Core i5-12400F vs Ryzen 5 8500GE

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

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 8500GE.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 8500GE across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (19,532 vs 21,174).
❌Launch MSRP is still $174 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 8500GE mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Ryzen 5 8500GE

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Core i5-12400F

2022

Ryzen 5 8500GE

2024

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 8500GE.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 8500GE across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (19,532 vs 21,174).
❌Launch MSRP is still $174 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 8500GE mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Trade-offs

❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 8500GE better than Core i5-12400F?

Yes. Ryzen 5 8500GE is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 8.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 8.4% 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, Ryzen 5 8500GE is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 8.2% 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, Ryzen 5 8500GE is the better fit. You are getting 8.4% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 8500GE is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-12400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 5 8500GE is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $174 MSRP, and it gives you a 8.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-12400F is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (112.3 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper. That said, if you already own a compatible LGA1700 + DDR5 setup, Core i5-12400F 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?

Ryzen 5 8500GE is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2022) 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

Ryzen 5 8500GE Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 5 8500GE
1080p
low	183 FPS	267 FPS
medium	168 FPS	238 FPS
high	139 FPS	203 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	173 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	230 FPS
medium	132 FPS	186 FPS
high	106 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	135 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	159 FPS
medium	81 FPS	129 FPS
high	64 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	87 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen 5 8500GE

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 5 8500GE
1080p
low	471 FPS	455 FPS
medium	397 FPS	371 FPS
high	341 FPS	321 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	279 FPS
1440p
low	407 FPS	394 FPS
medium	351 FPS	338 FPS
high	309 FPS	294 FPS
ultra	265 FPS	248 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	287 FPS
medium	248 FPS	251 FPS
high	229 FPS	230 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	193 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen 5 8500GE

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 5 8500GE
1080p
low	488 FPS	529 FPS
medium	488 FPS	529 FPS
high	488 FPS	529 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	529 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	529 FPS
medium	488 FPS	529 FPS
high	485 FPS	517 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	440 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	497 FPS
medium	389 FPS	417 FPS
high	337 FPS	357 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	293 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen 5 8500GE

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 5 8500GE
1080p
low	488 FPS	529 FPS
medium	488 FPS	529 FPS
high	488 FPS	529 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	529 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	529 FPS
medium	488 FPS	529 FPS
high	488 FPS	529 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	529 FPS
4K
low	488 FPS	529 FPS
medium	450 FPS	519 FPS
high	391 FPS	462 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	393 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen 5 8500GE

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Ryzen 5 8500GE

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.

Ryzen 5 8500GE

The Ryzen 5 8500GE is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 16 April 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Phoenix2 (2024) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 21,174 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

Both the Core i5-12400F and Ryzen 5 8500GE share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 5 GHz on the Ryzen 5 8500GE — a 12.8% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 8500GE (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.4 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Ryzen 5 8500GE uses Phoenix2 (2024) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Ryzen 5 8500GE's 21,174 — a 8.1% lead for the Ryzen 5 8500GE. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 8500GE.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 5 8500GE
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	5 GHz+14%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.4 GHz+36%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)+13%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+25%	1 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm	4 nm-43%
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Phoenix2 (2024)
PassMark	19,532	21,174+8%
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 Ryzen 5 8500GE uses AM5 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 5 8500GE
Socket	LGA1700	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
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 (Ryzen 5 8500GE). Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.