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

✅Better for gaming: +30.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $274 less on MSRP ($160 MSRP vs $434 MSRP).
✅Delivers 229.8% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 81.4 vs 24.7 PassMark/$ ($160 MSRP vs $434 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 15 MB).

Core i7-6800K

2016

Why buy it

✅+25% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 12 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-10400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (10,715 vs 13,029).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 24.7 vs 81.4 PassMark/$ ($434 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).
❌115.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Core i7-6800K

2016

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +30.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $274 less on MSRP ($160 MSRP vs $434 MSRP).
✅Delivers 229.8% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 81.4 vs 24.7 PassMark/$ ($160 MSRP vs $434 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅+25% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 12 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 15 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-10400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (10,715 vs 13,029).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 24.7 vs 81.4 PassMark/$ ($434 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).
❌115.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-10400F better than Core i7-6800K?

Yes. Core i5-10400F is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 30.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 21.6% 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 i5-10400F is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 30.2% 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 i5-10400F is the better fit. You are getting 21.6% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Core i5-10400F is the smarter buy today. Core i5-10400F is $274 cheaper on MSRP at $160 MSRP versus $434 MSRP, and it gives you a 30.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 229.8% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 24.7 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

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

Core i5-10400F is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2016) and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 6/12. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

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 i7-6800K Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-6800K
1080p
low	192 FPS	174 FPS
medium	152 FPS	138 FPS
high	123 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	90 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	144 FPS
medium	119 FPS	113 FPS
high	97 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	66 FPS
medium	70 FPS	55 FPS
high	55 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	35 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i7-6800K

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-6800K
1080p
low	326 FPS	242 FPS
medium	318 FPS	207 FPS
high	290 FPS	185 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	146 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	215 FPS
medium	292 FPS	186 FPS
high	267 FPS	166 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	135 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	171 FPS
medium	258 FPS	151 FPS
high	235 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	103 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i7-6800K

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-6800K
1080p
low	326 FPS	268 FPS
medium	326 FPS	268 FPS
high	326 FPS	268 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	268 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	268 FPS
medium	326 FPS	268 FPS
high	326 FPS	268 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	268 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	268 FPS
medium	326 FPS	268 FPS
high	289 FPS	268 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	229 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i7-6800K

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-6800K
1080p
low	326 FPS	268 FPS
medium	326 FPS	268 FPS
high	326 FPS	268 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	268 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	268 FPS
medium	326 FPS	268 FPS
high	326 FPS	268 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	268 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	268 FPS
medium	326 FPS	268 FPS
high	326 FPS	268 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	268 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i7-6800K

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Core i7-6800K

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 i7-6800K

The Core i7-6800K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 31 May 2016 (9 years ago). It is based on the Broadwell-E (2016) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 15 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 10,715 points. Launch price was $345.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i5-10400F and Core i7-6800K share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 3.8 GHz on the Core i7-6800K — a 12.3% clock advantage for the Core i5-10400F (base: 2.9 GHz vs 3.4 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i7-6800K uses Broadwell-E (2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Core i7-6800K's 10,715 — a 19.5% lead for the Core i5-10400F. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 15 MB (total) on the Core i7-6800K.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-6800K
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz+13%	3.8 GHz
Base Clock	2.9 GHz	3.4 GHz+17%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	15 MB (total)+25%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Broadwell-E (2016)
PassMark	13,029+22%	10,715
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 i7-6800K uses LGA2011 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-6800K
Socket	LGA1200	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
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 i7-6800K). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-6800K
Integrated GPU	No	—
Unlocked	No	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	—
Target Use	Gaming	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-10400F launched at $160 MSRP, while the Core i7-6800K debuted at $434. On MSRP ($160 vs $434), the Core i5-10400F is $274 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-10400F delivers 81.4 pts/$ vs 24.7 pts/$ for the Core i7-6800K — making the Core i5-10400F the 106.9% better value option.