Core i7-11800H vs Core i5-12400F

The Core i7-11800H packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Core i5-12400F offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core i7-11800H has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Core i7-11800H versus 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F — a 4.4% clock advantage for the Core i7-11800H (base: 1.9 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Core i7-11800H uses the Tiger Lake-H (2021) architecture (10 nm SuperFin), while the Core i5-12400F uses Alder Lake-S (2022) (Intel 7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-11800H scores 19,838 against the Core i5-12400F's 19,532 — a 1.6% lead for the Core i7-11800H. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 12,180 vs 12,380 (1.6% advantage for the Core i5-12400F). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,896 vs 1,700, a 10.9% lead for the Core i7-11800H that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 7,795 vs 657 (168.9% advantage for the Core i7-11800H). L3 cache: 24 MB (total) on the Core i7-11800H vs 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F.

The Core i7-11800H uses the FCBGA1787 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Core i5-12400F uses LGA1700 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-3200 on the Core i7-11800H versus DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 on the Core i5-12400F — the Core i5-12400F supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 20 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: QM580,HM570,WM590 (Core i7-11800H) and H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F).

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-11800H) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F). The Core i7-11800H includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 750), while the Core i5-12400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-11800H targets Gaming, Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i7-11800H rivals Ryzen 7 5800H; Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.