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

✅Draws 65W instead of 80W, a 15W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon 6357P.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench single-core performance for gaming (1,700 vs 2,784).
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (12,380 vs 18,000).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (18 MB vs 24 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon 6357P, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $174 MSRP, while Xeon 6357P mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon 6357P

2025

Why buy it

✅+63.8% higher Geekbench single-core performance for gaming and desktop responsiveness.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (24 MB vs 18 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads.

Trade-offs

❌23.1% higher power demand at 80W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Core i5-12400F

2022

Xeon 6357P

2025

Why buy it

✅Draws 65W instead of 80W, a 15W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon 6357P.

Why buy it

✅+63.8% higher Geekbench single-core performance for gaming and desktop responsiveness.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (24 MB vs 18 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench single-core performance for gaming (1,700 vs 2,784).
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (12,380 vs 18,000).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (18 MB vs 24 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon 6357P, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $174 MSRP, while Xeon 6357P mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌23.1% higher power demand at 80W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon 6357P better than Core i5-12400F?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon 6357P makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i5-12400F is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Xeon 6357P is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 1.0% more average FPS across 44 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon 6357P is the better fit. You are getting 45.4% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (24 MB vs 18 MB).

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

Xeon 6357P is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-12400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Xeon 6357P is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $174 MSRP, and it gives you a 1.0% average FPS lead across 44 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-12400F is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (112.3 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

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

Xeon 6357P is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2022), 33.3% larger total L3 cache (24 MB vs 18 MB), more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 6/12, and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

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

Xeon 6357P Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon 6357P
1080p
low	183 FPS	257 FPS
medium	168 FPS	246 FPS
high	139 FPS	205 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	176 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	222 FPS
medium	132 FPS	190 FPS
high	106 FPS	152 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	133 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	153 FPS
medium	81 FPS	130 FPS
high	64 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	88 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon 6357P

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon 6357P
1080p
low	471 FPS	620 FPS
medium	397 FPS	523 FPS
high	341 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	408 FPS
1440p
low	407 FPS	532 FPS
medium	351 FPS	467 FPS
high	309 FPS	398 FPS
ultra	265 FPS	346 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	311 FPS
medium	248 FPS	278 FPS
high	229 FPS	265 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	233 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon 6357P

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon 6357P
1080p
low	488 FPS	646 FPS
medium	488 FPS	529 FPS
high	488 FPS	466 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	404 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	588 FPS
medium	488 FPS	489 FPS
high	485 FPS	425 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	369 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	424 FPS
medium	389 FPS	369 FPS
high	337 FPS	335 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	285 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon 6357P

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon 6357P
1080p
low	488 FPS	760 FPS
medium	488 FPS	760 FPS
high	488 FPS	726 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	652 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	760 FPS
medium	488 FPS	704 FPS
high	488 FPS	609 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	536 FPS
4K
low	488 FPS	537 FPS
medium	450 FPS	490 FPS
high	391 FPS	439 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	383 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon 6357P

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Xeon 6357P

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.

Xeon 6357P

The Xeon 6357P is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 February 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 24 MB (total). L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-4800. Passmark benchmark score: 30,401 points. Launch price was $556.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon 6357P offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Xeon 6357P has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 5.1 GHz on the Xeon 6357P — a 14.7% clock advantage for the Xeon 6357P (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Xeon 6357P uses Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025) (Intel 7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Xeon 6357P's 30,401 — a 43.5% lead for the Xeon 6357P. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 12,380 vs 18,000 (37% advantage for the Xeon 6357P). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,700 vs 2,784, a 48.3% lead for the Xeon 6357P that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 657 vs 12,769 (180.4% advantage for the Xeon 6357P). L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 24 MB (total) on the Xeon 6357P.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Xeon 6357P
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	5.1 GHz+16%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3 GHz+20%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)	24 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)	2 MB (per core)+60%
Process	Intel 7 nm	Intel 7 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025)
PassMark	19,532	30,401+56%
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,380	18,000+45%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,700	2,784+64%
Geekbench 6 Multi	657	12,769+1844%

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Memory & Platform

Both processors use the LGA1700 socket with PCIe 3.0. 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. Both provide 20 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F) and Server chipsets (Xeon 6357P).

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Xeon 6357P
Socket	LGA1700	LGA1700
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200	DDR5-4800
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	20	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Both support VT-x, VT-d, EPT virtualization. Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value, Xeon 6357P targets Edge Server / Workstation. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600; Xeon 6357P rivals Core i7-14700.