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

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i5-14400T.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-14400T across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 20,911).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Core i5-14400T mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Core i5-14400T

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.4% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+66.7% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

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

Core i5-10400F

2020

Core i5-14400T

2024

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i5-14400T.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.4% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+66.7% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-14400T across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 20,911).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Core i5-14400T mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-14400T better than Core i5-10400F?

Yes. Core i5-14400T is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 6.4% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data, 60.5% 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 i5-14400T is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 6.4% 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 i5-14400T is the better fit. You are getting 60.5% better PassMark, backed by 10 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 66.7% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Core i5-14400T is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-10400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Core i5-14400T is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 6.4% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-10400F is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper. That said, if you already own a compatible LGA1200 + DDR4 setup, Core i5-10400F can still make sense as a platform-matched option because it avoids a motherboard and RAM swap, but on MSRP alone you would want to find it meaningfully cheaper in real-world listings before that path becomes easy to justify.

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

Core i5-14400T is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2020), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of LGA1200, 66.7% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 12 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 10 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 i5-14400T Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-14400T
1080p
low	192 FPS	170 FPS
medium	152 FPS	153 FPS
high	123 FPS	124 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	106 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	144 FPS
medium	119 FPS	125 FPS
high	97 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	85 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	82 FPS
medium	70 FPS	76 FPS
high	55 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	46 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i5-14400T

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-14400T
1080p
low	326 FPS	306 FPS
medium	318 FPS	261 FPS
high	290 FPS	218 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	198 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	257 FPS
medium	292 FPS	227 FPS
high	267 FPS	195 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	169 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	156 FPS
medium	258 FPS	140 FPS
high	235 FPS	131 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	116 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i5-14400T

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-14400T
1080p
low	326 FPS	523 FPS
medium	326 FPS	517 FPS
high	326 FPS	476 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	418 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	523 FPS
medium	326 FPS	460 FPS
high	326 FPS	421 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	371 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	432 FPS
medium	326 FPS	355 FPS
high	289 FPS	322 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	263 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i5-14400T

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-14400T
1080p
low	326 FPS	523 FPS
medium	326 FPS	523 FPS
high	326 FPS	523 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	523 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	523 FPS
medium	326 FPS	523 FPS
high	326 FPS	523 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	476 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	493 FPS
medium	326 FPS	452 FPS
high	326 FPS	401 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	350 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i5-14400T

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Core i5-14400T

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 i5-14400T

The Core i5-14400T is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 8 January 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025) architecture. It features 10 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 1.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 20,911 points. Launch price was $221.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core i5-14400T offers 10 cores / 16 threads — the Core i5-14400T has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 4.5 GHz on the Core i5-14400T — a 4.5% clock advantage for the Core i5-14400T (base: 2.9 GHz vs 1.5 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i5-14400T uses Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025) (Intel 7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Core i5-14400T's 20,911 — a 46.4% lead for the Core i5-14400T. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 20 MB (total) on the Core i5-14400T.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-14400T
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	10 / 16+67%
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz	4.5 GHz+5%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz+93%	1.5 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	20 MB (total)+67%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)+400%
Process	14 nm	Intel 7 nm-50%
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025)
PassMark	13,029	20,911+60%
Cinebench R23 Multi	8,191	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,454	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	5,783	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-10400F uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-14400T uses LGA1700 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i5-14400T
Socket	LGA1200	LGA1700
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-10400F) / not specified (Core i5-14400T). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.