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 i5-12600HX.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12600HX across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 24,396).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Core i5-12600HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌18.2% higher power demand at 65W vs 55W.

Core i5-12600HX

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +46.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB).
✅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.

Trade-offs

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

Core i5-10400F

2020

Core i5-12600HX

2022

Why buy it

✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i5-12600HX.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +46.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB).
✅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.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12600HX across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 24,396).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Core i5-12600HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌18.2% higher power demand at 65W vs 55W.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-12600HX better than Core i5-10400F?

Yes. Core i5-12600HX is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 46.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 87.2% 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 i5-12600HX is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 46.3% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-12600HX is the better fit. You are getting 87.2% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Core i5-12600HX is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-10400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Core i5-12600HX is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 46.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-10400F is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 i5-12600HX 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, 50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 12 cores / 16 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 i5-12600HX Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-12600HX
1080p
low	192 FPS	170 FPS
medium	152 FPS	154 FPS
high	123 FPS	127 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	107 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	143 FPS
medium	119 FPS	123 FPS
high	97 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	84 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	81 FPS
medium	70 FPS	74 FPS
high	55 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	46 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i5-12600HX

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-12600HX
1080p
low	326 FPS	546 FPS
medium	318 FPS	465 FPS
high	290 FPS	389 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	355 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	456 FPS
medium	292 FPS	401 FPS
high	267 FPS	344 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	300 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	275 FPS
medium	258 FPS	243 FPS
high	235 FPS	228 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	203 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i5-12600HX

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-12600HX
1080p
low	326 FPS	610 FPS
medium	326 FPS	519 FPS
high	326 FPS	477 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	420 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	567 FPS
medium	326 FPS	475 FPS
high	326 FPS	427 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	378 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	449 FPS
medium	326 FPS	368 FPS
high	289 FPS	327 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	267 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i5-12600HX

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-12600HX
1080p
low	326 FPS	610 FPS
medium	326 FPS	610 FPS
high	326 FPS	610 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	588 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	610 FPS
medium	326 FPS	610 FPS
high	326 FPS	563 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	492 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	507 FPS
medium	326 FPS	463 FPS
high	326 FPS	414 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	361 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i5-12600HX

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Core i5-12600HX

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 i5-12600HX

The Core i5-12600HX 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 12 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 18 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: 24,396 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core i5-12600HX offers 12 cores / 16 threads — the Core i5-12600HX has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 4.6 GHz on the Core i5-12600HX — a 6.7% clock advantage for the Core i5-12600HX (base: 2.9 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i5-12600HX uses Alder Lake-HX (2022) (Intel 7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Core i5-12600HX's 24,396 — a 60.7% lead for the Core i5-12600HX. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,454 vs 2,434, a 50.4% lead for the Core i5-12600HX that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12600HX.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-12600HX
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	12 / 16+100%
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz	4.6 GHz+7%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz+16%	2.5 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	18 MB (total)+50%
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	24,396+87%
Cinebench R23 Multi	8,191	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,454	2,434+67%
Geekbench 6 Multi	5,783	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-10400F uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-12600HX uses FCBGA1964 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i5-10400F versus DDR5-4800 on the Core i5-12600HX — the Core i5-12600HX 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 i5-12600HX) — the Core i5-12600HX 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 i5-12600HX).

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-12600HX
Socket	LGA1200	FCBGA1964
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR5-4800+25%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	16	48+200%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i5-12600HX 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 i5-12600HX). The Core i5-12600HX includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 770), while the Core i5-10400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming, Core i5-12600HX targets Workstation Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600; Core i5-12600HX rivals Ryzen 7 6800H.