Core i9-9900KF vs Core i5-12400F

Core i9-9900KF

8 Cores16 Thrd95 WWMax: 5 GHz2019

Core i5-12400F

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.4 GHz2022

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i9-9900KF

8 / 16

18,029

0.0%

19,532

+8.3%

About PassMark

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Core i9-9900KF

#325

Core i9-12900E

MSRP: $500|Avg: $500

109%

#326

Celeron G4900T

MSRP: $42|Avg: $40

109%

#327

Ryzen Threadripper 2920X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $452

108%

#328

Core i9-9900KS

MSRP: $513|Avg: $350

108%

#329

Core i5-11600T

MSRP: $262|Avg: $262

107%

#330

Core i9-9900K

MSRP: $488|Avg: $331

106%

#331

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X

MSRP: $899|Avg: $540

106%

#332

Celeron G4930T

MSRP: $42|Avg: $42

106%

#333

Core i9-9920X

MSRP: $1189|Avg: $464

104%

#334

Core i3-9100

MSRP: $122|Avg: $125

102%

#335

Core i9-10900X

MSRP: $590|Avg: $425

102%

#336

Core i7-8700T

MSRP: $303|Avg: $196

101%

#337

Ryzen 5 3600XT

MSRP: $249|Avg: $357

101%

#338

Core i9-10980XE

MSRP: $979|Avg: $620

101%

#339

Core i5-8500T

MSRP: $192|Avg: $149

101%

#340

Core i9-9900KF

MSRP: $488|Avg: $350

100%

#341

Ryzen Embedded V2748

MSRP: $309|Avg: $359

100%

#342

Core i3-9350K

MSRP: $184|Avg: $150

98%

#343

Athlon Gold PRO 3150G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $150

97%

#344

Core i9-9900

MSRP: $423|Avg: $330

96%

#345

Core i9-9980XE

MSRP: $1979|Avg: $593

95%

#346

Core i7-10700K

MSRP: $387|Avg: $380

95%

#347

Celeron G5905T

MSRP: $50|Avg: $50

91%

#348

Athlon PRO 200GE

MSRP: $55|Avg: $81

91%

#349

Core i5-9600

MSRP: $224|Avg: $219

91%

#350

Core i3-8300

MSRP: $138|Avg: $136

91%

#351

Core i5-8500B

MSRP: $192|Avg: $192

90%

#352

Core i7-13700TE

MSRP: $390|Avg: $476

90%

#353

Core i9-11900T

MSRP: $439|Avg: $413

88%

#354

Ryzen Threadripper 7970X

MSRP: $2499|Avg: $2200

87%

#355

Core i9-10900

MSRP: $483|Avg: $426

87%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i5-12400F

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

121%

#16

Core Ultra 5 225F

MSRP: $231|Avg: $150

118%

#17

Core Ultra 7 265K

MSRP: $309|Avg: $285

116%

#18

Ryzen 9 3900

MSRP: $499|Avg: $150

115%

#19

Ryzen 5 3600X

MSRP: $249|Avg: $90

113%

#20

Core i7-14700KF

MSRP: $384|Avg: $260

113%

#21

Core i7-14700K

MSRP: $409|Avg: $270

109%

#22

Ryzen 5 4500

MSRP: $129|Avg: $85

106%

#23

Ryzen 5 5600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $115

106%

#24

Celeron G5925

MSRP: $62|Avg: $15

105%

#25

Ryzen 5 7500F

MSRP: $179|Avg: $145

104%

#26

Core Ultra 5 245

MSRP: $319|Avg: $220

103%

#27

Ryzen 7 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $86

102%

#28

Core Ultra 7 265KF

MSRP: $379|Avg: $323

102%

#29

Core Ultra 7 265F

MSRP: $369|Avg: $276

100%

#30

Core i5-12400F

MSRP: $174|Avg: $110

100%

#31

Ryzen 3 PRO 5355G

MSRP: $130|Avg: $80

99%

#32

Ryzen 7 2700X

MSRP: $329|Avg: $100

98%

#33

Core i3-10100F

MSRP: $88|Avg: $50

98%

#34

Ryzen 5 7400F

MSRP: $150|Avg: $147

98%

#35

Ryzen 5 9600X

MSRP: $279|Avg: $178

95%

#36

Ryzen 7 3800X

MSRP: $399|Avg: $140

93%

#37

Ryzen 3 5300G

MSRP: $130|Avg: $80

92%

#38

Ryzen 9 7900X

MSRP: $549|Avg: $316

91%

#39

Ryzen 5 5600X

MSRP: $299|Avg: $135

91%

#40

Core i5-14600KF

MSRP: $304|Avg: $239

91%

#41

Ryzen 7 5800

MSRP: $349|Avg: $160

91%

#42

Core i3-14100F

MSRP: $109|Avg: $96

90%

#43

Ryzen 7 3700X

MSRP: $329|Avg: $140

90%

#44

Ryzen 5 7600X

MSRP: $299|Avg: $178

90%

#45

Ryzen 3 3100

MSRP: $99|Avg: $75

90%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Core i9-9900KF delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core i5-12400F in both compute-intensive tasks (8% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core i9-9900KF	Core i5-12400F
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($350)	✅ More affordable ($110)
Longevity	✨ Modern (Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) / 14 nm)	✨ Modern (Alder Lake-S (2022) / Intel 7 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Value Proposition: The Core i5-12400F offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. Priced at $110 (vs $350), it costs 69% less. While offering competitive performance, it results in a 245% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Core i9-9900KF.

