Core i5-12400F vs Core i9-10980XE

Core i5-12400F

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.4 GHz2022

Core i9-10980XE

18 Cores36 Thrd165 WWMax: 4.8 GHz2019

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i5-12400F

6 / 12

19,532

0.0%

32,187

+64.8%

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 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 Per Dollar Core i9-10980XE

#323

Core i9-11900K

MSRP: $539|Avg: $435

111%

#324

Core i7-12700TE

MSRP: $378|Avg: $350

109%

#325

Core i9-12900E

MSRP: $500|Avg: $500

109%

#326

Celeron G4900T

MSRP: $42|Avg: $40

108%

#327

Ryzen Threadripper 2920X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $452

107%

#328

Core i9-9900KS

MSRP: $513|Avg: $350

107%

#329

Core i5-11600T

MSRP: $262|Avg: $262

106%

#330

Core i9-9900K

MSRP: $488|Avg: $331

105%

#331

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X

MSRP: $899|Avg: $540

105%

#332

Celeron G4930T

MSRP: $42|Avg: $42

105%

#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

101%

#336

Core i7-8700T

MSRP: $303|Avg: $196

100%

#337

Ryzen 5 3600XT

MSRP: $249|Avg: $357

100%

#338

Core i9-10980XE

MSRP: $979|Avg: $620

100%

#339

Core i5-8500T

MSRP: $192|Avg: $149

100%

#340

Core i9-9900KF

MSRP: $488|Avg: $350

99%

#341

Ryzen Embedded V2748

MSRP: $309|Avg: $359

99%

#342

Core i3-9350K

MSRP: $184|Avg: $150

98%

#343

Athlon Gold PRO 3150G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $150

96%

#344

Core i9-9900

MSRP: $423|Avg: $330

95%

#345

Core i9-9980XE

MSRP: $1979|Avg: $593

95%

#346

Core i7-10700K

MSRP: $387|Avg: $380

94%

#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

90%

#351

Core i5-8500B

MSRP: $192|Avg: $192

89%

#352

Core i7-13700TE

MSRP: $390|Avg: $476

89%

#353

Core i9-11900T

MSRP: $439|Avg: $413

87%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Core i5-12400F leads in gaming performance. However, the Core i9-10980XE is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 48.9% greater multi-core processing power.

Insight	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10980XE
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($110)	⚠️ Higher cost ($620)
Longevity	✨ Modern (Alder Lake-S (2022) / Intel 7 nm)	✨ Modern (Cascade Lake-X (2019) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Efficiency: The Core i5-12400F leads not only in performance but also in value. It is effectively 82% cheaper ($110 vs $620) while identifying as the stronger performer.

Insight	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10980XE
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+242%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($110)	⚠️ Higher cost ($620)

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 i5-12400F Benchmark Check

Core i9-10980XE Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Core i9-10980XE

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.

Core i9-10980XE

The Core i9-10980XE is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake-X (2019) architecture. It features 18 cores and 36 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 24.75 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2066. Thermal design power (TDP): 165 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 32,187 points. Launch price was $979.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core i9-10980XE offers 18 cores / 36 threads — the Core i9-10980XE has 12 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 4.8 GHz on the Core i9-10980XE — a 8.7% clock advantage for the Core i9-10980XE (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Core i9-10980XE uses Cascade Lake-X (2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Core i9-10980XE's 32,187 — a 48.9% lead for the Core i9-10980XE. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 12,380 vs 24,309 (65% advantage for the Core i9-10980XE). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,700 vs 1,242, a 31.1% lead for the Core i5-12400F that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 657 vs 16,275 (184.5% advantage for the Core i9-10980XE). L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 24.75 MB (total) on the Core i9-10980XE.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10980XE
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	18 / 36+200%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	4.8 GHz+9%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3 GHz+20%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)	24.75 MB (total)+38%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+25%	1 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Cascade Lake-X (2019)
PassMark	19,532	32,187+65%
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,380	24,309+96%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,700+37%	1,242
Geekbench 6 Multi	657	16,275+2377%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i9-10980XE uses LGA2066 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 on the Core i5-12400F versus DDR4-2933 on the Core i9-10980XE — the Core i5-12400F supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i9-10980XE supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i5-12400F) vs 4 (Core i9-10980XE). PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-12400F) vs 48 (Core i9-10980XE) — the Core i9-10980XE offers 28 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F) and X299 (Core i9-10980XE).

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10980XE
Socket	LGA1700	LGA2066
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200+25%	DDR4-2933
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	256 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	4+100%
ECC Support	❌	❌
PCIe Lanes	20	48+140%

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F) vs Yes (Core i9-10980XE). Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-10980XE
Integrated GPU	No	No
AVX-512	—	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	Yes
Target Use	Gaming Performance/Value	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-12400F launched at $174 MSRP, while the Core i9-10980XE debuted at $979. At current prices ($110 vs $620), the Core i5-12400F is $510 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 177.6 pts/$ vs 51.9 pts/$ for the Core i9-10980XE — making the Core i5-12400F the 109.5% better value option.