Core i5-12500 vs Core i5-12400F

Core i5-12500

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.6 GHz2022

Core i5-12400F

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.4 GHz2022

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i5-12500

6 / 12

19,739

+1.1%

19,532

0.0%

About PassMark

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Core i5-12500

#63

Ryzen 3 3300X

MSRP: $120|Avg: $90

106%

#64

Core i5-12600K

MSRP: $289|Avg: $185

106%

#65

Core Ultra 5 235

MSRP: $257|Avg: $269

105%

#66

Ryzen 7 5700

MSRP: $179|Avg: $164

105%

#67

Ryzen 5 PRO 2600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $90

105%

#68

Ryzen 3 4100

MSRP: $99|Avg: $75

105%

#69

Ryzen 9 9900X

MSRP: $499|Avg: $370

105%

#70

Ryzen 5 7600

MSRP: $229|Avg: $185

104%

#71

Core i5-14490F

MSRP: $209|Avg: $190

103%

#72

Core i5-12600KF

MSRP: $264|Avg: $190

103%

#73

Core i5-13600KF

MSRP: $249|Avg: $258

103%

#74

Ryzen 5 5500GT

MSRP: $125|Avg: $130

103%

#75

Ryzen 7 1700

MSRP: $140|Avg: $185

75%

#75

Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G

MSRP: $309|Avg: $140

102%

#76

Ryzen 7 7700X

MSRP: $399|Avg: $249

101%

#77

Ryzen 9 5900XT

MSRP: $349|Avg: $311

101%

#78

Core i5-12500

MSRP: $212|Avg: $140

100%

#79

Core i5-14600K

MSRP: $329|Avg: $275

100%

#80

Ryzen 7 7700

MSRP: $329|Avg: $246

99%

#81

Core i5-13400F

MSRP: $196|Avg: $180

99%

#82

Core i3-12100T

MSRP: $125|Avg: $90

98%

#83

Core i7-11700F

MSRP: $298|Avg: $150

98%

#84

Core i3-10105F

MSRP: $97|Avg: $65

97%

#85

Core i5-9400T

MSRP: $182|Avg: $60

97%

#86

Core i7-12700KF

MSRP: $384|Avg: $250

97%

#87

Core i5-12490F

MSRP: $250|Avg: $150

96%

#88

Ryzen 5 5600GT

MSRP: $140|Avg: $150

96%

#89

Ryzen 5 PRO 5655G

MSRP: $146|Avg: $146

96%

#90

Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G

MSRP: $300|Avg: $180

95%

#91

Ryzen 5 PRO 4650G

MSRP: $209|Avg: $120

95%

#92

Ryzen 5 8600G

MSRP: $229|Avg: $190

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i5-12400F

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

121%

#16

Core Ultra 5 225F

MSRP: $231|Avg: $150

118%

#17

Core Ultra 7 265K

MSRP: $309|Avg: $285

116%

#18

Ryzen 9 3900

MSRP: $499|Avg: $150

115%

#19

Ryzen 5 3600X

MSRP: $249|Avg: $90

113%

#20

Core i7-14700KF

MSRP: $384|Avg: $260

113%

#21

Core i7-14700K

MSRP: $409|Avg: $270

109%

#22

Ryzen 5 4500

MSRP: $129|Avg: $85

106%

#23

Ryzen 5 5600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $115

106%

#24

Celeron G5925

MSRP: $62|Avg: $15

105%

#25

Ryzen 5 7500F

MSRP: $179|Avg: $145

104%

#26

Core Ultra 5 245

MSRP: $319|Avg: $220

103%

#27

Ryzen 7 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $86

102%

#28

Core Ultra 7 265KF

MSRP: $379|Avg: $323

102%

#29

Core Ultra 7 265F

MSRP: $369|Avg: $276

100%

#30

Core i5-12400F

MSRP: $174|Avg: $110

100%

#31

Ryzen 3 PRO 5355G

MSRP: $130|Avg: $80

99%

#32

Ryzen 7 2700X

MSRP: $329|Avg: $100

98%

#33

Core i3-10100F

MSRP: $88|Avg: $50

98%

#34

Ryzen 5 7400F

MSRP: $150|Avg: $147

98%

#35

Ryzen 5 9600X

MSRP: $279|Avg: $178

95%

#36

Ryzen 7 3800X

MSRP: $399|Avg: $140

93%

#37

Ryzen 3 5300G

MSRP: $130|Avg: $80

92%

#38

Ryzen 9 7900X

MSRP: $549|Avg: $316

91%

#39

Ryzen 5 5600X

MSRP: $299|Avg: $135

91%

#40

Core i5-14600KF

MSRP: $304|Avg: $239

91%

#41

Ryzen 7 5800

MSRP: $349|Avg: $160

91%

#42

Core i3-14100F

MSRP: $109|Avg: $96

90%

#43

Ryzen 7 3700X

MSRP: $329|Avg: $140

90%

#44

Ryzen 5 7600X

MSRP: $299|Avg: $178

90%

#45

Ryzen 3 3100

MSRP: $99|Avg: $75

90%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Core i5-12500 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core i5-12400F in both compute-intensive tasks (1.1% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core i5-12500	Core i5-12400F
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($140)	✅ More affordable ($110)
Longevity	✨ Modern (Alder Lake-S (2022) / Intel 7 nm)	✨ Modern (Alder Lake-S (2022) / Intel 7 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Value Proposition: The Core i5-12400F offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. Priced at $110 (vs $140), it costs 21% less. While offering competitive performance, it results in a 26% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Core i5-12500.

Insight	Core i5-12500	Core i5-12400F
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+26%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($140)	✅ More affordable ($110)

Performance Check

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 i5-12500 Benchmark Check

Core i5-12400F Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12500 and Core i5-12400F

Core i5-12500

The Core i5-12500 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 3 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 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: 19,739 points. Launch price was $299.

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.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i5-12500 and Core i5-12400F share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Core i5-12500 versus 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F — a 4.4% clock advantage for the Core i5-12500 (base: 3 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). Both are built on the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture using a Intel 7 nm process. In PassMark, the Core i5-12500 scores 19,739 against the Core i5-12400F's 19,532 — a 1.1% lead for the Core i5-12500. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 12,978 vs 12,380 (4.7% advantage for the Core i5-12500). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,319 vs 1,700, a 30.8% lead for the Core i5-12500 that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 9,003 vs 657 (172.8% advantage for the Core i5-12500). Both processors carry 18 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Core i5-12500	Core i5-12400F
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz+5%	4.4 GHz
Base Clock	3 GHz+20%	2.5 GHz
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)	18 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm	Intel 7 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Alder Lake-S (2022)
PassMark	19,739+1%	19,532
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,978+5%	12,380
Geekbench 6 Single	2,319+36%	1,700
Geekbench 6 Multi	9,003+1270%	657

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the LGA1700 socket with PCIe 4.0. 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 i5-12500) and H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F).

Feature	Core i5-12500	Core i5-12400F
Socket	LGA1700	LGA1700
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	✅	❌
PCIe Lanes	20	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-12500) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F). The Core i5-12500 includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 770), while the Core i5-12400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-12500 targets Productivity, Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12500 rivals Ryzen 5 5500; Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Core i5-12500	Core i5-12400F
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 770	—
Unlocked	No	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use	Productivity	Gaming Performance/Value

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-12500 launched at $212 MSRP, while the Core i5-12400F debuted at $174. At current prices ($140 vs $110), the Core i5-12400F is $30 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12500 delivers 141.0 pts/$ vs 177.6 pts/$ for the Core i5-12400F — making the Core i5-12400F the 23% better value option.