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

✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 5600F.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600F across 6 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 20,225).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 81.4 vs 204.3 PassMark/$ ($160 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).

Ryzen 5 5600F

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.7% higher average FPS across 6 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+166.7% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Costs $61 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).
✅Delivers 150.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 204.3 vs 81.4 PassMark/$ ($99 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).
✅50% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Ryzen 5 5600F

2025

Why buy it

✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 5600F.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.7% higher average FPS across 6 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+166.7% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Costs $61 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).
✅Delivers 150.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 204.3 vs 81.4 PassMark/$ ($99 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).
✅50% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600F across 6 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 20,225).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 81.4 vs 204.3 PassMark/$ ($160 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5600F better than Core i5-10400F?

Yes. Ryzen 5 5600F is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 11.7% average FPS lead across 6 shared CPU game tests in our data, 55.2% 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 5600F is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 11.7% more average FPS across 6 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 5600F is the better fit. You are getting 55.2% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 166.7% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Ryzen 5 5600F is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 5600F is $61 cheaper on MSRP at $99 MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 11.7% average FPS lead across 6 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 150.9% better value on MSRP (204.3 vs 81.4 PassMark/$), 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, but on MSRP alone you would want to find it meaningfully cheaper in real-world listings before that path becomes easy to justify.

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

Ryzen 5 5600F is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2020), 166.7% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 12 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 6/12. 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 5600F Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5600F
1080p
low	192 FPS	157 FPS
medium	152 FPS	127 FPS
high	123 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	137 FPS
medium	119 FPS	110 FPS
high	97 FPS	89 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	71 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	65 FPS
medium	70 FPS	55 FPS
high	55 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	35 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 5600F

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5600F
1080p
low	326 FPS	323 FPS
medium	318 FPS	279 FPS
high	290 FPS	221 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	177 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	277 FPS
medium	292 FPS	242 FPS
high	267 FPS	198 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	160 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	195 FPS
medium	258 FPS	174 FPS
high	235 FPS	148 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	116 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 5600F

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5600F
1080p
low	326 FPS	506 FPS
medium	326 FPS	493 FPS
high	326 FPS	451 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	388 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	506 FPS
medium	326 FPS	412 FPS
high	326 FPS	374 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	322 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	357 FPS
medium	326 FPS	289 FPS
high	289 FPS	247 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	192 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 5600F

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5600F
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	503 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	430 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	452 FPS
medium	326 FPS	406 FPS
high	326 FPS	362 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	309 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 5600F

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Ryzen 5 5600F

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 5600F

The Ryzen 5 5600F is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 16 September 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: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 20,225 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i5-10400F and Ryzen 5 5600F 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 5600F — 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 5600F uses Vermeer (2020−2025) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Ryzen 5 5600F's 20,225 — a 43.3% lead for the Ryzen 5 5600F. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 5600F.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5600F
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)	32 MB (total)+167%
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	20,225+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 5600F uses AM4 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2666 memory speed. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i5-10400F) vs 24 (Ryzen 5 5600F) — the Ryzen 5 5600F offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5600F
Socket	LGA1200	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	16	24+50%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 5 5600F has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-10400F) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600F). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming, Ryzen 5 5600F targets Desktop. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5600F
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V
Target Use	Gaming	Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-10400F launched at $160 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 5600F debuted at $99. On MSRP ($160 vs $99), the Ryzen 5 5600F is $61 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-10400F delivers 81.4 pts/$ vs 204.3 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 5600F — making the Ryzen 5 5600F the 86% better value option.