Core i5-13400F vs Xeon W-1290

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

✅+24.4% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $302 less on MSRP ($196 MSRP vs $498 MSRP).
✅Delivers 216.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 127.7 vs 40.4 PassMark/$ ($196 MSRP vs $498 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 80W, a 15W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-1290, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.

Xeon W-1290

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (20,112 vs 25,029).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 40.4 vs 127.7 PassMark/$ ($498 MSRP vs $196 MSRP).
❌23.1% higher power demand at 80W 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

Xeon W-1290

2020

Why buy it

✅+24.4% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $302 less on MSRP ($196 MSRP vs $498 MSRP).
✅Delivers 216.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 127.7 vs 40.4 PassMark/$ ($196 MSRP vs $498 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 80W, a 15W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-1290, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (20,112 vs 25,029).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 40.4 vs 127.7 PassMark/$ ($498 MSRP vs $196 MSRP).
❌23.1% higher power demand at 80W 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 Xeon W-1290?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-1290 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 streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-13400F is the better fit. You are getting 24.4% better PassMark, 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 $302 cheaper on MSRP at $196 MSRP versus $498 MSRP, and it gives you 24.4% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Xeon W-1290 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 2.5% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 216.2% better value on MSRP (127.7 vs 40.4 PassMark/$), 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 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

Xeon W-1290 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Xeon W-1290
1080p
low	171 FPS	256 FPS
medium	158 FPS	239 FPS
high	132 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	112 FPS	173 FPS
1440p
low	143 FPS	223 FPS
medium	123 FPS	188 FPS
high	99 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	84 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	81 FPS	156 FPS
medium	74 FPS	132 FPS
high	59 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	46 FPS	91 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Xeon W-1290

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Xeon W-1290
1080p
low	545 FPS	503 FPS
medium	464 FPS	503 FPS
high	389 FPS	451 FPS
ultra	356 FPS	411 FPS
1440p
low	458 FPS	503 FPS
medium	403 FPS	475 FPS
high	345 FPS	405 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	353 FPS
4K
low	280 FPS	318 FPS
medium	247 FPS	282 FPS
high	231 FPS	270 FPS
ultra	204 FPS	235 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Xeon W-1290

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Xeon W-1290
1080p
low	530 FPS	503 FPS
medium	449 FPS	503 FPS
high	415 FPS	503 FPS
ultra	375 FPS	419 FPS
1440p
low	490 FPS	503 FPS
medium	422 FPS	503 FPS
high	382 FPS	462 FPS
ultra	343 FPS	382 FPS
4K
low	393 FPS	469 FPS
medium	331 FPS	403 FPS
high	296 FPS	360 FPS
ultra	246 FPS	296 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Xeon W-1290

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-13400F	Xeon W-1290
1080p
low	626 FPS	503 FPS
medium	626 FPS	503 FPS
high	626 FPS	503 FPS
ultra	626 FPS	503 FPS
1440p
low	626 FPS	503 FPS
medium	626 FPS	503 FPS
high	598 FPS	503 FPS
ultra	521 FPS	503 FPS
4K
low	535 FPS	503 FPS
medium	492 FPS	487 FPS
high	439 FPS	435 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	380 FPS

Open Core i5-13400F Open Xeon W-1290

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-13400F and Xeon W-1290

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 W-1290

The Xeon W-1290 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 20,112 points. Launch price was $800.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-13400F packs 10 cores / 16 threads, matching the Xeon W-1290's 10 cores. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Core i5-13400F versus 5.1 GHz on the Xeon W-1290 — a 10.3% clock advantage for the Xeon W-1290 (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Core i5-13400F uses the Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Xeon W-1290 uses Comet Lake (2020−2025) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-13400F scores 25,029 against the Xeon W-1290's 20,112 — a 21.8% lead for the Core i5-13400F. Both processors carry 20 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Core i5-13400F	Xeon W-1290
Cores / Threads	10 / 16	10 / 20
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz	5.1 GHz+11%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.2 GHz+28%
L3 Cache	20 MB (total)	20 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+400%	256K (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024)	Comet Lake (2020−2025)
PassMark	25,029+24%	20,112
Cinebench R23 Multi	16,211	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,407	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	11,408	—

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Memory & Platform

The Core i5-13400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Xeon W-1290 uses LGA1200 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-13400F	Xeon W-1290
Socket	LGA1700	LGA1200
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 W-1290). Primary use case: Core i5-13400F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-13400F rivals Ryzen 5 7600.

Feature	Core i5-13400F	Xeon W-1290
Integrated GPU	No	—
Unlocked	No	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	—
Target Use	Gaming	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-13400F launched at $196 MSRP, while the Xeon W-1290 debuted at $498. On MSRP ($196 vs $498), the Core i5-13400F is $302 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-13400F delivers 127.7 pts/$ vs 40.4 pts/$ for the Xeon W-1290 — making the Core i5-13400F the 103.9% better value option.