Core i5-10400F vs Ryzen 5 8540U

CPU

GPU

Core i5-10400F

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.3 GHz2020

Popular choices:

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Ryzen 5 8540U

6 Cores12 Thrd28 WWMax: 4.9 GHz2023

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i5-10400F

6 / 12

13,029

0.0%

18,359

+40.9%

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

✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 8540U.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 8540U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (8,191 vs 9,823).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 8540U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.

Ryzen 5 8540U

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.4% higher average FPS across 50 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.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 740M, while Core i5-10400F needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

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

Core i5-10400F

2020

Ryzen 5 8540U

2023

Why buy it

✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 8540U.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.4% higher average FPS across 50 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.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 740M, while Core i5-10400F needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 8540U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (8,191 vs 9,823).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 8540U 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 8540U better than Core i5-10400F?

Yes. Ryzen 5 8540U is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 20.4% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 19.9% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, 40.9% 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 8540U is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 20.4% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 8540U is the better fit. You are getting 19.9% 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 8540U is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-10400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 5 8540U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 20.4% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-10400F is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 8540U 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 8540U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 8540U
1080p
low	192 FPS	265 FPS
medium	152 FPS	237 FPS
high	123 FPS	198 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	170 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	232 FPS
medium	119 FPS	187 FPS
high	97 FPS	152 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	163 FPS
medium	70 FPS	133 FPS
high	55 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	89 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 8540U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 8540U
1080p
low	326 FPS	434 FPS
medium	318 FPS	341 FPS
high	290 FPS	293 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	250 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	362 FPS
medium	292 FPS	297 FPS
high	267 FPS	262 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	219 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	272 FPS
medium	258 FPS	227 FPS
high	235 FPS	206 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	171 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 8540U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 8540U
1080p
low	326 FPS	459 FPS
medium	326 FPS	459 FPS
high	326 FPS	459 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	459 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	459 FPS
medium	326 FPS	459 FPS
high	326 FPS	459 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	445 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	459 FPS
medium	326 FPS	438 FPS
high	289 FPS	374 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	309 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 8540U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 8540U
1080p
low	326 FPS	459 FPS
medium	326 FPS	459 FPS
high	326 FPS	459 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	459 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	459 FPS
medium	326 FPS	459 FPS
high	326 FPS	459 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	459 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	459 FPS
medium	326 FPS	459 FPS
high	326 FPS	434 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	370 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 5 8540U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Ryzen 5 8540U

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 8540U

The Ryzen 5 8540U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 December 2023 (1 year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point-U (Zen 4 + Zen 4c) (2023−2025) 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: 18,359 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

Both the Core i5-10400F and Ryzen 5 8540U 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 8540U — a 13% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 8540U (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 8540U uses Hawk Point-U (Zen 4 + Zen 4c) (2023−2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Ryzen 5 8540U's 18,359 — a 34% lead for the Ryzen 5 8540U. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 8,191 vs 9,823 (18.1% advantage for the Ryzen 5 8540U). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,454 vs 2,504, a 53.1% lead for the Ryzen 5 8540U that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 5,783 vs 9,280 (46.4% advantage for the Ryzen 5 8540U). L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 8540U.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 8540U
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)	Hawk Point-U (Zen 4 + Zen 4c) (2023−2025)
PassMark	13,029	18,359+41%
Cinebench R23 Multi	8,191	9,823+20%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,454	2,504+72%
Geekbench 6 Multi	5,783	9,280+60%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-10400F uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 5 8540U uses FP7 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i5-10400F versus DDR5-5600, LPDDR5x-7500 on the Ryzen 5 8540U — the Ryzen 5 8540U supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Ryzen 5 8540U supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i5-10400F) vs 14 (Ryzen 5 8540U) — the Core i5-10400F offers 2 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H410,B460,H470,Z490,H510,B560,H570,Z590 (Core i5-10400F) and SoC (Ryzen 5 8540U).

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 5 8540U
Socket	LGA1200	FP7
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR5-5600, LPDDR5x-7500+25%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	256 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	16+14%	14

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Only the Ryzen 5 8540U supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-10400F) vs AMD-V (SVM) (Ryzen 5 8540U). The Ryzen 5 8540U includes integrated graphics (Radeon 740M), while the Core i5-10400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming, Ryzen 5 8540U targets Productivity. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600; Ryzen 5 8540U rivals Core i5-1335U.