Core i5-10400F vs Ryzen 5 7540U

CPU

GPU

Core i5-10400F

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.3 GHz2020

Popular choices:

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Ryzen 5 7540U

6 Cores12 Thrd28 WWMax: 4.9 GHz2023

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i5-10400F

6 / 12

13,029

0.0%

18,607

+42.8%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5975WX

Ryzen Threadripper 9960X

About PassMark

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

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 7540U.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 7540U across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 18,607).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 7540U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.

Ryzen 5 7540U

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +32.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

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

Core i5-10400F

2020

Ryzen 5 7540U

2023

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 7540U.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +32.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 7540U across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 18,607).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 7540U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 7540U better than Core i5-10400F?

Yes. Ryzen 5 7540U is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 32.6% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 42.8% 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 7540U is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 32.6% 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, Ryzen 5 7540U is the better fit. You are getting 42.8% better PassMark, 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 7540U is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-10400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 5 7540U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 32.6% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-10400F is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 7540U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2020), a healthier platform with FP7 and DDR5 instead of LGA1200, 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 should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

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 7540U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 7540U
1080p
low	192 FPS	255 FPS
medium	152 FPS	234 FPS
high	123 FPS	196 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	168 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	227 FPS
medium	119 FPS	189 FPS
high	97 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	135 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	157 FPS
medium	70 FPS	133 FPS
high	55 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	90 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 7540U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 7540U
1080p
low	326 FPS	368 FPS
medium	318 FPS	307 FPS
high	290 FPS	271 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	235 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	310 FPS
medium	292 FPS	268 FPS
high	267 FPS	243 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	207 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	232 FPS
medium	258 FPS	205 FPS
high	235 FPS	190 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	160 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 7540U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 7540U
1080p
low	326 FPS	465 FPS
medium	326 FPS	465 FPS
high	326 FPS	465 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	465 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	465 FPS
medium	326 FPS	465 FPS
high	326 FPS	465 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	433 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	465 FPS
medium	326 FPS	426 FPS
high	289 FPS	363 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	301 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 7540U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 7540U
1080p
low	326 FPS	465 FPS
medium	326 FPS	465 FPS
high	326 FPS	465 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	465 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	465 FPS
medium	326 FPS	465 FPS
high	326 FPS	465 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	465 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	465 FPS
medium	326 FPS	465 FPS
high	326 FPS	439 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	376 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 7540U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Ryzen 5 7540U

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 7540U

The Ryzen 5 7540U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 3 May 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Phoenix (Zen4) (2023) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP7. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 18,607 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i5-10400F and Ryzen 5 7540U share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 4.9 GHz on the Ryzen 5 7540U — a 13% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 7540U (base: 2.9 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 7540U uses Phoenix (Zen4) (2023) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Ryzen 5 7540U's 18,607 — a 35.3% lead for the Ryzen 5 7540U. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 7540U.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 7540U
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz	4.9 GHz+14%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz	3.2 GHz+10%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	16 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	14 nm	4 nm-71%
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Phoenix (Zen4) (2023)
PassMark	13,029	18,607+43%
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 7540U uses FP7 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 7540U
Socket	LGA1200	FP7
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	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-10400F) / not specified (Ryzen 5 7540U). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.