Insight	Core i9-9900KF	Core i5-12400F
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+245%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($350)	✅ More affordable ($110)

Performance Check

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 i9-9900KF Benchmark Check

Core i5-12400F Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-9900KF and Core i5-12400F

Core i9-9900KF

The Core i9-9900KF is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 8 January 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 18,029 points. Launch price was $488.

Core i5-12400F

The Core i5-12400F is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 4 January 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 18 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: DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 19,532 points. Launch price was $180.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i9-9900KF packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Core i5-12400F offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core i9-9900KF has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Core i9-9900KF versus 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F — a 12.8% clock advantage for the Core i9-9900KF (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Core i9-9900KF uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i5-12400F uses Alder Lake-S (2022) (Intel 7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-9900KF scores 18,029 against the Core i5-12400F's 19,532 — a 8% lead for the Core i5-12400F. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 12,812 vs 12,380 (3.4% advantage for the Core i9-9900KF). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,720 vs 1,700, a 1.2% lead for the Core i9-9900KF that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 8,150 vs 657 (170.2% advantage for the Core i9-9900KF). L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Core i9-9900KF vs 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F.

Feature	Core i9-9900KF	Core i5-12400F
Cores / Threads	8 / 16+33%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	5 GHz+14%	4.4 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+44%	2.5 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)	18 MB (total)+13%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)+400%
Process	14 nm	Intel 7 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Alder Lake-S (2022)
PassMark	18,029	19,532+8%
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,812+3%	12,380
Geekbench 6 Single	1,720+1%	1,700
Geekbench 6 Multi	8,150+1140%	657

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-9900KF uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-12400F uses LGA1700 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i9-9900KF 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. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i9-9900KF) vs 20 (Core i5-12400F) — the Core i5-12400F offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Z390,Z370,H370,B365,B360 (Core i9-9900KF) and H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F).

Feature	Core i9-9900KF	Core i5-12400F
Socket	LGA1151	LGA1700
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200+25%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	❌	❌
PCIe Lanes	16	20+25%

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i9-9900KF) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F). Primary use case: Core i9-9900KF targets Gaming, Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Core i9-9900KF	Core i5-12400F
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use	Gaming	Gaming Performance/Value

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i9-9900KF launched at $488 MSRP, while the Core i5-12400F debuted at $174. At current prices ($350 vs $110), the Core i5-12400F is $240 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i9-9900KF delivers 51.5 pts/$ vs 177.6 pts/$ for the Core i5-12400F — making the Core i5-12400F the 110.1% better value option.