Core i5-12400F vs Core i9-10980HK

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: +7.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of BGA1440 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i9-10980HK.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $174 MSRP, while Core i9-10980HK mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.

Core i9-10980HK

2020

Why buy it

✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (17,037 vs 19,532).
❌Older platform position on BGA1440 with DDR4, while Core i5-12400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Core i5-12400F

2022

Core i9-10980HK

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of BGA1440 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i9-10980HK.

Why buy it

✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $174 MSRP, while Core i9-10980HK mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (17,037 vs 19,532).
❌Older platform position on BGA1440 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 i9-10980HK?

Yes. Core i5-12400F is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 7.6% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 14.6% 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 i5-12400F is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 7.6% 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 i5-12400F is the better fit. You are getting 14.6% 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 at an unclear MSRP at $174 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 7.6% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (112.3 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 i5-12400F 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 BGA1440, and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 8/16. 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 i9-10980HK Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10980HK
1080p
low	183 FPS	267 FPS
medium	168 FPS	239 FPS
high	139 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	173 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	229 FPS
medium	132 FPS	185 FPS
high	106 FPS	151 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	133 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	160 FPS
medium	81 FPS	130 FPS
high	64 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	88 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i9-10980HK

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10980HK
1080p
low	471 FPS	426 FPS
medium	397 FPS	359 FPS
high	341 FPS	312 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	273 FPS
1440p
low	407 FPS	402 FPS
medium	351 FPS	335 FPS
high	309 FPS	288 FPS
ultra	265 FPS	243 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	268 FPS
medium	248 FPS	232 FPS
high	229 FPS	219 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	184 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i9-10980HK

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10980HK
1080p
low	488 FPS	426 FPS
medium	488 FPS	426 FPS
high	488 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	426 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	426 FPS
medium	488 FPS	426 FPS
high	485 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	426 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	426 FPS
medium	389 FPS	426 FPS
high	337 FPS	393 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	329 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i9-10980HK

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10980HK
1080p
low	488 FPS	426 FPS
medium	488 FPS	426 FPS
high	488 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	426 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	426 FPS
medium	488 FPS	426 FPS
high	488 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	426 FPS
4K
low	488 FPS	426 FPS
medium	450 FPS	426 FPS
high	391 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	426 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i9-10980HK

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Core i9-10980HK

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 i9-10980HK

The Core i9-10980HK is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Comet Lake-H (2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 17,037 points. Launch price was $583.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core i9-10980HK offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core i9-10980HK has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 5.1 GHz on the Core i9-10980HK — a 14.7% clock advantage for the Core i9-10980HK (base: 2.5 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Core i9-10980HK uses Comet Lake-H (2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Core i9-10980HK's 17,037 — a 13.6% lead for the Core i5-12400F. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 16 MB (total) on the Core i9-10980HK.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10980HK
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	5.1 GHz+16%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz+4%	2.4 GHz
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)+13%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+400%	256 kB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Comet Lake-H (2020)
PassMark	19,532+15%	17,037
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,380	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,700	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	657	—

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Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i9-10980HK uses BGA1440 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10980HK
Socket	LGA1700	BGA1440
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	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F) / not specified (Core i9-10980HK). Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.