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

✅+23.2% higher Geekbench multi-core.
✅Costs $313 less on MSRP ($196 MSRP vs $509 MSRP).
✅Delivers 192.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 127.7 vs 43.7 PassMark/$ ($196 MSRP vs $509 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 125W, a 60W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-10900KF across 8 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Core i9-10900KF

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.0% higher average FPS across 8 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (9,261 vs 11,408).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 43.7 vs 127.7 PassMark/$ ($509 MSRP vs $196 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Core i5-13400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-13400F.

Core i5-13400F

2023

Core i9-10900KF

2020

Why buy it

✅+23.2% higher Geekbench multi-core.
✅Costs $313 less on MSRP ($196 MSRP vs $509 MSRP).
✅Delivers 192.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 127.7 vs 43.7 PassMark/$ ($196 MSRP vs $509 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 125W, a 60W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.0% higher average FPS across 8 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-10900KF across 8 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (9,261 vs 11,408).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 43.7 vs 127.7 PassMark/$ ($509 MSRP vs $196 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Core i5-13400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-13400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-13400F better than Core i9-10900KF?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i9-10900KF is ahead with a 20.0% 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 23.2% better Geekbench multi-core.

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 23.2% better Geekbench 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 $313 cheaper on MSRP at $196 MSRP versus $509 MSRP, and it gives you 23.2% better Geekbench multi-core. The trade-off is that Core i9-10900KF is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 20.0% average FPS lead across 8 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 192.4% better value on MSRP (127.7 vs 43.7 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper. That said, if you already own a compatible LGA1200 + DDR4 setup, Core i9-10900KF can still make sense as a platform-matched option because it avoids a motherboard and RAM swap, but on MSRP alone you would want to find it meaningfully cheaper in real-world listings before that path becomes easy to justify.

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 2020), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of LGA1200, and more multi-core headroom with 10 cores / 16 threads instead of 10/20. 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 i9-10900KF Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Core i9-10900KF
1080p
low	171 FPS	280 FPS
medium	158 FPS	247 FPS
high	132 FPS	207 FPS
ultra	112 FPS	178 FPS
1440p
low	143 FPS	241 FPS
medium	123 FPS	190 FPS
high	99 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	84 FPS	137 FPS
4K
low	81 FPS	167 FPS
medium	74 FPS	133 FPS
high	59 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	46 FPS	89 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Core i9-10900KF

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Core i9-10900KF
1080p
low	545 FPS	556 FPS
medium	464 FPS	523 FPS
high	389 FPS	429 FPS
ultra	356 FPS	386 FPS
1440p
low	458 FPS	556 FPS
medium	403 FPS	475 FPS
high	345 FPS	391 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	335 FPS
4K
low	280 FPS	338 FPS
medium	247 FPS	285 FPS
high	231 FPS	265 FPS
ultra	204 FPS	229 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Core i9-10900KF

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Core i9-10900KF
1080p
low	530 FPS	556 FPS
medium	449 FPS	556 FPS
high	415 FPS	556 FPS
ultra	375 FPS	556 FPS
1440p
low	490 FPS	556 FPS
medium	422 FPS	556 FPS
high	382 FPS	556 FPS
ultra	343 FPS	492 FPS
4K
low	393 FPS	556 FPS
medium	331 FPS	496 FPS
high	296 FPS	445 FPS
ultra	246 FPS	374 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Core i9-10900KF

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Core i9-10900KF
1080p
low	626 FPS	556 FPS
medium	626 FPS	556 FPS
high	626 FPS	556 FPS
ultra	626 FPS	556 FPS
1440p
low	626 FPS	556 FPS
medium	626 FPS	556 FPS
high	598 FPS	556 FPS
ultra	521 FPS	556 FPS
4K
low	535 FPS	556 FPS
medium	492 FPS	556 FPS
high	439 FPS	510 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	437 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Core i9-10900KF

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-13400F and Core i9-10900KF

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 i9-10900KF

The Core i9-10900KF is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 30 April 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 22,231 points. Launch price was $509.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-13400F packs 10 cores / 16 threads, matching the Core i9-10900KF's 10 cores. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Core i5-13400F versus 5.2 GHz on the Core i9-10900KF — a 12.2% clock advantage for the Core i9-10900KF (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The Core i5-13400F uses the Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Core i9-10900KF uses Comet Lake (2020−2025) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-13400F scores 25,029 against the Core i9-10900KF's 22,231 — a 11.8% lead for the Core i5-13400F. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,407 vs 1,767, a 30.7% lead for the Core i5-13400F that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 11,408 vs 9,261 (20.8% advantage for the Core i5-13400F). Both processors carry 20 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Core i5-13400F	Core i9-10900KF
Cores / Threads	10 / 16	10 / 20
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz	5.2 GHz+13%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.7 GHz+48%
L3 Cache	20 MB (total)	20 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+400%	256 kB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024)	Comet Lake (2020−2025)
PassMark	25,029+13%	22,231
Cinebench R23 Multi	16,211	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,407+36%	1,767
Geekbench 6 Multi	11,408+23%	9,261

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-13400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Core i9-10900KF uses LGA1200 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 on the Core i5-13400F versus DDR4-2933 on the Core i9-10900KF — 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. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-13400F) vs 16 (Core i9-10900KF) — 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 LGA1200 (Core i9-10900KF).

Feature	Core i5-13400F	Core i9-10900KF
Socket	LGA1700	LGA1200
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200+25%	DDR4-2933
Max RAM Capacity	192 GB+50%	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	20+25%	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i9-10900KF has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Both support VT-x, VT-d virtualization. Primary use case: Core i5-13400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-13400F rivals Ryzen 5 7600.

Feature	Core i5-13400F	Core i9-10900KF
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
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 i9-10900KF debuted at $509. On MSRP ($196 vs $509), the Core i5-13400F is $313 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-13400F delivers 127.7 pts/$ vs 43.7 pts/$ for the Core i9-10900KF — making the Core i5-13400F the 98.1% better value option.