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

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7940HS across 7 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (8,191 vs 17,443).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 7940HS mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Ryzen 9 7940HS

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +76.0% higher average FPS across 7 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.
✅25% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Ryzen 9 7940HS

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +76.0% higher average FPS across 7 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.
✅25% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7940HS across 7 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (8,191 vs 17,443).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 7940HS mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 7940HS better than Core i5-10400F?

Yes. Ryzen 9 7940HS is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 76.0% average FPS lead across 7 shared CPU game tests in our data, 113% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, 130.1% 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 9 7940HS is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 76.0% more average FPS across 7 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 7940HS is the better fit. You are getting 113% 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 9 7940HS is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-10400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 9 7940HS is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 76.0% average FPS lead across 7 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-10400F is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 9 7940HS is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2020), a healthier platform with FP8 and DDR5 instead of LGA1200, 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 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 9 7940HS Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 9 7940HS
1080p
low	192 FPS	267 FPS
medium	152 FPS	242 FPS
high	123 FPS	203 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	176 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	235 FPS
medium	119 FPS	193 FPS
high	97 FPS	157 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	139 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	163 FPS
medium	70 FPS	136 FPS
high	55 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	92 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 9 7940HS

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 9 7940HS
1080p
low	326 FPS	497 FPS
medium	318 FPS	408 FPS
high	290 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	311 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	434 FPS
medium	292 FPS	376 FPS
high	267 FPS	322 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	274 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	286 FPS
medium	258 FPS	259 FPS
high	235 FPS	243 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	209 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 9 7940HS

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 9 7940HS
1080p
low	326 FPS	750 FPS
medium	326 FPS	750 FPS
high	326 FPS	730 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	624 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	750 FPS
medium	326 FPS	646 FPS
high	326 FPS	545 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	467 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	544 FPS
medium	326 FPS	475 FPS
high	289 FPS	422 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	357 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 9 7940HS

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 9 7940HS
1080p
low	326 FPS	750 FPS
medium	326 FPS	750 FPS
high	326 FPS	750 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	750 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	750 FPS
medium	326 FPS	750 FPS
high	326 FPS	658 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	573 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	574 FPS
medium	326 FPS	511 FPS
high	326 FPS	456 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	394 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 9 7940HS

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Ryzen 9 7940HS

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 9 7940HS

The Ryzen 9 7940HS is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Janeiro 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Phoenix-HS (Zen 4) (2023) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 29,986 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 9 7940HS offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 9 7940HS has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 5.2 GHz on the Ryzen 9 7940HS — a 18.9% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 7940HS (base: 2.9 GHz vs 4 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 9 7940HS uses Phoenix-HS (Zen 4) (2023) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Ryzen 9 7940HS's 29,986 — a 78.8% lead for the Ryzen 9 7940HS. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 8,191 vs 17,443 (72.2% advantage for the Ryzen 9 7940HS). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,454 vs 2,646, a 58.1% lead for the Ryzen 9 7940HS that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 5,783 vs 11,591 (66.9% advantage for the Ryzen 9 7940HS). L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 7940HS.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 9 7940HS
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz	5.2 GHz+21%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz	4 GHz+38%
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-HS (Zen 4) (2023)
PassMark	13,029	29,986+130%
Cinebench R23 Multi	8,191	17,443+113%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,454	2,646+82%
Geekbench 6 Multi	5,783	11,591+100%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-10400F uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 9 7940HS uses FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i5-10400F versus DDR5-5600 on the Ryzen 9 7940HS — the Ryzen 9 7940HS supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Ryzen 9 7940HS 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 20 (Ryzen 9 7940HS) — the Ryzen 9 7940HS offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H410,B460,H470,Z490,H510,B560,H570,Z590 (Core i5-10400F) and FP8,FP7 (Ryzen 9 7940HS).

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 9 7940HS
Socket	LGA1200	FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR5-5600+25%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	256 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	16	20+25%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 9 7940HS has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Ryzen 9 7940HS supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-10400F) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 9 7940HS). The Ryzen 9 7940HS includes integrated graphics (Radeon 780M), while the Core i5-10400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming, Ryzen 9 7940HS targets Thin-and-light Performance. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600; Ryzen 9 7940HS rivals Core i9-13900H.