Core i5-10400F vs Xeon W-10855M

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

✅+6.4% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon W-10855M.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-10855M across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 81.4 vs 103.8 PassMark/$ ($160 MSRP vs $118 MSRP).
❌4233.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 1.5W.

Xeon W-10855M

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +12.2% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $42 less on MSRP ($118 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).
✅Delivers 27.5% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 103.8 vs 81.4 PassMark/$ ($118 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).
✅Draws 2W instead of 65W, a 64W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (12,249 vs 13,029).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Xeon W-10855M

2020

Why buy it

✅+6.4% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon W-10855M.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +12.2% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $42 less on MSRP ($118 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).
✅Delivers 27.5% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 103.8 vs 81.4 PassMark/$ ($118 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).
✅Draws 2W instead of 65W, a 64W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-10855M across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 81.4 vs 103.8 PassMark/$ ($160 MSRP vs $118 MSRP).
❌4233.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 1.5W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (12,249 vs 13,029).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon W-10855M better than Core i5-10400F?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-10855M 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 streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-10400F is the better fit. You are getting 6.4% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Xeon W-10855M is the smarter buy today. Xeon W-10855M is $42 cheaper on MSRP at $118 MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 12.2% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Core i5-10400F is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 6.4% better PassMark. It is also 27.5% better value on MSRP (103.8 vs 81.4 PassMark/$), 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 more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 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

Xeon W-10855M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Xeon W-10855M
1080p
low	192 FPS	275 FPS
medium	152 FPS	243 FPS
high	123 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	175 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	235 FPS
medium	119 FPS	187 FPS
high	97 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	135 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	163 FPS
medium	70 FPS	132 FPS
high	55 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	89 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Xeon W-10855M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Xeon W-10855M
1080p
low	326 FPS	306 FPS
medium	318 FPS	280 FPS
high	290 FPS	254 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	221 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	300 FPS
medium	292 FPS	245 FPS
high	267 FPS	225 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	194 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	251 FPS
medium	258 FPS	207 FPS
high	235 FPS	191 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	159 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Xeon W-10855M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Xeon W-10855M
1080p
low	326 FPS	306 FPS
medium	326 FPS	306 FPS
high	326 FPS	306 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	306 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	306 FPS
medium	326 FPS	306 FPS
high	326 FPS	306 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	306 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	306 FPS
medium	326 FPS	306 FPS
high	289 FPS	306 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	294 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Xeon W-10855M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Xeon W-10855M
1080p
low	326 FPS	306 FPS
medium	326 FPS	306 FPS
high	326 FPS	306 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	306 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	306 FPS
medium	326 FPS	306 FPS
high	326 FPS	306 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	306 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	306 FPS
medium	326 FPS	306 FPS
high	326 FPS	306 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	306 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Xeon W-10855M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Xeon W-10855M

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 W-10855M

The Xeon W-10855M is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Comet Lake-H (2020) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB. L2 cache: 1.5 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 12,249 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i5-10400F and Xeon W-10855M 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 Xeon W-10855M — a 13% clock advantage for the Xeon W-10855M (base: 2.9 GHz vs 2.8 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon W-10855M uses Comet Lake-H (2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Xeon W-10855M's 12,249 — a 6.2% lead for the Core i5-10400F. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 12 MB on the Xeon W-10855M.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Xeon W-10855M
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz	4.9 GHz+14%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz+4%	2.8 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	12 MB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1.5 MB+500%
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Comet Lake-H (2020)
PassMark	13,029+6%	12,249
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 W-10855M uses BGA1440 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Xeon W-10855M
Socket	LGA1200	BGA1440
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
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 W-10855M). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Xeon W-10855M
Integrated GPU	No	—
Unlocked	No	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	—
Target Use	Gaming	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-10400F launched at $160 MSRP, while the Xeon W-10855M debuted at $118. On MSRP ($160 vs $118), the Xeon W-10855M is $42 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-10400F delivers 81.4 pts/$ vs 103.8 pts/$ for the Xeon W-10855M — making the Xeon W-10855M the 24.2% better value option.