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: +24.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+21.2% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 17 MB).
✅Draws 65W instead of 85W, a 20W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of FCBGA2518 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon D-2166NT, which brings 12 cores / 24 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $196 MSRP, while Xeon D-2166NT mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon D-2166NT

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 12 cores / 24 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-13400F across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (15,105 vs 25,029).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (17 MB vs 20 MB).
❌30.8% higher power demand at 85W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on FCBGA2518 with DDR4, while Core i5-13400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Core i5-13400F

2023

Xeon D-2166NT

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +24.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+21.2% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 17 MB).
✅Draws 65W instead of 85W, a 20W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of FCBGA2518 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 12 cores / 24 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon D-2166NT, which brings 12 cores / 24 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $196 MSRP, while Xeon D-2166NT mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-13400F across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (15,105 vs 25,029).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (17 MB vs 20 MB).
❌30.8% higher power demand at 85W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on FCBGA2518 with DDR4, while Core i5-13400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-13400F better than Xeon D-2166NT?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon D-2166NT makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i5-13400F 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, Core i5-13400F is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 24.9% more average FPS across 50 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 65.7% better PassMark, 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 at an unclear MSRP at $196 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 24.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (127.7 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 FCBGA2518, 21.2% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 17 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 10 cores / 16 threads instead of 12/24. 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

Xeon D-2166NT Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Xeon D-2166NT
1080p
low	171 FPS	171 FPS
medium	158 FPS	135 FPS
high	132 FPS	109 FPS
ultra	112 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	143 FPS	138 FPS
medium	123 FPS	108 FPS
high	99 FPS	86 FPS
ultra	84 FPS	68 FPS
4K
low	81 FPS	65 FPS
medium	74 FPS	55 FPS
high	59 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	46 FPS	34 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Xeon D-2166NT

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Xeon D-2166NT
1080p
low	545 FPS	141 FPS
medium	464 FPS	125 FPS
high	389 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	356 FPS	90 FPS
1440p
low	458 FPS	125 FPS
medium	403 FPS	113 FPS
high	345 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	81 FPS
4K
low	280 FPS	91 FPS
medium	247 FPS	85 FPS
high	231 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	204 FPS	58 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Xeon D-2166NT

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Xeon D-2166NT
1080p
low	530 FPS	378 FPS
medium	449 FPS	378 FPS
high	415 FPS	378 FPS
ultra	375 FPS	378 FPS
1440p
low	490 FPS	378 FPS
medium	422 FPS	378 FPS
high	382 FPS	366 FPS
ultra	343 FPS	318 FPS
4K
low	393 FPS	378 FPS
medium	331 FPS	305 FPS
high	296 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	246 FPS	207 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Xeon D-2166NT

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Xeon D-2166NT
1080p
low	626 FPS	378 FPS
medium	626 FPS	378 FPS
high	626 FPS	378 FPS
ultra	626 FPS	378 FPS
1440p
low	626 FPS	378 FPS
medium	626 FPS	378 FPS
high	598 FPS	378 FPS
ultra	521 FPS	378 FPS
4K
low	535 FPS	378 FPS
medium	492 FPS	378 FPS
high	439 FPS	357 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	306 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Xeon D-2166NT

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-13400F and Xeon D-2166NT

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.

Xeon D-2166NT

The Xeon D-2166NT is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 7 February 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3 GHz. L3 cache: 16.5 MB. L2 cache: 12 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA2518. Thermal design power (TDP): 85 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 15,105 points. Launch price was $1,005.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-13400F packs 10 cores / 16 threads, while the Xeon D-2166NT offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the Xeon D-2166NT has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Core i5-13400F versus 3 GHz on the Xeon D-2166NT — a 42.1% clock advantage for the Core i5-13400F (base: 2.5 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Core i5-13400F uses the Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Xeon D-2166NT uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-13400F scores 25,029 against the Xeon D-2166NT's 15,105 — a 49.5% lead for the Core i5-13400F. L3 cache: 20 MB (total) on the Core i5-13400F vs 16.5 MB on the Xeon D-2166NT.

Feature	Core i5-13400F	Xeon D-2166NT
Cores / Threads	10 / 16	12 / 24+20%
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz+53%	3 GHz
Base Clock	2.5 GHz+25%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	20 MB (total)+21%	16.5 MB
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)	12 MB+860%
Process	Intel 7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	25,029+66%	15,105
Cinebench R23 Multi	16,211	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,407	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	11,408	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-13400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Xeon D-2166NT uses FCBGA2518 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-13400F	Xeon D-2166NT
Socket	LGA1700	FCBGA2518
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	192 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	20	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-13400F) / not specified (Xeon D-2166NT). Primary use case: Core i5-13400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-13400F rivals Ryzen 5 7600.