Core i5-10400F vs Xeon Phi 7290

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

✅Draws 65W instead of 245W, a 180W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon Phi 7290.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Phi 7290 across 6 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 17,839).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Phi 7290, which brings 72 cores / 288 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Xeon Phi 7290 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon Phi 7290

2016

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.5% higher average FPS across 6 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 72 cores / 288 threads.

Trade-offs

❌276.9% higher power demand at 245W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Xeon Phi 7290

2016

Why buy it

✅Draws 65W instead of 245W, a 180W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon Phi 7290.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.5% higher average FPS across 6 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 72 cores / 288 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Phi 7290 across 6 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 17,839).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Phi 7290, which brings 72 cores / 288 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Xeon Phi 7290 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌276.9% higher power demand at 245W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon Phi 7290 better than Core i5-10400F?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Phi 7290 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, Xeon Phi 7290 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 8.5% more average FPS across 6 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Phi 7290 is the better fit. You are getting 36.9% better PassMark, backed by 72 cores and 288 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Xeon Phi 7290 is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-10400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Xeon Phi 7290 is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 8.5% average FPS lead across 6 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-10400F is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Core i5-10400F is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2016). 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

Xeon Phi 7290 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Xeon Phi 7290
1080p
low	192 FPS	177 FPS
medium	152 FPS	143 FPS
high	123 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	88 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	141 FPS
medium	119 FPS	111 FPS
high	97 FPS	87 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	68 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	66 FPS
medium	70 FPS	56 FPS
high	55 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	34 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Xeon Phi 7290

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Xeon Phi 7290
1080p
low	326 FPS	136 FPS
medium	318 FPS	120 FPS
high	290 FPS	109 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	86 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	120 FPS
medium	292 FPS	108 FPS
high	267 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	77 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	87 FPS
medium	258 FPS	81 FPS
high	235 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	56 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Xeon Phi 7290

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Xeon Phi 7290
1080p
low	326 FPS	446 FPS
medium	326 FPS	446 FPS
high	326 FPS	446 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	446 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	446 FPS
medium	326 FPS	434 FPS
high	326 FPS	374 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	326 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	394 FPS
medium	326 FPS	306 FPS
high	289 FPS	259 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	209 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Xeon Phi 7290

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Xeon Phi 7290
1080p
low	326 FPS	446 FPS
medium	326 FPS	446 FPS
high	326 FPS	446 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	446 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	446 FPS
medium	326 FPS	446 FPS
high	326 FPS	446 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	420 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	446 FPS
medium	326 FPS	405 FPS
high	326 FPS	361 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	310 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Xeon Phi 7290

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Xeon Phi 7290

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 Phi 7290

The Xeon Phi 7290 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Knights Landing (2016) architecture. It features 72 cores and 288 threads. Base frequency is 1.5 GHz, with boost up to 1.7 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 245 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 17,839 points. Launch price was $800.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon Phi 7290 offers 72 cores / 288 threads — the Xeon Phi 7290 has 66 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 1.7 GHz on the Xeon Phi 7290 — a 86.7% clock advantage for the Core i5-10400F (base: 2.9 GHz vs 1.5 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon Phi 7290 uses Knights Landing (2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Xeon Phi 7290's 17,839 — a 31.2% lead for the Xeon Phi 7290. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 0 kB (total) on the Xeon Phi 7290.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Xeon Phi 7290
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	72 / 288+1100%
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz+153%	1.7 GHz
Base Clock	2.9 GHz+93%	1.5 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	0 kB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512 kB (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Knights Landing (2016)
PassMark	13,029	17,839+37%
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 Xeon Phi 7290 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Xeon Phi 7290
Socket	LGA1200	LGA3647
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 (Xeon Phi 7290). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.