Core i5-10400F vs Xeon W-1290E

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 95W, a 30W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon W-1290E.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-1290E across 23 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 19,060).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-1290E, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Xeon W-1290E mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon W-1290E

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +23.3% higher average FPS across 23 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+66.7% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌46.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Xeon W-1290E

2020

Why buy it

✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon W-1290E.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +23.3% higher average FPS across 23 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+66.7% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-1290E across 23 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,029 vs 19,060).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-1290E, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Xeon W-1290E mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌46.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon W-1290E better than Core i5-10400F?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-1290E 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 W-1290E is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 23.3% more average FPS across 23 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon W-1290E is the better fit. You are getting 46.3% better PassMark, backed by 10 cores and 20 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 66.7% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Xeon W-1290E is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-10400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Xeon W-1290E is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 23.3% average FPS lead across 23 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-10400F is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

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

Xeon W-1290E is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 66.7% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 12 MB) and more multi-core headroom with 10 cores / 20 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-1290E Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Xeon W-1290E
1080p
low	192 FPS	257 FPS
medium	152 FPS	237 FPS
high	123 FPS	202 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	175 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	221 FPS
medium	119 FPS	185 FPS
high	97 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	135 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	151 FPS
medium	70 FPS	127 FPS
high	55 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	87 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Xeon W-1290E

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Xeon W-1290E
1080p
low	326 FPS	476 FPS
medium	318 FPS	431 FPS
high	290 FPS	366 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	331 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	417 FPS
medium	292 FPS	367 FPS
high	267 FPS	316 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	275 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	258 FPS
medium	258 FPS	226 FPS
high	235 FPS	212 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	184 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Xeon W-1290E

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Xeon W-1290E
1080p
low	326 FPS	476 FPS
medium	326 FPS	476 FPS
high	326 FPS	476 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	476 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	476 FPS
medium	326 FPS	476 FPS
high	326 FPS	476 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	476 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	476 FPS
medium	326 FPS	476 FPS
high	289 FPS	429 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	361 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Xeon W-1290E

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Xeon W-1290E
1080p
low	326 FPS	476 FPS
medium	326 FPS	476 FPS
high	326 FPS	476 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	476 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	476 FPS
medium	326 FPS	476 FPS
high	326 FPS	476 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	476 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	476 FPS
medium	326 FPS	476 FPS
high	326 FPS	476 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	437 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Xeon W-1290E

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Xeon W-1290E

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-1290E

The Xeon W-1290E is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 13 May 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 19,060 points. Launch price was $552.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon W-1290E offers 10 cores / 20 threads — the Xeon W-1290E has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 4.8 GHz on the Xeon W-1290E — a 11% clock advantage for the Xeon W-1290E (base: 2.9 GHz vs 3.5 GHz). Both are built on the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture using a 14 nm process. In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Xeon W-1290E's 19,060 — a 37.6% lead for the Xeon W-1290E. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 20 MB (total) on the Xeon W-1290E.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Xeon W-1290E
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	10 / 20+67%
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz	4.8 GHz+12%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz	3.5 GHz+21%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	20 MB (total)+67%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Comet Lake (2020−2025)
PassMark	13,029	19,060+46%
Cinebench R23 Multi	8,191	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,454	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	5,783	—

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Memory & Platform

Both processors use the LGA1200 socket with PCIe 3.0.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Xeon W-1290E
Socket	LGA1200	LGA1200
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 W-1290E). Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600.