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: +17.8% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+350% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 4 MB).
✅Costs $176 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $350 MSRP).
✅Delivers 207.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 36.6 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $350 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.

Ryzen AI 5 330

2025

Why buy it

✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12400F across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (12,794 vs 19,532).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 36.6 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($350 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Core i5-12400F

2022

Ryzen AI 5 330

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +17.8% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+350% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 4 MB).
✅Costs $176 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $350 MSRP).
✅Delivers 207.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 36.6 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $350 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12400F across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (12,794 vs 19,532).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 36.6 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($350 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-12400F better than Ryzen AI 5 330?

Yes. Core i5-12400F is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 17.8% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data and 52.7% better PassMark, 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 17.8% more average FPS across 3 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 52.7% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 350% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 4 MB).

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

Core i5-12400F is the smarter buy today. Core i5-12400F is $176 cheaper on MSRP at $174 MSRP versus $350 MSRP, and it gives you a 17.8% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 207.1% better value on MSRP (112.3 vs 36.6 PassMark/$), 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?

Ryzen AI 5 330 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2022). 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 AI 5 330 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen AI 5 330
1080p
low	183 FPS	169 FPS
medium	168 FPS	136 FPS
high	139 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	88 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	142 FPS
medium	132 FPS	113 FPS
high	106 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	79 FPS
medium	81 FPS	67 FPS
high	64 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	42 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen AI 5 330

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen AI 5 330
1080p
low	471 FPS	168 FPS
medium	397 FPS	142 FPS
high	341 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	111 FPS
1440p
low	407 FPS	142 FPS
medium	351 FPS	122 FPS
high	309 FPS	114 FPS
ultra	265 FPS	97 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	101 FPS
medium	248 FPS	90 FPS
high	229 FPS	77 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	65 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen AI 5 330

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen AI 5 330
1080p
low	488 FPS	320 FPS
medium	488 FPS	320 FPS
high	488 FPS	320 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	320 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	320 FPS
medium	488 FPS	320 FPS
high	485 FPS	320 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	320 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	320 FPS
medium	389 FPS	320 FPS
high	337 FPS	286 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	226 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen AI 5 330

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen AI 5 330
1080p
low	488 FPS	320 FPS
medium	488 FPS	320 FPS
high	488 FPS	320 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	320 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	320 FPS
medium	488 FPS	320 FPS
high	488 FPS	320 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	320 FPS
4K
low	488 FPS	320 FPS
medium	450 FPS	320 FPS
high	391 FPS	320 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	320 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen AI 5 330

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Ryzen AI 5 330

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 AI 5 330

The Ryzen AI 5 330 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 16 July 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Krackan Point 2 (2025) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR5, LPDDR5X. Passmark benchmark score: 12,794 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen AI 5 330 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i5-12400F has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 4.5 GHz on the Ryzen AI 5 330 — a 2.2% clock advantage for the Ryzen AI 5 330 (base: 2.5 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Ryzen AI 5 330 uses Krackan Point 2 (2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Ryzen AI 5 330's 12,794 — a 41.7% lead for the Core i5-12400F. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 4 MB on the Ryzen AI 5 330.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen AI 5 330
Cores / Threads	6 / 12+50%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	4.5 GHz+2%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz+25%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)+350%	4 MB
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+25%	1 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm	4 nm-43%
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Krackan Point 2 (2025)
PassMark	19,532+53%	12,794
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 Ryzen AI 5 330 uses FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen AI 5 330
Socket	LGA1700	FP8
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	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F) / not specified (Ryzen AI 5 330). Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen AI 5 330
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 Ryzen AI 5 330 debuted at $350. On MSRP ($174 vs $350), the Core i5-12400F is $176 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 112.3 pts/$ vs 36.6 pts/$ for the Ryzen AI 5 330 — making the Core i5-12400F the 101.7% better value option.