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: +10.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $263 less on MSRP ($160 MSRP vs $423 MSRP).
✅Delivers 160.8% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 81.4 vs 31.2 PassMark/$ ($160 MSRP vs $423 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i9-9900T.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 13,208).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Core i9-9900T

2019

Why buy it

✅+1.4% higher PassMark.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-10400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 31.2 vs 81.4 PassMark/$ ($423 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Core i9-9900T

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $263 less on MSRP ($160 MSRP vs $423 MSRP).
✅Delivers 160.8% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 81.4 vs 31.2 PassMark/$ ($160 MSRP vs $423 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i9-9900T.

Why buy it

✅+1.4% higher PassMark.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 13,208).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-10400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 31.2 vs 81.4 PassMark/$ ($423 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-10400F better than Core i9-9900T?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i5-10400F is ahead with a 10.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i9-9900T pulls ahead with 1.4% better PassMark. Core i9-9900T also has the bigger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i9-9900T is the better fit. You are getting 1.4% 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 i5-10400F is the smarter buy today. Core i5-10400F is $263 cheaper on MSRP at $160 MSRP versus $423 MSRP, and it gives you a 10.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Core i9-9900T is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 1.4% better PassMark. It is also 160.8% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 31.2 PassMark/$), 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). 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 i9-9900T Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-9900T
1080p
low	192 FPS	173 FPS
medium	152 FPS	150 FPS
high	123 FPS	121 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	102 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	147 FPS
medium	119 FPS	125 FPS
high	97 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	85 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	83 FPS
medium	70 FPS	76 FPS
high	55 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	47 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i9-9900T

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-9900T
1080p
low	326 FPS	207 FPS
medium	318 FPS	176 FPS
high	290 FPS	161 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	144 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	185 FPS
medium	292 FPS	163 FPS
high	267 FPS	148 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	128 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	134 FPS
medium	258 FPS	120 FPS
high	235 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	99 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i9-9900T

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-9900T
1080p
low	326 FPS	330 FPS
medium	326 FPS	330 FPS
high	326 FPS	330 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	330 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	330 FPS
medium	326 FPS	330 FPS
high	326 FPS	330 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	330 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	330 FPS
medium	326 FPS	327 FPS
high	289 FPS	286 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	226 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i9-9900T

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-9900T
1080p
low	326 FPS	330 FPS
medium	326 FPS	330 FPS
high	326 FPS	330 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	330 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	330 FPS
medium	326 FPS	330 FPS
high	326 FPS	330 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	330 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	330 FPS
medium	326 FPS	330 FPS
high	326 FPS	330 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	318 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core i9-9900T

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Core i9-9900T

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 i9-9900T

The Core i9-9900T is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 23 April 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 13,208 points. Launch price was $439.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core i9-9900T offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core i9-9900T has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 4.4 GHz on the Core i9-9900T — a 2.3% clock advantage for the Core i9-9900T (base: 2.9 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i9-9900T uses Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Core i9-9900T's 13,208 — a 1.4% lead for the Core i9-9900T. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 16 MB (total) on the Core i9-9900T.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-9900T
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz	4.4 GHz+2%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz+38%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	16 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256K (per core)
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)
PassMark	13,029	13,208+1%
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 i9-9900T uses LGA1151 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-9900T
Socket	LGA1200	LGA1151
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 i9-9900T). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core i9-9900T
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 i9-9900T debuted at $423. On MSRP ($160 vs $423), the Core i5-10400F is $263 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-10400F delivers 81.4 pts/$ vs 31.2 pts/$ for the Core i9-9900T — making the Core i5-10400F the 89.1% better value option.