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 $240 less on MSRP ($160 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 123.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 81.4 vs 36.4 PassMark/$ ($160 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅100% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 8) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 7 5825C.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench single-core performance for gaming (1,454 vs 1,961).
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (8,191 vs 9,551).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 7 5825C can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 7 5825C

2022

Why buy it

✅+34.9% higher Geekbench single-core performance for gaming and desktop responsiveness.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Vega 8, while Core i5-10400F needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 36.4 vs 81.4 PassMark/$ ($400 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Ryzen 7 5825C

2022

Why buy it

✅Costs $240 less on MSRP ($160 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 123.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 81.4 vs 36.4 PassMark/$ ($160 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅100% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 8) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 7 5825C.

Why buy it

✅+34.9% higher Geekbench single-core performance for gaming and desktop responsiveness.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Vega 8, while Core i5-10400F needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench single-core performance for gaming (1,454 vs 1,961).
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (8,191 vs 9,551).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 7 5825C can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 36.4 vs 81.4 PassMark/$ ($400 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 5825C better than Core i5-10400F?

Yes. Ryzen 7 5825C is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 2.4% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data, 16.6% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, 11.8% 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 7 5825C is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 2.4% 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 7 5825C is the better fit. You are getting 16.6% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, 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?

Ryzen 7 5825C is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-10400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 7 5825C is 150.0% more expensive on MSRP at $400 MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 2.4% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-10400F is also 123.7% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 36.4 PassMark/$), 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 7 5825C is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2020), 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 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 7 5825C Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 7 5825C
1080p
low	192 FPS	173 FPS
medium	152 FPS	149 FPS
high	123 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	101 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	148 FPS
medium	119 FPS	125 FPS
high	97 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	84 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	82 FPS
medium	70 FPS	74 FPS
high	55 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	46 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 7 5825C

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 7 5825C
1080p
low	326 FPS	236 FPS
medium	318 FPS	201 FPS
high	290 FPS	176 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	156 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	203 FPS
medium	292 FPS	179 FPS
high	267 FPS	161 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	140 FPS
medium	258 FPS	127 FPS
high	235 FPS	121 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	106 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 7 5825C

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 7 5825C
1080p
low	326 FPS	364 FPS
medium	326 FPS	364 FPS
high	326 FPS	364 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	364 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	364 FPS
medium	326 FPS	364 FPS
high	326 FPS	364 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	324 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	364 FPS
medium	326 FPS	316 FPS
high	289 FPS	278 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	219 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 7 5825C

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 7 5825C
1080p
low	326 FPS	364 FPS
medium	326 FPS	364 FPS
high	326 FPS	364 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	364 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	364 FPS
medium	326 FPS	364 FPS
high	326 FPS	364 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	364 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	364 FPS
medium	326 FPS	364 FPS
high	326 FPS	364 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	345 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 7 5825C

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Ryzen 7 5825C

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 5825C

The Ryzen 7 5825C is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 May 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Barcelo (Zen 3) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 14,561 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 7 5825C offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 7 5825C has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 4.5 GHz on the Ryzen 7 5825C — a 4.5% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 5825C (base: 2.9 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 7 5825C uses Barcelo (Zen 3) (2022−2023) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Ryzen 7 5825C's 14,561 — a 11.1% lead for the Ryzen 7 5825C. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 8,191 vs 9,551 (15.3% advantage for the Ryzen 7 5825C). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,454 vs 1,961, a 29.7% lead for the Ryzen 7 5825C that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 5,783 vs 7,145 (21.1% advantage for the Ryzen 7 5825C). L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 5825C.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 7 5825C
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz	4.5 GHz+5%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz+45%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	16 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512K (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Barcelo (Zen 3) (2022−2023)
PassMark	13,029	14,561+12%
Cinebench R23 Multi	8,191	9,551+17%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,454	1,961+35%
Geekbench 6 Multi	5,783	7,145+24%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-10400F uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 7 5825C 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. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i5-10400F) vs 8 (Ryzen 7 5825C) — the Core i5-10400F offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H410,B460,H470,Z490,H510,B560,H570,Z590 (Core i5-10400F) and SoC (Ryzen 7 5825C).

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 7 5825C
Socket	LGA1200	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+100%	64 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	16+100%	8

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-10400F) vs Yes (Ryzen 7 5825C). The Ryzen 7 5825C includes integrated graphics (Radeon Vega 8), while the Core i5-10400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 7 5825C
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	—	Radeon Vega 8
Unlocked	No	—
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	Yes
Target Use	Gaming	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-10400F launched at $160 MSRP, while the Ryzen 7 5825C debuted at $400. On MSRP ($160 vs $400), the Core i5-10400F is $240 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-10400F delivers 81.4 pts/$ vs 36.4 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 5825C — making the Core i5-10400F the 76.4% better value option.