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

✅Costs $439 less on MSRP ($160 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
✅Delivers 184.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 81.4 vs 28.7 PassMark/$ ($160 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i7-7820X.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-7820X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 17,171).

Core i7-7820X

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.6% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 28.7 vs 81.4 PassMark/$ ($599 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 i7-7820X

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $439 less on MSRP ($160 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
✅Delivers 184.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 81.4 vs 28.7 PassMark/$ ($160 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i7-7820X.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.6% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-7820X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 17,171).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 28.7 vs 81.4 PassMark/$ ($599 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 i7-7820X better than Core i5-10400F?

Yes. Core i7-7820X is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 20.6% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data and 31.8% better PassMark, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core i7-7820X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 20.6% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-7820X is the better fit. You are getting 31.8% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Core i7-7820X is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-10400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Core i7-7820X is 274.4% more expensive on MSRP at $599 MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 20.6% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-10400F is also 184.1% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 28.7 PassMark/$), 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.

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 2017). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

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 i7-7820X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-7820X
1080p
low	192 FPS	208 FPS
medium	152 FPS	165 FPS
high	123 FPS	132 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	174 FPS
medium	119 FPS	136 FPS
high	97 FPS	109 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	83 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	88 FPS
medium	70 FPS	74 FPS
high	55 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	45 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i7-7820X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-7820X
1080p
low	326 FPS	368 FPS
medium	318 FPS	297 FPS
high	290 FPS	265 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	233 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	327 FPS
medium	292 FPS	270 FPS
high	267 FPS	242 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	209 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	257 FPS
medium	258 FPS	216 FPS
high	235 FPS	199 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	170 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i7-7820X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-7820X
1080p
low	326 FPS	429 FPS
medium	326 FPS	429 FPS
high	326 FPS	429 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	429 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	429 FPS
medium	326 FPS	429 FPS
high	326 FPS	429 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	429 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	429 FPS
medium	326 FPS	405 FPS
high	289 FPS	364 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	292 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i7-7820X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-7820X
1080p
low	326 FPS	429 FPS
medium	326 FPS	429 FPS
high	326 FPS	429 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	429 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	429 FPS
medium	326 FPS	429 FPS
high	326 FPS	429 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	429 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	429 FPS
medium	326 FPS	429 FPS
high	326 FPS	429 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	429 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i7-7820X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Core i7-7820X

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 i7-7820X

The Core i7-7820X is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 26 June 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 11 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2066. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 17,171 points. Launch price was $599.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core i7-7820X offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core i7-7820X has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 4.5 GHz on the Core i7-7820X — a 4.5% clock advantage for the Core i7-7820X (base: 2.9 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i7-7820X uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Core i7-7820X's 17,171 — a 27.4% lead for the Core i7-7820X. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 11 MB (total) on the Core i7-7820X.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-7820X
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz	4.5 GHz+5%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz	3.6 GHz+24%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+9%	11 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	13,029	17,171+32%
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 i7-7820X uses LGA2066 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-7820X
Socket	LGA1200	LGA2066
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 i7-7820X). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-7820X
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 i7-7820X debuted at $599. On MSRP ($160 vs $599), the Core i5-10400F is $439 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-10400F delivers 81.4 pts/$ vs 28.7 pts/$ for the Core i7-7820X — making the Core i5-10400F the 95.9% better value option.