Core i5-10400F vs Core i9-10980HK

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 i9-10980HK.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-10980HK across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 17,037).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Core i9-10980HK mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.

Core i9-10980HK

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +29.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

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

Core i5-10400F

2020

Core i9-10980HK

2020

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i9-10980HK.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +29.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-10980HK across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 17,037).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Core i9-10980HK mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is Core i9-10980HK better than Core i5-10400F?

Yes. Core i9-10980HK is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 29.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 30.8% 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 i9-10980HK is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 29.2% 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 i9-10980HK is the better fit. You are getting 30.8% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Core i9-10980HK is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-10400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Core i9-10980HK is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 29.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-10400F is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 i9-10980HK is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB) and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 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 i9-10980HK Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-10980HK
1080p
low	192 FPS	267 FPS
medium	152 FPS	239 FPS
high	123 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	173 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	229 FPS
medium	119 FPS	185 FPS
high	97 FPS	151 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	133 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	160 FPS
medium	70 FPS	130 FPS
high	55 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	88 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i9-10980HK

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-10980HK
1080p
low	326 FPS	426 FPS
medium	318 FPS	359 FPS
high	290 FPS	312 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	273 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	402 FPS
medium	292 FPS	335 FPS
high	267 FPS	288 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	243 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	268 FPS
medium	258 FPS	232 FPS
high	235 FPS	219 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	184 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i9-10980HK

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-10980HK
1080p
low	326 FPS	426 FPS
medium	326 FPS	426 FPS
high	326 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	426 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	426 FPS
medium	326 FPS	426 FPS
high	326 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	426 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	426 FPS
medium	326 FPS	426 FPS
high	289 FPS	393 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	329 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i9-10980HK

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-10980HK
1080p
low	326 FPS	426 FPS
medium	326 FPS	426 FPS
high	326 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	426 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	426 FPS
medium	326 FPS	426 FPS
high	326 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	426 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	426 FPS
medium	326 FPS	426 FPS
high	326 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	426 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i9-10980HK

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Core i9-10980HK

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 i9-10980HK

The Core i9-10980HK is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Comet Lake-H (2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 17,037 points. Launch price was $583.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core i9-10980HK offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core i9-10980HK has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 5.1 GHz on the Core i9-10980HK — a 17% clock advantage for the Core i9-10980HK (base: 2.9 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i9-10980HK uses Comet Lake-H (2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Core i9-10980HK's 17,037 — a 26.7% lead for the Core i9-10980HK. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 16 MB (total) on the Core i9-10980HK.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-10980HK
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz	5.1 GHz+19%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz+21%	2.4 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	16 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Comet Lake-H (2020)
PassMark	13,029	17,037+31%
Cinebench R23 Multi	8,191	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,454	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	5,783	—

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Memory & Platform

The Core i5-10400F uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i9-10980HK uses BGA1440 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-10980HK
Socket	LGA1200	BGA1440
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	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-10400F) / not specified (Core i9-10980HK). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.