Core i5-10400F vs Xeon E3-1245 v6

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

✅Better for gaming: +44.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Draws 65W instead of 73W, a 8W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon E3-1245 v6.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Xeon E3-1245 v6 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon E3-1245 v6

2017

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-10400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (8,711 vs 13,029).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Xeon E3-1245 v6

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +44.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Draws 65W instead of 73W, a 8W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon E3-1245 v6.

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Xeon E3-1245 v6 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-10400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (8,711 vs 13,029).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-10400F better than Xeon E3-1245 v6?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E3-1245 v6 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i5-10400F is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core i5-10400F is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 44.4% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-10400F is the better fit. You are getting 49.6% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 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 at an unclear MSRP at $160 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 44.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

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 2017), 50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 4/8. 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

Xeon E3-1245 v6 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Xeon E3-1245 v6
1080p
low	192 FPS	203 FPS
medium	152 FPS	158 FPS
high	123 FPS	127 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	91 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	170 FPS
medium	119 FPS	131 FPS
high	97 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	71 FPS
medium	70 FPS	58 FPS
high	55 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	36 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Xeon E3-1245 v6

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Xeon E3-1245 v6
1080p
low	326 FPS	218 FPS
medium	318 FPS	216 FPS
high	290 FPS	197 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	169 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	218 FPS
medium	292 FPS	193 FPS
high	267 FPS	176 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	151 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	182 FPS
medium	258 FPS	158 FPS
high	235 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	111 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Xeon E3-1245 v6

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Xeon E3-1245 v6
1080p
low	326 FPS	218 FPS
medium	326 FPS	218 FPS
high	326 FPS	218 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	218 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	218 FPS
medium	326 FPS	218 FPS
high	326 FPS	218 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	218 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	218 FPS
medium	326 FPS	218 FPS
high	289 FPS	218 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	218 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Xeon E3-1245 v6

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Xeon E3-1245 v6
1080p
low	326 FPS	218 FPS
medium	326 FPS	218 FPS
high	326 FPS	218 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	218 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	218 FPS
medium	326 FPS	218 FPS
high	326 FPS	218 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	218 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	218 FPS
medium	326 FPS	218 FPS
high	326 FPS	218 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	218 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Xeon E3-1245 v6

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Xeon E3-1245 v6

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.

Xeon E3-1245 v6

The Xeon E3-1245 v6 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 28 March 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Kaby Lake (2016−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.1 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 73 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400, DDR3L-1866. Passmark benchmark score: 8,711 points. Launch price was $284.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon E3-1245 v6 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i5-10400F has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 4.1 GHz on the Xeon E3-1245 v6 — a 4.8% clock advantage for the Core i5-10400F (base: 2.9 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon E3-1245 v6 uses Kaby Lake (2016−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Xeon E3-1245 v6's 8,711 — a 39.7% lead for the Core i5-10400F. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 8 MB on the Xeon E3-1245 v6.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Xeon E3-1245 v6
Cores / Threads	6 / 12+50%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz+5%	4.1 GHz
Base Clock	2.9 GHz	3.7 GHz+28%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+50%	8 MB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB+300%
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Kaby Lake (2016−2019)
PassMark	13,029+50%	8,711
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 Xeon E3-1245 v6 uses LGA1151 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Xeon E3-1245 v6
Socket	LGA1200	LGA1151
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 (Xeon E3-1245 v6). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.