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 5600H.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600H across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (8,191 vs 10,126).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 5600H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.

Ryzen 5 5600H

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +15.9% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (7-core), while Core i5-10400F needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

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

Core i5-10400F

2020

Ryzen 5 5600H

2021

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +15.9% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (7-core), while Core i5-10400F needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600H across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (8,191 vs 10,126).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 5600H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

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

Yes. Ryzen 5 5600H is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 15.9% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data, 23.6% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, 26.9% higher 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 5600H is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 15.9% more average FPS across 3 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 5600H is the better fit. You are getting 23.6% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Ryzen 5 5600H is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-10400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 5 5600H is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 15.9% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-10400F is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

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

Ryzen 5 5600H is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2020), 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 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 5600H Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5600H
1080p
low	192 FPS	181 FPS
medium	152 FPS	143 FPS
high	123 FPS	116 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	147 FPS
medium	119 FPS	115 FPS
high	97 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	73 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	68 FPS
medium	70 FPS	56 FPS
high	55 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	36 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 5600H

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5600H
1080p
low	326 FPS	341 FPS
medium	318 FPS	290 FPS
high	290 FPS	256 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	223 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	304 FPS
medium	292 FPS	264 FPS
high	267 FPS	236 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	204 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	241 FPS
medium	258 FPS	212 FPS
high	235 FPS	193 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	166 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 5600H

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5600H
1080p
low	326 FPS	413 FPS
medium	326 FPS	413 FPS
high	326 FPS	413 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	413 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	413 FPS
medium	326 FPS	413 FPS
high	326 FPS	413 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	371 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	413 FPS
medium	326 FPS	328 FPS
high	289 FPS	279 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	220 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 5600H

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5600H
1080p
low	326 FPS	413 FPS
medium	326 FPS	413 FPS
high	326 FPS	413 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	413 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	413 FPS
medium	326 FPS	413 FPS
high	326 FPS	413 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	413 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	413 FPS
medium	326 FPS	413 FPS
high	326 FPS	399 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	347 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 5600H

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

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

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 5600H

The Ryzen 5 5600H is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne-H (Zen 3) (2021) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB. L2 cache: 3 MB. Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 3 MB + 16 MB. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 16,533 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i5-10400F and Ryzen 5 5600H share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600H — a 2.4% clock advantage for the Core i5-10400F (base: 2.9 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 5600H uses Cezanne-H (Zen 3) (2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Ryzen 5 5600H's 16,533 — a 23.7% lead for the Ryzen 5 5600H. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 8,191 vs 10,126 (21.1% advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600H). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,454 vs 1,764, a 19.3% lead for the Ryzen 5 5600H that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 5,783 vs 7,678 (28.2% advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600H). L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 16 MB on the Ryzen 5 5600H.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5600H
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz+2%	4.2 GHz
Base Clock	2.9 GHz	3.3 GHz+14%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	16 MB+33%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	3 MB+1100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Cezanne-H (Zen 3) (2021)
PassMark	13,029	16,533+27%
Cinebench R23 Multi	8,191	10,126+24%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,454	1,764+21%
Geekbench 6 Multi	5,783	7,678+33%

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Memory & Platform

The Core i5-10400F uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 5 5600H uses FP6 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2666 memory speed. The Core i5-10400F supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 16 PCIe lanes.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 5600H
Socket	LGA1200	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR4-3200, LPDDR4x-4266
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+100%	64 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	16	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-10400F) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600H). The Ryzen 5 5600H includes integrated graphics (Radeon Graphics (7-core)), while the Core i5-10400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming, Ryzen 5 5600H targets Gaming Laptops. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600; Ryzen 5 5600H rivals Core i5-11400H.