 12 threads.

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

Core i5-12450HX is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-10400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Core i5-12450HX is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 45.1% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-10400F is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 i5-12450HX is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2020), a healthier platform with FCBGA1964 and DDR5 instead of LGA1200, and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 12 threads instead of 6/12. 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 i5-10400F Benchmark Check

Core i5-12450HX Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-12450HX
1080p
low	192 FPS	169 FPS
medium	152 FPS	151 FPS
high	123 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	105 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	142 FPS
medium	119 FPS	122 FPS
high	97 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	83 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	80 FPS
medium	70 FPS	74 FPS
high	55 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	45 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i5-12450HX

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-12450HX
1080p
low	326 FPS	334 FPS
medium	318 FPS	285 FPS
high	290 FPS	261 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	232 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	293 FPS
medium	292 FPS	256 FPS
high	267 FPS	239 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	208 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	232 FPS
medium	258 FPS	208 FPS
high	235 FPS	196 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	169 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i5-12450HX

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-12450HX
1080p
low	326 FPS	452 FPS
medium	326 FPS	452 FPS
high	326 FPS	450 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	397 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	452 FPS
medium	326 FPS	452 FPS
high	326 FPS	405 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	359 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	410 FPS
medium	326 FPS	340 FPS
high	289 FPS	298 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	242 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i5-12450HX

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-12450HX
1080p
low	326 FPS	452 FPS
medium	326 FPS	452 FPS
high	326 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	452 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	452 FPS
medium	326 FPS	452 FPS
high	326 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	452 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	452 FPS
medium	326 FPS	432 FPS
high	326 FPS	381 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	333 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i5-12450HX

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Core i5-12450HX

Core i5-10400F

The Core i5-10400F is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 30 April 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 4.3 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 13,029 points. Launch price was $155.

Core i5-12450HX

The Core i5-12450HX is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 10 May 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-HX (2022) architecture. It features 8 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1964. Thermal design power (TDP): 55 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 18,064 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core i5-12450HX offers 8 cores / 12 threads — the Core i5-12450HX has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12450HX — a 2.3% clock advantage for the Core i5-12450HX (base: 2.9 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i5-12450HX uses Alder Lake-HX (2022) (Intel 7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Core i5-12450HX's 18,064 — a 32.4% lead for the Core i5-12450HX. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,454 vs 2,150, a 38.6% lead for the Core i5-12450HX that directly translates to higher frame rates. Both processors carry 12 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-12450HX
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 12+33%
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz	4.4 GHz+2%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz+21%	2.4 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	12 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)+400%
Process	14 nm	Intel 7 nm-50%
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Alder Lake-HX (2022)
PassMark	13,029	18,064+39%
Cinebench R23 Multi	8,191	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,454	2,150+48%
Geekbench 6 Multi	5,783	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-10400F uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-12450HX uses FCBGA1964 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i5-10400F versus DDR5-4800 on the Core i5-12450HX — the Core i5-12450HX supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i5-10400F) vs 48 (Core i5-12450HX) — the Core i5-12450HX offers 32 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H410,B460,H470,Z490,H510,B560,H570,Z590 (Core i5-10400F) and HM670,WM690 (Core i5-12450HX).

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-12450HX
Socket	LGA1200	FCBGA1964
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR5-4800+25%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	16	48+200%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i5-12450HX has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-10400F) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12450HX). The Core i5-12450HX includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics for 12th Gen), while the Core i5-10400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming, Core i5-12450HX targets Workstation/Enthusiast Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600; Core i5-12450HX rivals Ryzen 5 7645HX.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-12450HX
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	—	UHD Graphics for 12th Gen
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use	Gaming	Workstation/Enthusiast Laptop