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

✅Costs $235 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $409 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 across 32 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (12,380 vs 28,905).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (18 MB vs 64 MB).
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 9 PRO 7945

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +34.2% higher average FPS across 32 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+255.6% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 18 MB).
✅40% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics, while Core i5-12400F needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌
135.1% HIGHER MSRP
$409 MSRPvs$174 MSRP

Core i5-12400F

2022

Ryzen 9 PRO 7945

2023

Why buy it

✅Costs $235 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $409 MSRP).

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +34.2% higher average FPS across 32 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+255.6% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 18 MB).
✅40% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics, while Core i5-12400F needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 across 32 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (12,380 vs 28,905).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (18 MB vs 64 MB).
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌
135.1% HIGHER MSRP
$409 MSRPvs$174 MSRP

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 better than Core i5-12400F?

Yes. Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 34.2% average FPS lead across 32 shared CPU game tests in our data, 133.5% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, 139.8% higher 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 9 PRO 7945 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 34.2% more average FPS across 32 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 is the better fit. You are getting 133.5% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 12 cores and 24 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 255.6% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 18 MB).

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

Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 is 135.1% more expensive on MSRP at $409 MSRP versus $174 MSRP, and it gives you a 34.2% average FPS lead across 32 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 2.0% better value on MSRP (114.5 vs 112.3 PassMark/$), 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 LGA1700 + DDR5 setup, Core i5-12400F can still make sense as a platform-matched option because it avoids a motherboard and RAM swap.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2022), 255.6% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 18 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 12 cores / 24 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 9 PRO 7945 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 9 PRO 7945
1080p
low	183 FPS	269 FPS
medium	168 FPS	244 FPS
high	139 FPS	209 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	183 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	260 FPS
medium	132 FPS	212 FPS
high	106 FPS	168 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	151 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	180 FPS
medium	81 FPS	147 FPS
high	64 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	98 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen 9 PRO 7945

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 9 PRO 7945
1080p
low	471 FPS	660 FPS
medium	397 FPS	567 FPS
high	341 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	368 FPS
1440p
low	407 FPS	555 FPS
medium	351 FPS	495 FPS
high	309 FPS	384 FPS
ultra	265 FPS	306 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	313 FPS
medium	248 FPS	283 FPS
high	229 FPS	250 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	214 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen 9 PRO 7945

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 9 PRO 7945
1080p
low	488 FPS	1025 FPS
medium	488 FPS	1118 FPS
high	488 FPS	1041 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	875 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	940 FPS
medium	488 FPS	836 FPS
high	485 FPS	754 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	656 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	574 FPS
medium	389 FPS	495 FPS
high	337 FPS	445 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	378 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen 9 PRO 7945

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 9 PRO 7945
1080p
low	488 FPS	1171 FPS
medium	488 FPS	1015 FPS
high	488 FPS	981 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	854 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	1019 FPS
medium	488 FPS	888 FPS
high	488 FPS	762 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	639 FPS
4K
low	488 FPS	754 FPS
medium	450 FPS	658 FPS
high	391 FPS	569 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	437 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen 9 PRO 7945

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Ryzen 9 PRO 7945

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 9 PRO 7945

The Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 13 June 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Raphael (2023−2025) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 5.4 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 5 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 46,828 points. Launch price was $499.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 5.4 GHz on the Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 — a 20.4% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 uses Raphael (2023−2025) (5 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Ryzen 9 PRO 7945's 46,828 — a 82.3% lead for the Ryzen 9 PRO 7945. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 12,380 vs 28,905 (80.1% advantage for the Ryzen 9 PRO 7945). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,700 vs 2,206, a 25.9% lead for the Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 657 vs 16,832 (185% advantage for the Ryzen 9 PRO 7945). L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 64 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 PRO 7945.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 9 PRO 7945
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	12 / 24+100%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	5.4 GHz+23%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.7 GHz+48%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)	64 MB (total)+256%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+25%	1 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm	5 nm-29%
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Raphael (2023−2025)
PassMark	19,532	46,828+140%
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,380	28,905+133%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,700	2,206+30%
Geekbench 6 Multi	657	16,832+2462%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 uses AM5 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 memory speed. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-12400F) vs 28 (Ryzen 9 PRO 7945) — the Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F) and AMD X670E,AMD X670,AMD B650E,AMD B650,AMD A620 (Ryzen 9 PRO 7945).

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 9 PRO 7945
Socket	LGA1700	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200	DDR5-5200
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	20	28+40%

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F) vs true (Ryzen 9 PRO 7945). The Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 includes integrated graphics (Radeon Graphics), while the Core i5-12400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600; Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 rivals Core i9-13900.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 9 PRO 7945
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	—	Radeon Graphics
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	true
Target Use	Gaming Performance/Value	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-12400F launched at $174 MSRP, while the Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 debuted at $409. On MSRP ($174 vs $409), the Core i5-12400F is $235 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 112.3 pts/$ vs 114.5 pts/$ for the Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 — making the Ryzen 9 PRO 7945 the 2% better value option.