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 i5-13400F

2023

Why buy it

✅+20.1% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅Costs $261 less on MSRP ($196 MSRP vs $457 MSRP).
✅Delivers 168.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 127.7 vs 47.6 PassMark/$ ($196 MSRP vs $457 MSRP).
✅25% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i7-12650H.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-12650H across 8 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (20 MB vs 24 MB).
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-12650H can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-12650H

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.8% higher average FPS across 8 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+20% larger total L3 cache (24 MB vs 20 MB).
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 64EU, while Core i5-13400F needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (13,500 vs 16,211).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 47.6 vs 127.7 PassMark/$ ($457 MSRP vs $196 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-13400F.

Core i5-13400F

2023

Core i7-12650H

2022

Why buy it

✅+20.1% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅Costs $261 less on MSRP ($196 MSRP vs $457 MSRP).
✅Delivers 168.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 127.7 vs 47.6 PassMark/$ ($196 MSRP vs $457 MSRP).
✅25% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i7-12650H.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.8% higher average FPS across 8 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+20% larger total L3 cache (24 MB vs 20 MB).
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 64EU, while Core i5-13400F needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-12650H across 8 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (20 MB vs 24 MB).
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-12650H can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (13,500 vs 16,211).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 47.6 vs 127.7 PassMark/$ ($457 MSRP vs $196 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-13400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-13400F better than Core i7-12650H?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i7-12650H is ahead with a 3.8% average FPS lead across 8 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-13400F pulls ahead with 20.1% better Cinebench R23 multi-core. Core i7-12650H also has the bigger cache pool with 20% larger total L3 cache (24 MB vs 20 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-13400F is the better fit. You are getting 20.1% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 10 cores and 16 threads.

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

Core i5-13400F is the smarter buy today. Core i5-13400F is $261 cheaper on MSRP at $196 MSRP versus $457 MSRP, and it gives you 20.1% better Cinebench R23 multi-core. The trade-off is that Core i7-12650H is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 3.8% average FPS lead across 8 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 168.4% better value on MSRP (127.7 vs 47.6 PassMark/$), 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 i5-13400F is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2022) and more multi-core headroom with 10 cores / 16 threads instead of 10/16. 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 i5-13400F Benchmark Check

Core i7-12650H Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Core i7-12650H
1080p
low	171 FPS	176 FPS
medium	158 FPS	163 FPS
high	132 FPS	136 FPS
ultra	112 FPS	116 FPS
1440p
low	143 FPS	147 FPS
medium	123 FPS	127 FPS
high	99 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	84 FPS	87 FPS
4K
low	81 FPS	84 FPS
medium	74 FPS	77 FPS
high	59 FPS	62 FPS
ultra	46 FPS	48 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Core i7-12650H

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Core i7-12650H
1080p
low	545 FPS	544 FPS
medium	464 FPS	483 FPS
high	389 FPS	407 FPS
ultra	356 FPS	372 FPS
1440p
low	458 FPS	478 FPS
medium	403 FPS	420 FPS
high	345 FPS	365 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	318 FPS
4K
low	280 FPS	293 FPS
medium	247 FPS	260 FPS
high	231 FPS	245 FPS
ultra	204 FPS	216 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Core i7-12650H

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Core i7-12650H
1080p
low	530 FPS	544 FPS
medium	449 FPS	544 FPS
high	415 FPS	544 FPS
ultra	375 FPS	462 FPS
1440p
low	490 FPS	544 FPS
medium	422 FPS	544 FPS
high	382 FPS	483 FPS
ultra	343 FPS	415 FPS
4K
low	393 FPS	498 FPS
medium	331 FPS	416 FPS
high	296 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	246 FPS	314 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Core i7-12650H

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Core i7-12650H
1080p
low	626 FPS	544 FPS
medium	626 FPS	544 FPS
high	626 FPS	544 FPS
ultra	626 FPS	544 FPS
1440p
low	626 FPS	544 FPS
medium	626 FPS	544 FPS
high	598 FPS	544 FPS
ultra	521 FPS	496 FPS
4K
low	535 FPS	520 FPS
medium	492 FPS	474 FPS
high	439 FPS	421 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	366 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Core i7-12650H

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-13400F and Core i7-12650H

Core i5-13400F

The Core i5-13400F is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 4 January 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024) architecture. It features 10 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 20 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, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 25,029 points. Launch price was $196.

Core i7-12650H

The Core i7-12650H is manufactured by Intel. It was released in Janeiro 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-H (2022) architecture. It features 10 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.7 GHz. L3 cache: 24 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1744. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 21,742 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i5-13400F and Core i7-12650H share an identical 10-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Core i5-13400F versus 4.7 GHz on the Core i7-12650H — a 2.2% clock advantage for the Core i7-12650H (base: 2.5 GHz vs 2.3 GHz). The Core i5-13400F uses the Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Core i7-12650H uses Alder Lake-H (2022) (Intel 7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-13400F scores 25,029 against the Core i7-12650H's 21,742 — a 14.1% lead for the Core i5-13400F. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 16,211 vs 13,500 (18.2% advantage for the Core i5-13400F). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,407 vs 1,780, a 29.9% lead for the Core i5-13400F that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 11,408 vs 10,920 (4.4% advantage for the Core i5-13400F). L3 cache: 20 MB (total) on the Core i5-13400F vs 24 MB (total) on the Core i7-12650H.

Feature	Core i5-13400F	Core i7-12650H
Cores / Threads	10 / 16	10 / 16
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz	4.7 GHz+2%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz+9%	2.3 GHz
L3 Cache	20 MB (total)	24 MB (total)+20%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm	Intel 7 nm
Architecture	Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024)	Alder Lake-H (2022)
PassMark	25,029+15%	21,742
Cinebench R23 Multi	16,211+20%	13,500
Geekbench 6 Single	2,407+35%	1,780
Geekbench 6 Multi	11,408+4%	10,920

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-13400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Core i7-12650H uses FCBGA1744 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 memory speed. The Core i5-13400F supports up to 192 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB — 100% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-13400F) vs 16 (Core i7-12650H) — the Core i5-13400F offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-13400F) and Alder Lake H (Core i7-12650H).

Feature	Core i5-13400F	Core i7-12650H
Socket	LGA1700	FCBGA1744
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200	DDR5-4800
Max RAM Capacity	192 GB+200%	64 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	20+25%	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Only the Core i7-12650H supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Both support VT-x, VT-d virtualization. The Core i7-12650H includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 64EU), while the Core i5-13400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-13400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-13400F rivals Ryzen 5 7600.

Feature	Core i5-13400F	Core i7-12650H
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	—	UHD Graphics 64EU
Unlocked	No	No
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	Gaming	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-13400F launched at $196 MSRP, while the Core i7-12650H debuted at $457. On MSRP ($196 vs $457), the Core i5-13400F is $261 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-13400F delivers 127.7 pts/$ vs 47.6 pts/$ for the Core i7-12650H — making the Core i5-13400F the 91.4% better value option.