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

✅Better for gaming: +5.0% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Costs $200 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $374 MSRP).
✅Delivers 194.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 38.1 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $374 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (657 vs 7,072).

Core i7-9700KF

2019

Why buy it

✅+976.4% higher Geekbench multi-core.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12400F across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 38.1 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($374 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 i7-9700KF

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +5.0% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Costs $200 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $374 MSRP).
✅Delivers 194.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 38.1 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $374 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+976.4% higher Geekbench multi-core.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (657 vs 7,072).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12400F across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 38.1 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($374 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 i7-9700KF?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i5-12400F is ahead with a 5.0% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-9700KF pulls ahead with 976.4% better Geekbench multi-core. 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 i7-9700KF is the better fit. You are getting 976.4% better Geekbench multi-core, backed by 8 cores and 8 threads.

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

Core i5-12400F is the smarter buy today. Core i5-12400F is $200 cheaper on MSRP at $174 MSRP versus $374 MSRP, and it gives you a 5.0% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Core i7-9700KF is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 976.4% better Geekbench multi-core. It is also 194.6% better value on MSRP (112.3 vs 38.1 PassMark/$), 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 2019), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of LGA1151, and 50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB). 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 i7-9700KF Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-9700KF
1080p
low	183 FPS	334 FPS
medium	168 FPS	293 FPS
high	139 FPS	245 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	191 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	278 FPS
medium	132 FPS	219 FPS
high	106 FPS	178 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	143 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	175 FPS
medium	81 FPS	139 FPS
high	64 FPS	106 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	93 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i7-9700KF

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-9700KF
1080p
low	471 FPS	356 FPS
medium	397 FPS	356 FPS
high	341 FPS	356 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	318 FPS
1440p
low	407 FPS	356 FPS
medium	351 FPS	356 FPS
high	309 FPS	319 FPS
ultra	265 FPS	277 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	337 FPS
medium	248 FPS	281 FPS
high	229 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	223 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i7-9700KF

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-9700KF
1080p
low	488 FPS	356 FPS
medium	488 FPS	356 FPS
high	488 FPS	356 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	356 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	356 FPS
medium	488 FPS	356 FPS
high	485 FPS	356 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	356 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	356 FPS
medium	389 FPS	356 FPS
high	337 FPS	356 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	349 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i7-9700KF

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-9700KF
1080p
low	488 FPS	356 FPS
medium	488 FPS	356 FPS
high	488 FPS	356 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	356 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	356 FPS
medium	488 FPS	356 FPS
high	488 FPS	356 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	356 FPS
4K
low	488 FPS	356 FPS
medium	450 FPS	356 FPS
high	391 FPS	356 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	356 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i7-9700KF

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Core i7-9700KF

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 i7-9700KF

The Core i7-9700KF is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 8 January 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake (2017−2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 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: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 14,250 points. Launch price was $374.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core i7-9700KF offers 8 cores / 8 threads — the Core i7-9700KF has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700KF — a 10.8% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700KF (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Core i7-9700KF uses Coffee Lake (2017−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Core i7-9700KF's 14,250 — a 31.3% lead for the Core i5-12400F. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,700 vs 1,659, a 2.4% lead for the Core i5-12400F that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 657 vs 7,072 (166% advantage for the Core i7-9700KF). L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700KF.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-9700KF
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 8+33%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	4.9 GHz+11%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.6 GHz+44%
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 (2017−2019)
PassMark	19,532+37%	14,250
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,380	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,700+2%	1,659
Geekbench 6 Multi	657	7,072+976%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i7-9700KF uses LGA1151 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 on the Core i5-12400F versus DDR4-2666 on the Core i7-9700KF — the Core i5-12400F supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-12400F) vs 16 (Core i7-9700KF) — the Core i5-12400F offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F) and LGA1151 (Core i7-9700KF).

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-9700KF
Socket	LGA1700	LGA1151
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200+25%	DDR4-2666
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	20+25%	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700KF). Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-9700KF
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	Gaming Performance/Value	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-12400F launched at $174 MSRP, while the Core i7-9700KF debuted at $374. On MSRP ($174 vs $374), the Core i5-12400F is $200 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 112.3 pts/$ vs 38.1 pts/$ for the Core i7-9700KF — making the Core i5-12400F the 98.6% better value option.