Core i5-10400F vs Ryzen Z1

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 Z1.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen Z1 across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 18,406).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Ryzen Z1 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.

Ryzen Z1

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +28.4% higher average FPS across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

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

Core i5-10400F

2020

Ryzen Z1

2023

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen Z1.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +28.4% higher average FPS across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen Z1 across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 18,406).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Ryzen Z1 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen Z1 better than Core i5-10400F?

Yes. Ryzen Z1 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 28.4% average FPS lead across 5 shared CPU game tests in our data, 41.3% 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 Z1 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 28.4% more average FPS across 5 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen Z1 is the better fit. You are getting 41.3% 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 Z1 is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-10400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen Z1 is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 28.4% average FPS lead across 5 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-10400F is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 Z1 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 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 Z1 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen Z1
1080p
low	192 FPS	262 FPS
medium	152 FPS	234 FPS
high	123 FPS	195 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	167 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	231 FPS
medium	119 FPS	187 FPS
high	97 FPS	152 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	162 FPS
medium	70 FPS	133 FPS
high	55 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	89 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen Z1

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen Z1
1080p
low	326 FPS	433 FPS
medium	318 FPS	339 FPS
high	290 FPS	291 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	250 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	360 FPS
medium	292 FPS	295 FPS
high	267 FPS	261 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	219 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	271 FPS
medium	258 FPS	227 FPS
high	235 FPS	206 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	171 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen Z1

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen Z1
1080p
low	326 FPS	460 FPS
medium	326 FPS	460 FPS
high	326 FPS	460 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	460 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	460 FPS
medium	326 FPS	460 FPS
high	326 FPS	460 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	441 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	460 FPS
medium	326 FPS	437 FPS
high	289 FPS	372 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	306 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen Z1

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen Z1
1080p
low	326 FPS	460 FPS
medium	326 FPS	460 FPS
high	326 FPS	460 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	460 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	460 FPS
medium	326 FPS	460 FPS
high	326 FPS	460 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	460 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	460 FPS
medium	326 FPS	460 FPS
high	326 FPS	434 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	370 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen Z1

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Ryzen Z1

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 Z1

The Ryzen Z1 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Maio 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: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 18,406 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

Both the Core i5-10400F and Ryzen Z1 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 Z1 — a 13% clock advantage for the Ryzen Z1 (base: 2.9 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen Z1 uses Phoenix (Zen4) (2023) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Ryzen Z1's 18,406 — a 34.2% lead for the Ryzen Z1. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen Z1.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen Z1
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	18,406+41%
Cinebench R23 Multi	8,191	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,454	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	5,783	—

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Memory & Platform

The Core i5-10400F uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen Z1 uses FP8 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen Z1
Socket	LGA1200	FP8
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	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-10400F) / not specified (Ryzen Z1). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.