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 $3,448 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $3,622 MSRP).
✅Delivers 968.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 10.5 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $3,622 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 210W, a 145W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon 6724P.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon 6724P across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (657 vs 25,000).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (18 MB vs 72 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon 6724P, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 88 PCIe lanes.

Xeon 6724P

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +50.4% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+300% larger total L3 cache (72 MB vs 18 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 88 PCIe lanes vs 20.
✅340% more PCIe lanes (88 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 10.5 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($3,622 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌223.1% higher power demand at 210W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Core i5-12400F

2022

Xeon 6724P

2025

Why buy it

✅Costs $3,448 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $3,622 MSRP).
✅Delivers 968.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 10.5 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $3,622 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 210W, a 145W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon 6724P.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +50.4% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+300% larger total L3 cache (72 MB vs 18 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 88 PCIe lanes vs 20.
✅340% more PCIe lanes (88 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon 6724P across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (657 vs 25,000).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (18 MB vs 72 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon 6724P, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 88 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 10.5 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($3,622 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌223.1% higher power demand at 210W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon 6724P better than Core i5-12400F?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon 6724P 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 6724P is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 50.4% more average FPS across 2 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon 6724P is the better fit. You are getting 3705.2% better Geekbench multi-core, backed by 16 cores and 32 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 300% larger total L3 cache (72 MB vs 18 MB).

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

Xeon 6724P is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-12400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Xeon 6724P is 1981.6% more expensive on MSRP at $3,622 MSRP versus $174 MSRP, and it gives you a 50.4% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-12400F is also 968.2% better value on MSRP (112.3 vs 10.5 PassMark/$), 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 6724P is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2022), 300% larger total L3 cache (72 MB vs 18 MB), more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 32 threads instead of 6/12, and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. 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

Xeon 6724P Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon 6724P
1080p
low	183 FPS	198 FPS
medium	168 FPS	155 FPS
high	139 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	164 FPS
medium	132 FPS	125 FPS
high	106 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	81 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	85 FPS
medium	81 FPS	70 FPS
high	64 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	45 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon 6724P

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon 6724P
1080p
low	471 FPS	567 FPS
medium	397 FPS	490 FPS
high	341 FPS	397 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	353 FPS
1440p
low	407 FPS	487 FPS
medium	351 FPS	428 FPS
high	309 FPS	359 FPS
ultra	265 FPS	299 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	305 FPS
medium	248 FPS	271 FPS
high	229 FPS	245 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	220 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon 6724P

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon 6724P
1080p
low	488 FPS	952 FPS
medium	488 FPS	952 FPS
high	488 FPS	921 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	834 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	866 FPS
medium	488 FPS	761 FPS
high	485 FPS	703 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	632 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	546 FPS
medium	389 FPS	445 FPS
high	337 FPS	392 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	322 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon 6724P

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon 6724P
1080p
low	488 FPS	952 FPS
medium	488 FPS	952 FPS
high	488 FPS	952 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	821 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	952 FPS
medium	488 FPS	868 FPS
high	488 FPS	732 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	626 FPS
4K
low	488 FPS	717 FPS
medium	450 FPS	631 FPS
high	391 FPS	543 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	437 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon 6724P

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Xeon 6724P

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 6724P

The Xeon 6724P is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 February 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Granite Rapids (2024−2025) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.3 GHz. L3 cache: 72 MB (total). L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on Intel 3 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4710. Thermal design power (TDP): 210 Watt. Memory support: DDR5(6400MT/s). Passmark benchmark score: 38,061 points. Launch price was $3,622.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon 6724P offers 16 cores / 32 threads — the Xeon 6724P has 10 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 4.3 GHz on the Xeon 6724P — a 2.3% clock advantage for the Core i5-12400F (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Xeon 6724P uses Granite Rapids (2024−2025) (Intel 3 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Xeon 6724P's 38,061 — a 64.3% lead for the Xeon 6724P. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,700 vs 1,800, a 5.7% lead for the Xeon 6724P that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 657 vs 25,000 (189.8% advantage for the Xeon 6724P). L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 72 MB (total) on the Xeon 6724P.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Xeon 6724P
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	16 / 32+167%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+2%	4.3 GHz
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.6 GHz+44%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)	72 MB (total)+300%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)	2 MB (per core)+60%
Process	Intel 7 nm	Intel 3 nm-57%
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Granite Rapids (2024−2025)
PassMark	19,532	38,061+95%
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,380	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,700	1,800+6%
Geekbench 6 Multi	657	25,000+3705%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon 6724P uses LGA4710 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 memory speed. The Xeon 6724P supports up to 4096 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 187.9% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i5-12400F) vs 8 (Xeon 6724P). PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-12400F) vs 88 (Xeon 6724P) — the Xeon 6724P offers 68 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F) and C741 (Xeon 6724P).

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Xeon 6724P
Socket	LGA1700	LGA4710
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200	DDR5-6400
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	4096 GB+3100%
RAM Channels	2	8+300%
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	20	88+340%

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F) vs VT-x, VT-d (Xeon 6724P). Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value, Xeon 6724P targets Server. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600; Xeon 6724P rivals EPYC 9554.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Xeon 6724P
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	—	None
Unlocked	—	No
AVX-512	—	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	Gaming Performance/Value	Server

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-12400F launched at $174 MSRP, while the Xeon 6724P debuted at $3622. On MSRP ($174 vs $3622), the Core i5-12400F is $3448 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 112.3 pts/$ vs 10.5 pts/$ for the Xeon 6724P — making the Core i5-12400F the 165.8% better value option.