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: +6.1% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Delivers 8.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 103.8 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $118 MSRP).
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of BGA1440 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌
47.5% HIGHER MSRP
$174 MSRPvs$118 MSRP
❌4233.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 1.5W.

Xeon W-10855M

2020

Why buy it

✅Costs $56 less on MSRP ($118 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
✅Draws 2W instead of 65W, a 64W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12400F across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (12,249 vs 19,532).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 103.8 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($118 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌Older platform position on BGA1440 with DDR4, while Core i5-12400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Core i5-12400F

2022

Xeon W-10855M

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.1% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Delivers 8.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 103.8 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $118 MSRP).
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of BGA1440 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Costs $56 less on MSRP ($118 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
✅Draws 2W instead of 65W, a 64W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌
47.5% HIGHER MSRP
$174 MSRPvs$118 MSRP
❌4233.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 1.5W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12400F across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (12,249 vs 19,532).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 103.8 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($118 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌Older platform position on BGA1440 with DDR4, while Core i5-12400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-12400F better than Xeon W-10855M?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-10855M 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, Core i5-12400F is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 6.1% 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, Core i5-12400F is the better fit. You are getting 59.5% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 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 47.5% more expensive on MSRP at $174 MSRP versus $118 MSRP, and it gives you a 6.1% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 8.1% better value on MSRP (112.3 vs 103.8 PassMark/$), 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?

Core i5-12400F is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2020), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of BGA1440, 50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB), 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

Xeon W-10855M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-10855M
1080p
low	183 FPS	275 FPS
medium	168 FPS	243 FPS
high	139 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	175 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	235 FPS
medium	132 FPS	187 FPS
high	106 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	135 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	163 FPS
medium	81 FPS	132 FPS
high	64 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	89 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon W-10855M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-10855M
1080p
low	471 FPS	306 FPS
medium	397 FPS	280 FPS
high	341 FPS	254 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	221 FPS
1440p
low	407 FPS	300 FPS
medium	351 FPS	245 FPS
high	309 FPS	225 FPS
ultra	265 FPS	194 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	251 FPS
medium	248 FPS	207 FPS
high	229 FPS	191 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	159 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon W-10855M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-10855M
1080p
low	488 FPS	306 FPS
medium	488 FPS	306 FPS
high	488 FPS	306 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	306 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	306 FPS
medium	488 FPS	306 FPS
high	485 FPS	306 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	306 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	306 FPS
medium	389 FPS	306 FPS
high	337 FPS	306 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	294 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon W-10855M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-10855M
1080p
low	488 FPS	306 FPS
medium	488 FPS	306 FPS
high	488 FPS	306 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	306 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	306 FPS
medium	488 FPS	306 FPS
high	488 FPS	306 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	306 FPS
4K
low	488 FPS	306 FPS
medium	450 FPS	306 FPS
high	391 FPS	306 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	306 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon W-10855M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Xeon W-10855M

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 W-10855M

The Xeon W-10855M is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Comet Lake-H (2020) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB. L2 cache: 1.5 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 12,249 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i5-12400F and Xeon W-10855M share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 4.9 GHz on the Xeon W-10855M — a 10.8% clock advantage for the Xeon W-10855M (base: 2.5 GHz vs 2.8 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Xeon W-10855M uses Comet Lake-H (2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Xeon W-10855M's 12,249 — a 45.8% lead for the Core i5-12400F. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 12 MB on the Xeon W-10855M.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-10855M
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	4.9 GHz+11%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	2.8 GHz+12%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)+50%	12 MB
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)	1.5 MB+20%
Process	Intel 7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Comet Lake-H (2020)
PassMark	19,532+59%	12,249
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 Xeon W-10855M uses BGA1440 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-10855M
Socket	LGA1700	BGA1440
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
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 (Xeon W-10855M). Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-10855M
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 Xeon W-10855M debuted at $118. On MSRP ($174 vs $118), the Xeon W-10855M is $56 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 112.3 pts/$ vs 103.8 pts/$ for the Xeon W-10855M — making the Core i5-12400F the 7.8% better value option.