Core i5-10400F vs Ryzen 3 5400U

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: +27.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 3 5400U.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Ryzen 3 5400U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.

Ryzen 3 5400U

2021

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-10400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (11,002 vs 13,029).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Ryzen 3 5400U

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +27.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 3 5400U.

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Ryzen 3 5400U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-10400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (11,002 vs 13,029).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-10400F better than Ryzen 3 5400U?

Yes. Core i5-10400F is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 27.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data and 18.4% better PassMark, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core i5-10400F is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 27.2% 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 i5-10400F is the better fit. You are getting 18.4% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 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 at an unclear MSRP at $160 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 27.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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?

Ryzen 3 5400U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2020). 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

Ryzen 3 5400U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 3 5400U
1080p
low	192 FPS	170 FPS
medium	152 FPS	145 FPS
high	123 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	92 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	144 FPS
medium	119 FPS	122 FPS
high	97 FPS	95 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	68 FPS
medium	70 FPS	61 FPS
high	55 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	38 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 3 5400U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 3 5400U
1080p
low	326 FPS	244 FPS
medium	318 FPS	208 FPS
high	290 FPS	189 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	148 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	206 FPS
medium	292 FPS	178 FPS
high	267 FPS	163 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	133 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	159 FPS
medium	258 FPS	143 FPS
high	235 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	91 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 3 5400U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 3 5400U
1080p
low	326 FPS	275 FPS
medium	326 FPS	275 FPS
high	326 FPS	275 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	275 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	275 FPS
medium	326 FPS	275 FPS
high	326 FPS	275 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	275 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	275 FPS
medium	326 FPS	275 FPS
high	289 FPS	256 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	204 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 3 5400U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 3 5400U
1080p
low	326 FPS	275 FPS
medium	326 FPS	275 FPS
high	326 FPS	275 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	275 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	275 FPS
medium	326 FPS	275 FPS
high	326 FPS	275 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	275 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	275 FPS
medium	326 FPS	275 FPS
high	326 FPS	275 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	275 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 3 5400U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Ryzen 3 5400U

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.

Ryzen 3 5400U

The Ryzen 3 5400U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne-U (Zen 3) (2021) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 11,002 points. Launch price was $149.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 3 5400U offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i5-10400F has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 4 GHz on the Ryzen 3 5400U — a 7.2% clock advantage for the Core i5-10400F (base: 2.9 GHz vs 2.6 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 3 5400U uses Cezanne-U (Zen 3) (2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Ryzen 3 5400U's 11,002 — a 16.9% lead for the Core i5-10400F. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 3 5400U.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 3 5400U
Cores / Threads	6 / 12+50%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz+7%	4 GHz
Base Clock	2.9 GHz+12%	2.6 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+50%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512K (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Cezanne-U (Zen 3) (2021)
PassMark	13,029+18%	11,002
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 Ryzen 3 5400U uses FP6 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 3 5400U
Socket	LGA1200	FP6
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	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-10400F) / not specified (Ryzen 3 5400U). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.