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 $169 less on MSRP ($160 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 82.8% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 81.4 vs 44.6 PassMark/$ ($160 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 7 2700E.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 14,657).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.

Ryzen 7 2700E

2018

Why buy it

✅+12.5% higher PassMark.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 44.6 vs 81.4 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Ryzen 7 2700E

2018

Why buy it

✅Costs $169 less on MSRP ($160 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 82.8% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 81.4 vs 44.6 PassMark/$ ($160 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 7 2700E.

Why buy it

✅+12.5% higher PassMark.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 14,657).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 44.6 vs 81.4 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-10400F better than Ryzen 7 2700E?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i5-10400F is ahead with a 2.0% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 2700E pulls ahead with 12.5% better PassMark. Ryzen 7 2700E also has the bigger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 2700E is the better fit. You are getting 12.5% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 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?

Core i5-10400F is the smarter buy today. Core i5-10400F is $169 cheaper on MSRP at $160 MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and it gives you a 2.0% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Ryzen 7 2700E is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 12.5% better PassMark. It is also 82.8% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 44.6 PassMark/$), 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 AM4 + DDR4 setup, Ryzen 7 2700E 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?

Core i5-10400F is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2018). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

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 7 2700E Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 7 2700E
1080p
low	192 FPS	176 FPS
medium	152 FPS	154 FPS
high	123 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	104 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	145 FPS
medium	119 FPS	122 FPS
high	97 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	78 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	66 FPS
medium	70 FPS	59 FPS
high	55 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	37 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 7 2700E

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 7 2700E
1080p
low	326 FPS	298 FPS
medium	318 FPS	264 FPS
high	290 FPS	232 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	191 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	267 FPS
medium	292 FPS	242 FPS
high	267 FPS	211 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	174 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	194 FPS
medium	258 FPS	180 FPS
high	235 FPS	163 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	129 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 7 2700E

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 7 2700E
1080p
low	326 FPS	366 FPS
medium	326 FPS	366 FPS
high	326 FPS	366 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	366 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	366 FPS
medium	326 FPS	366 FPS
high	326 FPS	366 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	337 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	366 FPS
medium	326 FPS	319 FPS
high	289 FPS	281 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	226 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 7 2700E

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 7 2700E
1080p
low	326 FPS	366 FPS
medium	326 FPS	366 FPS
high	326 FPS	366 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	366 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	366 FPS
medium	326 FPS	366 FPS
high	326 FPS	366 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	366 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	366 FPS
medium	326 FPS	366 FPS
high	326 FPS	366 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	326 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 7 2700E

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Ryzen 7 2700E

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 7 2700E

The Ryzen 7 2700E is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 19 September 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Zen+ (2018−2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 14,657 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 7 2700E offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 7 2700E has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 2700E — a 7.2% clock advantage for the Core i5-10400F (base: 2.9 GHz vs 2.8 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 7 2700E uses Zen+ (2018−2019) (12 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Ryzen 7 2700E's 14,657 — a 11.8% lead for the Ryzen 7 2700E. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 2700E.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 7 2700E
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz+7%	4 GHz
Base Clock	2.9 GHz+4%	2.8 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	16 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512K (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	12 nm-14%
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Zen+ (2018−2019)
PassMark	13,029	14,657+12%
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 7 2700E uses AM4 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 7 2700E
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 7 2700E). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 7 2700E
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 7 2700E debuted at $329. On MSRP ($160 vs $329), the Core i5-10400F is $169 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-10400F delivers 81.4 pts/$ vs 44.6 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 2700E — making the Core i5-10400F the 58.6% better value option.