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

✅Better for gaming: +17.0% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+21.2% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 17 MB).
✅Costs $393 less on MSRP ($196 MSRP vs $589 MSRP).
✅Delivers 314.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 127.7 vs 30.8 PassMark/$ ($196 MSRP vs $589 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 165W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Core i7-9800X

2018

Why buy it

✅120% more PCIe lanes (44 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-13400F across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (13,067 vs 16,211).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (17 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 30.8 vs 127.7 PassMark/$ ($589 MSRP vs $196 MSRP).
❌153.8% higher power demand at 165W vs 65W.

Core i5-13400F

2023

Core i7-9800X

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +17.0% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+21.2% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 17 MB).
✅Costs $393 less on MSRP ($196 MSRP vs $589 MSRP).
✅Delivers 314.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 127.7 vs 30.8 PassMark/$ ($196 MSRP vs $589 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 165W, a 100W reduction.

Why buy it

✅120% more PCIe lanes (44 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-13400F across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (13,067 vs 16,211).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (17 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 30.8 vs 127.7 PassMark/$ ($589 MSRP vs $196 MSRP).
❌153.8% higher power demand at 165W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-13400F better than Core i7-9800X?

Yes. Core i5-13400F is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 17.0% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data, 24.1% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, 38.1% higher PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core i5-13400F is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 17.0% more average FPS across 3 shared CPU game tests.

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 24.1% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 10 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 21.2% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 17 MB).

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

Core i5-13400F is the smarter buy today. Core i5-13400F is $393 cheaper on MSRP at $196 MSRP versus $589 MSRP, and it gives you a 17.0% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 314.9% better value on MSRP (127.7 vs 30.8 PassMark/$), 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 i5-13400F is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2018), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of LGA2066, 21.2% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 17 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 10 cores / 16 threads instead of 8/16. 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 i5-13400F Benchmark Check

Core i7-9800X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Core i7-9800X
1080p
low	171 FPS	206 FPS
medium	158 FPS	163 FPS
high	132 FPS	131 FPS
ultra	112 FPS	99 FPS
1440p
low	143 FPS	174 FPS
medium	123 FPS	135 FPS
high	99 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	84 FPS	82 FPS
4K
low	81 FPS	86 FPS
medium	74 FPS	72 FPS
high	59 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	46 FPS	45 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Core i7-9800X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Core i7-9800X
1080p
low	545 FPS	401 FPS
medium	464 FPS	329 FPS
high	389 FPS	287 FPS
ultra	356 FPS	254 FPS
1440p
low	458 FPS	354 FPS
medium	403 FPS	300 FPS
high	345 FPS	262 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	225 FPS
4K
low	280 FPS	248 FPS
medium	247 FPS	214 FPS
high	231 FPS	199 FPS
ultra	204 FPS	171 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Core i7-9800X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Core i7-9800X
1080p
low	530 FPS	453 FPS
medium	449 FPS	453 FPS
high	415 FPS	453 FPS
ultra	375 FPS	453 FPS
1440p
low	490 FPS	453 FPS
medium	422 FPS	453 FPS
high	382 FPS	453 FPS
ultra	343 FPS	394 FPS
4K
low	393 FPS	447 FPS
medium	331 FPS	361 FPS
high	296 FPS	325 FPS
ultra	246 FPS	258 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Core i7-9800X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Core i7-9800X
1080p
low	626 FPS	453 FPS
medium	626 FPS	453 FPS
high	626 FPS	453 FPS
ultra	626 FPS	453 FPS
1440p
low	626 FPS	453 FPS
medium	626 FPS	453 FPS
high	598 FPS	453 FPS
ultra	521 FPS	453 FPS
4K
low	535 FPS	453 FPS
medium	492 FPS	453 FPS
high	439 FPS	453 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	437 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Core i7-9800X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-13400F and Core i7-9800X

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 i7-9800X

The Core i7-9800X is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 16.5 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2066. Thermal design power (TDP): 165 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 18,128 points. Launch price was $589.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-13400F packs 10 cores / 16 threads, while the Core i7-9800X offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core i5-13400F has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Core i5-13400F versus 4.5 GHz on the Core i7-9800X — a 2.2% clock advantage for the Core i5-13400F (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.8 GHz). The Core i5-13400F uses the Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Core i7-9800X uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-13400F scores 25,029 against the Core i7-9800X's 18,128 — a 32% lead for the Core i5-13400F. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 16,211 vs 13,067 (21.5% advantage for the Core i5-13400F). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,407 vs 1,372, a 54.8% lead for the Core i5-13400F that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 11,408 vs 7,552 (40.7% advantage for the Core i5-13400F). L3 cache: 20 MB (total) on the Core i5-13400F vs 16.5 MB (total) on the Core i7-9800X.

Feature	Core i5-13400F	Core i7-9800X
Cores / Threads	10 / 16+25%	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz+2%	4.5 GHz
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.8 GHz+52%
L3 Cache	20 MB (total)+21%	16.5 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+25%	1 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	25,029+38%	18,128
Cinebench R23 Multi	16,211+24%	13,067
Geekbench 6 Single	2,407+75%	1,372
Geekbench 6 Multi	11,408+51%	7,552

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-13400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Core i7-9800X uses LGA2066 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 on the Core i5-13400F versus DDR4-2666 on the Core i7-9800X — the Core i5-13400F supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i5-13400F supports up to 192 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 40% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i5-13400F) vs 4 (Core i7-9800X). PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-13400F) vs 44 (Core i7-9800X) — the Core i7-9800X offers 24 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-13400F) and X299 (Core i7-9800X).

Feature	Core i5-13400F	Core i7-9800X
Socket	LGA1700	LGA2066
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200+25%	DDR4-2666
Max RAM Capacity	192 GB+50%	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	4+100%
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	20	44+120%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i7-9800X has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Core i7-9800X supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Both support VT-x, VT-d virtualization. Primary use case: Core i5-13400F targets Gaming, Core i7-9800X targets Workstation. Direct competitor: Core i5-13400F rivals Ryzen 5 7600; Core i7-9800X rivals Ryzen 5 3600XT.

Feature	Core i5-13400F	Core i7-9800X
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	Gaming	Workstation

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-13400F launched at $196 MSRP, while the Core i7-9800X debuted at $589. On MSRP ($196 vs $589), the Core i5-13400F is $393 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-13400F delivers 127.7 pts/$ vs 30.8 pts/$ for the Core i7-9800X — making the Core i5-13400F the 122.3% better value option.