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

✅Costs $25 less on MSRP ($160 MSRP vs $185 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 105W, a 40W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 5500X3D.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5500X3D across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 20,231).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 81.4 vs 109.4 PassMark/$ ($160 MSRP vs $185 MSRP).

Ryzen 5 5500X3D

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +18.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Delivers 34.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 109.4 vs 81.4 PassMark/$ ($185 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌
15.6% HIGHER MSRP
$185 MSRPvs$160 MSRP
❌61.5% higher power demand at 105W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Ryzen 5 5500X3D

2025

Why buy it

✅Costs $25 less on MSRP ($160 MSRP vs $185 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 105W, a 40W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 5500X3D.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +18.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Delivers 34.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 109.4 vs 81.4 PassMark/$ ($185 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5500X3D across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 20,231).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 81.4 vs 109.4 PassMark/$ ($160 MSRP vs $185 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌
15.6% HIGHER MSRP
$185 MSRPvs$160 MSRP
❌61.5% higher power demand at 105W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5500X3D better than Core i5-10400F?

Yes. Ryzen 5 5500X3D is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 18.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 55.3% 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, Ryzen 5 5500X3D is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 18.3% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests. It also has a big cache advantage at 96 MB vs 12 MB.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 5500X3D is the better fit. You are getting 55.3% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 700% larger total L3 cache (96 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Ryzen 5 5500X3D is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 5500X3D is 15.6% more expensive on MSRP at $185 MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 18.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 34.3% better value on MSRP (109.4 vs 81.4 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper. That said, if you already own a compatible LGA1200 + DDR4 setup, Core i5-10400F can still make sense as a platform-matched option because it avoids a motherboard and RAM swap.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Ryzen 5 5500X3D is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2020), 3D V-Cache and a much larger 96 MB L3 cache instead of 12 MB, and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 6/12. That extra cache should hold up really well in CPU-limited games and high-refresh builds.

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 5500X3D Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5500X3D
1080p
low	192 FPS	159 FPS
medium	152 FPS	129 FPS
high	123 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	89 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	144 FPS
medium	119 FPS	116 FPS
high	97 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	75 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	68 FPS
medium	70 FPS	58 FPS
high	55 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	37 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 5500X3D

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5500X3D
1080p
low	326 FPS	377 FPS
medium	318 FPS	328 FPS
high	290 FPS	255 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	197 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	314 FPS
medium	292 FPS	274 FPS
high	267 FPS	221 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	171 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	213 FPS
medium	258 FPS	192 FPS
high	235 FPS	161 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	126 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 5500X3D

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5500X3D
1080p
low	326 FPS	506 FPS
medium	326 FPS	500 FPS
high	326 FPS	460 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	397 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	506 FPS
medium	326 FPS	415 FPS
high	326 FPS	377 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	325 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	353 FPS
medium	326 FPS	285 FPS
high	289 FPS	244 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	191 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 5500X3D

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5500X3D
1080p
low	326 FPS	506 FPS
medium	326 FPS	506 FPS
high	326 FPS	506 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	506 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	506 FPS
medium	326 FPS	506 FPS
high	326 FPS	506 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	446 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	488 FPS
medium	326 FPS	440 FPS
high	326 FPS	385 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	330 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 5500X3D

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Ryzen 5 5500X3D

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 5500X3D

The Ryzen 5 5500X3D is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 June 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 96 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 20,231 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i5-10400F and Ryzen 5 5500X3D share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5500X3D — a 7.2% clock advantage for the Core i5-10400F (base: 2.9 GHz vs 3 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 5500X3D uses Vermeer (2020−2025) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Ryzen 5 5500X3D's 20,231 — a 43.3% lead for the Ryzen 5 5500X3D. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 96 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 5500X3D.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5500X3D
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz+7%	4 GHz
Base Clock	2.9 GHz	3 GHz+3%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	96 MB (total)+700%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512 kB (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Vermeer (2020−2025)
PassMark	13,029	20,231+55%
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 Ryzen 5 5500X3D uses AM4 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5500X3D
Socket	LGA1200	AM4
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 (Ryzen 5 5500X3D). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5500X3D
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 Ryzen 5 5500X3D debuted at $185. On MSRP ($160 vs $185), the Core i5-10400F is $25 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-10400F delivers 81.4 pts/$ vs 109.4 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 5500X3D — making the Ryzen 5 5500X3D the 29.3% better value option.