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: +25.5% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 9 MB).
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i7-9850HE.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (5,783 vs 5,990).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Core i7-9850HE mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9850HE can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9850HE

2019

Why buy it

✅+3.6% higher Geekbench multi-core.
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Intel UHD Graphics 630, while Core i5-10400F needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-10400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (9 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Core i7-9850HE

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +25.5% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 9 MB).
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i7-9850HE.

Why buy it

✅+3.6% higher Geekbench multi-core.
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Intel UHD Graphics 630, while Core i5-10400F needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (5,783 vs 5,990).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Core i7-9850HE mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9850HE can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-10400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (9 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-10400F better than Core i7-9850HE?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i5-10400F is ahead with a 25.5% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-9850HE pulls ahead with 3.6% better Geekbench multi-core. Core i5-10400F also has the bigger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 9 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-9850HE is the better fit. You are getting 3.6% better Geekbench multi-core, 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 at an unclear MSRP at $160 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 25.5% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Core i7-9850HE is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 3.6% better Geekbench multi-core. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 2019) and 33.3% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 9 MB). 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 i7-9850HE Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-9850HE
1080p
low	192 FPS	176 FPS
medium	152 FPS	144 FPS
high	123 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	96 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	149 FPS
medium	119 FPS	121 FPS
high	97 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	80 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	81 FPS
medium	70 FPS	71 FPS
high	55 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	44 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i7-9850HE

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-9850HE
1080p
low	326 FPS	249 FPS
medium	318 FPS	249 FPS
high	290 FPS	241 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	207 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	249 FPS
medium	292 FPS	239 FPS
high	267 FPS	219 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	189 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	244 FPS
medium	258 FPS	211 FPS
high	235 FPS	192 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	160 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i7-9850HE

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-9850HE
1080p
low	326 FPS	249 FPS
medium	326 FPS	249 FPS
high	326 FPS	249 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	249 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	249 FPS
medium	326 FPS	249 FPS
high	326 FPS	249 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	249 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	249 FPS
medium	326 FPS	249 FPS
high	289 FPS	249 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	249 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i7-9850HE

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-9850HE
1080p
low	326 FPS	249 FPS
medium	326 FPS	249 FPS
high	326 FPS	249 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	249 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	249 FPS
medium	326 FPS	249 FPS
high	326 FPS	249 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	249 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	249 FPS
medium	326 FPS	249 FPS
high	326 FPS	249 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	249 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i7-9850HE

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Core i7-9850HE

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 i7-9850HE

The Core i7-9850HE is manufactured by Intel. It was released in Junho 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-HR (2019) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 9 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 9,972 points. Launch price was $149.

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Processing Power

Both the Core i5-10400F and Core i7-9850HE share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 4.4 GHz on the Core i7-9850HE — a 2.3% clock advantage for the Core i7-9850HE (base: 2.9 GHz vs 2.7 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i7-9850HE uses Coffee Lake-HR (2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Core i7-9850HE's 9,972 — a 26.6% lead for the Core i5-10400F. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,454 vs 1,329, a 9% lead for the Core i5-10400F that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 5,783 vs 5,990 (3.5% advantage for the Core i7-9850HE). L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 9 MB (total) on the Core i7-9850HE.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-9850HE
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz	4.4 GHz+2%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz+7%	2.7 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+33%	9 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256K (per core)
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Coffee Lake-HR (2019)
PassMark	13,029+31%	9,972
Cinebench R23 Multi	8,191	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,454+9%	1,329
Geekbench 6 Multi	5,783	5,990+4%

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Memory & Platform

The Core i5-10400F uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i7-9850HE uses BGA1440 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i5-10400F versus DDR4 2666 MHz on the Core i7-9850HE — the Core i7-9850HE supports 200% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i5-10400F supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 16 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: H410,B460,H470,Z490,H510,B560,H570,Z590 (Core i5-10400F) and Intel QM370,Intel HM370 (Core i7-9850HE).

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i7-9850HE
Socket	LGA1200	BGA1440
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR4 2666 MHz
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+100%	64 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	16	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-10400F) vs true (Core i7-9850HE). The Core i7-9850HE includes integrated graphics (Intel UHD Graphics 630), while the Core i5-10400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming, Core i7-9850HE targets Embedded. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.