Core i5-10400F vs Core Ultra 5 134U

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: +13.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core Ultra 5 134U.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 13,169).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Core Ultra 5 134U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Core Ultra 5 134U moves to FCBGA2551 and DDR5.

Core Ultra 5 134U

2023

Why buy it

✅+1.1% higher PassMark.
✅Newer platform on FCBGA2551 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-10400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Core Ultra 5 134U

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +13.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core Ultra 5 134U.

Why buy it

✅+1.1% higher PassMark.
✅Newer platform on FCBGA2551 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 13,169).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Core Ultra 5 134U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Core Ultra 5 134U moves to FCBGA2551 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-10400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-10400F better than Core Ultra 5 134U?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i5-10400F is ahead with a 13.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core Ultra 5 134U pulls ahead with 1.1% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core Ultra 5 134U is the better fit. You are getting 1.1% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 14 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 $160 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 13.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Core Ultra 5 134U is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 1.1% better PassMark. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 Ultra 5 134U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2020), a healthier platform with FCBGA2551 and DDR5 instead of LGA1200, and more multi-core headroom with 12 cores / 14 threads instead of 6/12. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

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 Ultra 5 134U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core Ultra 5 134U
1080p
low	192 FPS	181 FPS
medium	152 FPS	146 FPS
high	123 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	98 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	147 FPS
medium	119 FPS	117 FPS
high	97 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	78 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	82 FPS
medium	70 FPS	71 FPS
high	55 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	44 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core Ultra 5 134U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core Ultra 5 134U
1080p
low	326 FPS	198 FPS
medium	318 FPS	164 FPS
high	290 FPS	150 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	131 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	174 FPS
medium	292 FPS	148 FPS
high	267 FPS	138 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	119 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	141 FPS
medium	258 FPS	124 FPS
high	235 FPS	117 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	101 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core Ultra 5 134U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core Ultra 5 134U
1080p
low	326 FPS	329 FPS
medium	326 FPS	329 FPS
high	326 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	329 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	329 FPS
medium	326 FPS	329 FPS
high	326 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	329 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	329 FPS
medium	326 FPS	329 FPS
high	289 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	265 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core Ultra 5 134U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Core Ultra 5 134U
1080p
low	326 FPS	329 FPS
medium	326 FPS	329 FPS
high	326 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	329 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	329 FPS
medium	326 FPS	329 FPS
high	326 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	329 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	329 FPS
medium	326 FPS	329 FPS
high	326 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	329 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Core Ultra 5 134U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Core Ultra 5 134U

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 Ultra 5 134U

The Core Ultra 5 134U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 14 December 2023 (1 year ago). It is based on the Meteor Lake-U (2023) architecture. It features 12 cores and 14 threads. Base frequency is 0.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA2551. Thermal design power (TDP): + 12 MB. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 13,169 points. Launch price was $332.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core Ultra 5 134U offers 12 cores / 14 threads — the Core Ultra 5 134U has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 4.4 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 134U — a 2.3% clock advantage for the Core Ultra 5 134U (base: 2.9 GHz vs 0.7 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Core Ultra 5 134U uses Meteor Lake-U (2023) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Core Ultra 5 134U's 13,169 — a 1.1% lead for the Core Ultra 5 134U. Both processors carry 12 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core Ultra 5 134U
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	12 / 14+100%
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz	4.4 GHz+2%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz+314%	0.7 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	12 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	2 MB (per core)+700%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Meteor Lake-U (2023)
PassMark	13,029	13,169+1%
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 Ultra 5 134U uses FCBGA2551 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Core Ultra 5 134U
Socket	LGA1200	FCBGA2551
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
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 Ultra 5 134U). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.