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 $324 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $498 MSRP).
✅Delivers 178.0% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 40.4 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $498 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 80W, a 15W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-1290 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (19,532 vs 20,112).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-1290, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.

Xeon W-1290

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 40.4 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($498 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌23.1% higher power demand at 80W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Core i5-12400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Core i5-12400F

2022

Xeon W-1290

2020

Why buy it

✅Costs $324 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $498 MSRP).
✅Delivers 178.0% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 40.4 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $498 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 80W, a 15W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-1290 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (19,532 vs 20,112).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-1290, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 40.4 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($498 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌23.1% higher power demand at 80W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Core i5-12400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon W-1290 better than Core i5-12400F?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-1290 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 W-1290 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 7.9% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon W-1290 is the better fit. You are getting 3% better PassMark, backed by 10 cores and 20 threads.

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

Xeon W-1290 is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-12400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Xeon W-1290 is 186.2% more expensive on MSRP at $498 MSRP versus $174 MSRP, and it gives you a 7.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-12400F is also 178.0% better value on MSRP (112.3 vs 40.4 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

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

Core i5-12400F is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2020) and a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of LGA1200. 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-1290 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-1290
1080p
low	183 FPS	256 FPS
medium	168 FPS	239 FPS
high	139 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	173 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	223 FPS
medium	132 FPS	188 FPS
high	106 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	156 FPS
medium	81 FPS	132 FPS
high	64 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	91 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon W-1290

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-1290
1080p
low	471 FPS	503 FPS
medium	397 FPS	503 FPS
high	341 FPS	451 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	411 FPS
1440p
low	407 FPS	503 FPS
medium	351 FPS	475 FPS
high	309 FPS	405 FPS
ultra	265 FPS	353 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	318 FPS
medium	248 FPS	282 FPS
high	229 FPS	270 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	235 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon W-1290

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-1290
1080p
low	488 FPS	503 FPS
medium	488 FPS	503 FPS
high	488 FPS	503 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	419 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	503 FPS
medium	488 FPS	503 FPS
high	485 FPS	462 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	382 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	469 FPS
medium	389 FPS	403 FPS
high	337 FPS	360 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	296 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon W-1290

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-1290
1080p
low	488 FPS	503 FPS
medium	488 FPS	503 FPS
high	488 FPS	503 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	503 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	503 FPS
medium	488 FPS	503 FPS
high	488 FPS	503 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	503 FPS
4K
low	488 FPS	503 FPS
medium	450 FPS	487 FPS
high	391 FPS	435 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	380 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon W-1290

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Xeon W-1290

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-1290

The Xeon W-1290 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 20,112 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon W-1290 offers 10 cores / 20 threads — the Xeon W-1290 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 5.1 GHz on the Xeon W-1290 — a 14.7% clock advantage for the Xeon W-1290 (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Xeon W-1290 uses Comet Lake (2020−2025) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Xeon W-1290's 20,112 — a 2.9% lead for the Xeon W-1290. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 20 MB (total) on the Xeon W-1290.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-1290
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	10 / 20+67%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	5.1 GHz+16%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.2 GHz+28%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)	20 MB (total)+11%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+400%	256K (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Comet Lake (2020−2025)
PassMark	19,532	20,112+3%
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-1290 uses LGA1200 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-1290
Socket	LGA1700	LGA1200
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
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-1290). 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-1290
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-1290 debuted at $498. On MSRP ($174 vs $498), the Core i5-12400F is $324 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 112.3 pts/$ vs 40.4 pts/$ for the Xeon W-1290 — making the Core i5-12400F the 94.2% better value option.