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

✅+1.9% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $309 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $483 MSRP).
✅Delivers 182.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 39.7 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $483 MSRP).
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Core i9-10900

2020

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (19,163 vs 19,532).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 39.7 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($483 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Core i5-12400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Core i5-12400F

2022

Core i9-10900

2020

Why buy it

✅+1.9% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $309 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $483 MSRP).
✅Delivers 182.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 39.7 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $483 MSRP).
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (19,163 vs 19,532).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 39.7 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($483 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Core i5-12400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-12400F better than Core i9-10900?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i9-10900 is ahead with a 1.9% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-12400F pulls ahead with 1.9% better PassMark.

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 1.9% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 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 $309 cheaper on MSRP at $174 MSRP versus $483 MSRP, and it gives you 1.9% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i9-10900 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 1.9% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 182.9% better value on MSRP (112.3 vs 39.7 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper. That said, if you already own a compatible LGA1200 + DDR4 setup, Core i9-10900 can still make sense as a platform-matched option because it avoids a motherboard and RAM swap, but on MSRP alone you would want to find it meaningfully cheaper in real-world listings before that path becomes easy to justify.

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 2020), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of LGA1200, and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 10/20. 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 i9-10900 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10900
1080p
low	183 FPS	292 FPS
medium	168 FPS	259 FPS
high	139 FPS	219 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	188 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	239 FPS
medium	132 FPS	191 FPS
high	106 FPS	157 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	166 FPS
medium	81 FPS	135 FPS
high	64 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	91 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i9-10900

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10900
1080p
low	471 FPS	479 FPS
medium	397 FPS	479 FPS
high	341 FPS	479 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	479 FPS
1440p
low	407 FPS	479 FPS
medium	351 FPS	479 FPS
high	309 FPS	479 FPS
ultra	265 FPS	452 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	454 FPS
medium	248 FPS	385 FPS
high	229 FPS	360 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	310 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i9-10900

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10900
1080p
low	488 FPS	479 FPS
medium	488 FPS	479 FPS
high	488 FPS	479 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	479 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	479 FPS
medium	488 FPS	479 FPS
high	485 FPS	479 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	461 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	479 FPS
medium	389 FPS	465 FPS
high	337 FPS	417 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	351 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i9-10900

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10900
1080p
low	488 FPS	479 FPS
medium	488 FPS	479 FPS
high	488 FPS	479 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	479 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	479 FPS
medium	488 FPS	479 FPS
high	488 FPS	479 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	479 FPS
4K
low	488 FPS	479 FPS
medium	450 FPS	479 FPS
high	391 FPS	479 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	436 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i9-10900

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Core i9-10900

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 i9-10900

The Core i9-10900 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 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 19,163 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core i9-10900 offers 10 cores / 20 threads — the Core i9-10900 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 5.1 GHz on the Core i9-10900 — a 14.7% clock advantage for the Core i9-10900 (base: 2.5 GHz vs 2.8 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Core i9-10900 uses Comet Lake (2020−2025) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Core i9-10900's 19,163 — a 1.9% lead for the Core i5-12400F. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 20 MB (total) on the Core i9-10900.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10900
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	10 / 20+67%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	5.1 GHz+16%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	2.8 GHz+12%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)	20 MB (total)+11%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+400%	256K (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Comet Lake (2020−2025)
PassMark	19,532+2%	19,163
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 i9-10900 uses LGA1200 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10900
Socket	LGA1700	LGA1200
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 i9-10900). Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10900
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 i9-10900 debuted at $483. On MSRP ($174 vs $483), the Core i5-12400F is $309 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 112.3 pts/$ vs 39.7 pts/$ for the Core i9-10900 — making the Core i5-12400F the 95.5% better value option.