Core i5-12400F vs Core i3-1125G4

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core i3-1125G4 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i5-12400F has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 3.7 GHz on the Core i3-1125G4 — a 17.3% clock advantage for the Core i5-12400F (base: 2.5 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Core i3-1125G4 uses Tiger Lake-UP3 (2020−2021) (10 nm SuperFin). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Core i3-1125G4's 9,284 — a 71.1% lead for the Core i5-12400F. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 12,380 vs 5,112 (83.1% advantage for the Core i5-12400F). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,700 vs 1,560, a 8.6% lead for the Core i5-12400F that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 657 vs 4,770 (151.6% advantage for the Core i3-1125G4). L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 8 MB (total) on the Core i3-1125G4.

The Core i5-12400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i3-1125G4 uses FCBGA1449 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 on the Core i5-12400F versus DDR4-3200 on the Core i3-1125G4 — the Core i5-12400F supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i5-12400F supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-12400F) vs 16 (Core i3-1125G4) — the Core i5-12400F offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F) and SoC (Core i3-1125G4).

Both support VT-x, VT-d, EPT virtualization. The Core i3-1125G4 includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics (48 EU)), while the Core i5-12400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value, Core i3-1125G4 targets Productivity. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600; Core i3-1125G4 rivals Ryzen 3 5300U.