Core i5-10400F vs Ryzen 5 3450U

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: +109.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+200% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 4 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 3450U.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 3450U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌3150% higher power demand at 65W vs 2W.

Ryzen 5 3450U

2020

Why buy it

✅Draws 2W instead of 65W, a 63W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-10400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (6,550 vs 13,029).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Ryzen 5 3450U

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +109.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+200% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 4 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 3450U.

Why buy it

✅Draws 2W instead of 65W, a 63W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 3450U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌3150% higher power demand at 65W vs 2W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-10400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (6,550 vs 13,029).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-10400F better than Ryzen 5 3450U?

Yes. Core i5-10400F is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 109.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 98.9% 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 i5-10400F is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 109.4% 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 i5-10400F is the better fit. You are getting 98.9% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 200% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 4 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 $160 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 109.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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?

Core i5-10400F is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 200% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 4 MB) and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 4/8. 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

Ryzen 5 3450U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 3450U
1080p
low	192 FPS	164 FPS
medium	152 FPS	139 FPS
high	123 FPS	109 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	86 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	142 FPS
medium	119 FPS	112 FPS
high	97 FPS	87 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	69 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	68 FPS
medium	70 FPS	57 FPS
high	55 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	35 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 3450U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 3450U
1080p
low	326 FPS	106 FPS
medium	318 FPS	92 FPS
high	290 FPS	85 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	66 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	92 FPS
medium	292 FPS	80 FPS
high	267 FPS	74 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	60 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	69 FPS
medium	258 FPS	62 FPS
high	235 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	37 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 3450U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 3450U
1080p
low	326 FPS	164 FPS
medium	326 FPS	164 FPS
high	326 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	164 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	164 FPS
medium	326 FPS	164 FPS
high	326 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	164 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	164 FPS
medium	326 FPS	164 FPS
high	289 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	164 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 3450U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 3450U
1080p
low	326 FPS	164 FPS
medium	326 FPS	164 FPS
high	326 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	164 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	164 FPS
medium	326 FPS	164 FPS
high	326 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	164 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	164 FPS
medium	326 FPS	164 FPS
high	326 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	164 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 3450U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Ryzen 5 3450U

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 5 3450U

The Ryzen 5 3450U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 1 May 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Picasso-U (Zen+) (2019−2020) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 12 nm process technology. Socket: FP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 MB + 4 MB. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 6,550 points. Launch price was $149.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 5 3450U 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 3.5 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3450U — a 20.5% clock advantage for the Core i5-10400F (base: 2.9 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 3450U uses Picasso-U (Zen+) (2019−2020) (12 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Ryzen 5 3450U's 6,550 — a 66.2% lead for the Core i5-10400F. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 4 MB on the Ryzen 5 3450U.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 3450U
Cores / Threads	6 / 12+50%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz+23%	3.5 GHz
Base Clock	2.9 GHz+38%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+200%	4 MB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	2 MB+700%
Process	14 nm	12 nm-14%
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Picasso-U (Zen+) (2019−2020)
PassMark	13,029+99%	6,550
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 5 3450U uses FP5 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 3450U
Socket	LGA1200	FP5
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 (Ryzen 5 3450U). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.