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 i5-12400F

2022

Why buy it

✅+38.8% higher PassMark.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Costs $251 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $425 MSRP).
✅Delivers 239.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 33.1 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $425 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-8086K across 23 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Core i7-8086K

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.6% higher average FPS across 23 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,069 vs 19,532).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 33.1 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($425 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌46.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1151 with DDR4, while Core i5-12400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Core i5-12400F

2022

Core i7-8086K

2018

Why buy it

✅+38.8% higher PassMark.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Costs $251 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $425 MSRP).
✅Delivers 239.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 33.1 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $425 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.6% higher average FPS across 23 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-8086K across 23 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,069 vs 19,532).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 33.1 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($425 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌46.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1151 with DDR4, while Core i5-12400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-12400F better than Core i7-8086K?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i7-8086K is ahead with a 3.6% average FPS lead across 23 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-12400F pulls ahead with 38.8% better PassMark. Core i5-12400F also has the bigger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-12400F is the better fit. You are getting 38.8% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Core i5-12400F is the smarter buy today. Core i5-12400F is $251 cheaper on MSRP at $174 MSRP versus $425 MSRP, and it gives you 38.8% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i7-8086K is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 3.6% average FPS lead across 23 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 239.1% better value on MSRP (112.3 vs 33.1 PassMark/$), 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 i5-12400F is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2018), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of LGA1151, 50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 6/12. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

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 i5-12400F Benchmark Check

Core i7-8086K Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-8086K
1080p
low	183 FPS	321 FPS
medium	168 FPS	284 FPS
high	139 FPS	236 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	185 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	279 FPS
medium	132 FPS	224 FPS
high	106 FPS	181 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	145 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	177 FPS
medium	81 FPS	144 FPS
high	64 FPS	109 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	95 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i7-8086K

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-8086K
1080p
low	471 FPS	352 FPS
medium	397 FPS	352 FPS
high	341 FPS	352 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	332 FPS
1440p
low	407 FPS	352 FPS
medium	351 FPS	352 FPS
high	309 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	265 FPS	301 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	352 FPS
medium	248 FPS	319 FPS
high	229 FPS	292 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	242 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i7-8086K

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-8086K
1080p
low	488 FPS	352 FPS
medium	488 FPS	352 FPS
high	488 FPS	352 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	352 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	352 FPS
medium	488 FPS	352 FPS
high	485 FPS	352 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	352 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	352 FPS
medium	389 FPS	352 FPS
high	337 FPS	352 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	306 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i7-8086K

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-8086K
1080p
low	488 FPS	352 FPS
medium	488 FPS	352 FPS
high	488 FPS	352 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	352 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	352 FPS
medium	488 FPS	352 FPS
high	488 FPS	352 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	352 FPS
4K
low	488 FPS	352 FPS
medium	450 FPS	352 FPS
high	391 FPS	352 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	352 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i7-8086K

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Core i7-8086K

Core i5-12400F

The Core i5-12400F is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 4 January 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 18 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 19,532 points. Launch price was $180.

Core i7-8086K

The Core i7-8086K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 5 June 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 14,069 points. Launch price was $425.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i5-12400F and Core i7-8086K share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 5 GHz on the Core i7-8086K — a 12.8% clock advantage for the Core i7-8086K (base: 2.5 GHz vs 4 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Core i7-8086K uses Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Core i7-8086K's 14,069 — a 32.5% lead for the Core i5-12400F. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-8086K.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-8086K
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	5 GHz+14%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	4 GHz+60%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)+50%	12 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+400%	256K (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018)
PassMark	19,532+39%	14,069
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,380	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,700	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	657	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i7-8086K uses LGA1151 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-8086K
Socket	LGA1700	LGA1151
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	20	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F) / not specified (Core i7-8086K). Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-8086K
Integrated GPU	No	—
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	—
Target Use	Gaming Performance/Value	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-12400F launched at $174 MSRP, while the Core i7-8086K debuted at $425. On MSRP ($174 vs $425), the Core i5-12400F is $251 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 112.3 pts/$ vs 33.1 pts/$ for the Core i7-8086K — making the Core i5-12400F the 108.9% better value option.