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 i9-11900H.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-11900H across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 20,009).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 24 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Core i9-11900H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Core i9-11900H

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +25.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (24 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

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

Core i5-10400F

2020

Core i9-11900H

2021

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i9-11900H.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +25.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (24 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-11900H across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 20,009).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 24 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Core i9-11900H 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 i9-11900H better than Core i5-10400F?

Yes. Core i9-11900H is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 25.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 53.6% 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 i9-11900H is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 25.4% 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 i9-11900H is the better fit. You are getting 53.6% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (24 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Core i9-11900H is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-10400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Core i9-11900H is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 25.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-10400F is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 i9-11900H is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2020), 100% larger total L3 cache (24 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 i9-11900H Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-11900H
1080p
low	192 FPS	247 FPS
medium	152 FPS	230 FPS
high	123 FPS	193 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	166 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	220 FPS
medium	119 FPS	185 FPS
high	97 FPS	150 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	133 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	154 FPS
medium	70 FPS	131 FPS
high	55 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	89 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i9-11900H

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-11900H
1080p
low	326 FPS	314 FPS
medium	318 FPS	267 FPS
high	290 FPS	226 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	206 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	259 FPS
medium	292 FPS	230 FPS
high	267 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	174 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	160 FPS
medium	258 FPS	144 FPS
high	235 FPS	136 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	121 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i9-11900H

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-11900H
1080p
low	326 FPS	500 FPS
medium	326 FPS	500 FPS
high	326 FPS	488 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	388 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	500 FPS
medium	326 FPS	500 FPS
high	326 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	345 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	428 FPS
medium	326 FPS	368 FPS
high	289 FPS	324 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	259 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i9-11900H

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-11900H
1080p
low	326 FPS	500 FPS
medium	326 FPS	500 FPS
high	326 FPS	500 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	500 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	500 FPS
medium	326 FPS	500 FPS
high	326 FPS	500 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	476 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	500 FPS
medium	326 FPS	458 FPS
high	326 FPS	405 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	348 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i9-11900H

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Core i9-11900H

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 i9-11900H

The Core i9-11900H is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 11 May 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Tiger Lake-H (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 24 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm SuperFin process technology. Socket: FCBGA1787. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 20,009 points. Launch price was $546.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core i9-11900H offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core i9-11900H has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 4.9 GHz on the Core i9-11900H — a 13% clock advantage for the Core i9-11900H (base: 2.9 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i9-11900H uses Tiger Lake-H (2021) (10 nm SuperFin). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Core i9-11900H's 20,009 — a 42.3% lead for the Core i9-11900H. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 24 MB (total) on the Core i9-11900H.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-11900H
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz	4.9 GHz+14%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz+38%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	24 MB (total)+100%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)+400%
Process	14 nm	10 nm SuperFin-29%
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Tiger Lake-H (2021)
PassMark	13,029	20,009+54%
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 i9-11900H uses FCBGA1787 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-11900H
Socket	LGA1200	FCBGA1787
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
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 i9-11900H). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.