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 i5-11400

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +16.5% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Intel UHD Graphics 730, while Ryzen 7 4800U needs a discrete GPU.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Stock), unlike Ryzen 7 4800U.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $182 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 4800U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.

Ryzen 7 4800U

2020

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-11400 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (16,427 vs 16,670).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i5-11400 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-11400.

Core i5-11400

2021

Ryzen 7 4800U

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +16.5% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Intel UHD Graphics 730, while Ryzen 7 4800U needs a discrete GPU.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Stock), unlike Ryzen 7 4800U.

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $182 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 4800U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-11400 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (16,427 vs 16,670).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i5-11400 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-11400.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-11400 better than Ryzen 7 4800U?

Yes. Core i5-11400 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 16.5% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 1.5% 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, Core i5-11400 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 16.5% 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 i5-11400 is the better fit. You are getting 1.5% 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 i5-11400 is the smarter buy today. Core i5-11400 is at an unclear MSRP at $182 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 16.5% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (91.6 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 i5-11400 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2020), 50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 8/16. 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 i5-11400 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 4800U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-11400	Ryzen 7 4800U
1080p
low	189 FPS	171 FPS
medium	152 FPS	140 FPS
high	123 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	90 FPS
1440p
low	150 FPS	146 FPS
medium	119 FPS	118 FPS
high	97 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	84 FPS	69 FPS
medium	72 FPS	60 FPS
high	58 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	37 FPS

Open Core i5-11400 Open Ryzen 7 4800U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-11400	Ryzen 7 4800U
1080p
low	417 FPS	180 FPS
medium	339 FPS	153 FPS
high	310 FPS	139 FPS
ultra	270 FPS	122 FPS
1440p
low	384 FPS	157 FPS
medium	311 FPS	136 FPS
high	286 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	249 FPS	108 FPS
4K
low	333 FPS	127 FPS
medium	272 FPS	114 FPS
high	250 FPS	107 FPS
ultra	210 FPS	94 FPS

Open Core i5-11400 Open Ryzen 7 4800U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-11400	Ryzen 7 4800U
1080p
low	417 FPS	411 FPS
medium	417 FPS	411 FPS
high	417 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	417 FPS	411 FPS
1440p
low	417 FPS	411 FPS
medium	417 FPS	411 FPS
high	417 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	380 FPS	396 FPS
4K
low	417 FPS	411 FPS
medium	341 FPS	372 FPS
high	290 FPS	327 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	267 FPS

Open Core i5-11400 Open Ryzen 7 4800U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-11400	Ryzen 7 4800U
1080p
low	417 FPS	411 FPS
medium	417 FPS	411 FPS
high	417 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	417 FPS	411 FPS
1440p
low	417 FPS	411 FPS
medium	417 FPS	411 FPS
high	417 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	417 FPS	390 FPS
4K
low	417 FPS	411 FPS
medium	417 FPS	384 FPS
high	417 FPS	340 FPS
ultra	387 FPS	285 FPS

Open Core i5-11400 Open Ryzen 7 4800U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-11400 and Ryzen 7 4800U

Core i5-11400

The Core i5-11400 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 16 March 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Rocket Lake (2021) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 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: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 16,670 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 7 4800U

The Ryzen 7 4800U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 1.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 16,427 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-11400 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 7 4800U offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 7 4800U has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-11400 versus 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 7 4800U — a 4.7% clock advantage for the Core i5-11400 (base: 2.6 GHz vs 1.8 GHz). The Core i5-11400 uses the Rocket Lake (2021) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 7 4800U uses Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-11400 scores 16,670 against the Ryzen 7 4800U's 16,427 — a 1.5% lead for the Core i5-11400. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-11400 vs 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 4800U.

Feature	Core i5-11400	Ryzen 7 4800U
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+5%	4.2 GHz
Base Clock	2.6 GHz+44%	1.8 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+50%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512 kB (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Rocket Lake (2021)	Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021)
PassMark	16,670+1%	16,427
Cinebench R23 Multi	10,350	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,960	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	7,260	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-11400 uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 7 4800U uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-11400	Ryzen 7 4800U
Socket	LGA1200	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	20	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-11400) / not specified (Ryzen 7 4800U). The Core i5-11400 includes integrated graphics (Intel UHD Graphics 730), while the Ryzen 7 4800U requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-11400 targets Mainstream Desktop. Direct competitor: Core i5-11400 rivals Ryzen 5 5600X.