Core i5-12400F vs Core i9-12900KS

Core i5-12400F

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.4 GHz2022

Core i9-12900KS

16 Cores24 Thrd150 WWMax: 5.3 GHz2022

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i5-12400F

6 / 12

19,532

0.0%

43,528

+122.9%

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 i9-12900KS

#134

Core i5-11400

MSRP: $182|Avg: $141

105%

#135

Core i5-13600K

MSRP: $329|Avg: $319

104%

#136

Core i5-13500

MSRP: $242|Avg: $264

104%

#137

Ryzen 7 8700G

MSRP: $329|Avg: $269

104%

#138

Core i7-14700

MSRP: $384|Avg: $348

104%

#139

Ryzen 5 2500X

MSRP: $159|Avg: $80

104%

#140

Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE

MSRP: $100|Avg: $60

103%

#141

Core i9-13900K

MSRP: $599|Avg: $500

103%

#142

Core i3-14100

MSRP: $134|Avg: $131

103%

#143

Ryzen 5 3400G

MSRP: $149|Avg: $80

102%

#144

Core i7-10700KF

MSRP: $405|Avg: $160

102%

#145

Core i5-11600K

MSRP: $262|Avg: $170

102%

#146

Core i7-13700K

MSRP: $409|Avg: $400

101%

#147

Ryzen 5 PRO 3400G

MSRP: $149|Avg: $80

100%

#148

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X

MSRP: $329|Avg: $150

100%

#149

Core i9-12900KS

MSRP: $739|Avg: $385

100%

#150

Ryzen 5 5500X3D

MSRP: $185|Avg: $180

99%

#151

Core Ultra 7 265T

MSRP: $384|Avg: $362

99%

#152

Ryzen 3 3200GE

MSRP: $85|Avg: $64

99%

#153

Core i3-9100T

MSRP: $122|Avg: $50

99%

#154

Ryzen 5 4600G

MSRP: $154|Avg: $143

99%

#155

Core i7-13700T

MSRP: $384|Avg: $250

99%

#156

Ryzen 9 5900X

MSRP: $549|Avg: $350

98%

#157

Core i7-13700F

MSRP: $359|Avg: $345

98%

#158

Core i5-13600T

MSRP: $255|Avg: $255

98%

#159

Ryzen 5 3400GE

MSRP: $149|Avg: $80

98%

#160

Core i7-12700F

MSRP: $314|Avg: $275

98%

#161

Core i5-9400

MSRP: $192|Avg: $85

98%

#162

Core i3-13100

MSRP: $134|Avg: $128

97%

#163

Core i9-10910

MSRP: $488|Avg: $200

95%

#164

Core i5-14600T

MSRP: $255|Avg: $255

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Core i9-12900KS delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core i5-12400F in both compute-intensive tasks (76.1% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-12900KS
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($110)	⚠️ Higher cost ($385)
Longevity	✨ Modern (Alder Lake-S (2022) / Intel 7 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 $385), it costs 71% less. While offering significantly lower raw performance, it results in a 57% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Core i9-12900KS.

Insight	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-12900KS
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+57%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($110)	⚠️ Higher cost ($385)

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 i9-12900KS Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Core i9-12900KS

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 i9-12900KS

The Core i9-12900KS is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 5 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture. It features 16 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 5.3 GHz. L3 cache: 30 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 150 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 43,528 points. Launch price was $499.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core i9-12900KS offers 16 cores / 24 threads — the Core i9-12900KS has 10 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 5.3 GHz on the Core i9-12900KS — a 18.6% clock advantage for the Core i9-12900KS (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.4 GHz). Both are built on the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture using a Intel 7 nm process. In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Core i9-12900KS's 43,528 — a 76.1% lead for the Core i9-12900KS. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 12,380 vs 27,796 (76.7% advantage for the Core i9-12900KS). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,700 vs 2,082, a 20.2% lead for the Core i9-12900KS that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 30 MB (total) on the Core i9-12900KS.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-12900KS
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	16 / 24+167%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	5.3 GHz+20%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.4 GHz+36%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)	30 MB (total)+67%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm	Intel 7 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Alder Lake-S (2022)
PassMark	19,532	43,528+123%
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,380	27,796+125%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,700	2,082+22%
Geekbench 6 Multi	657	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the LGA1700 socket with PCIe 3.0. Both support up to DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 memory speed. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 20 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F) and LGA1700 (Core i9-12900KS).

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-12900KS
Socket	LGA1700	LGA1700
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200	DDR5-4800
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	❌	✅
PCIe Lanes	20	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i9-12900KS). The Core i9-12900KS includes integrated graphics (UHD 770), while the Core i5-12400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i9-12900KS
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	—	UHD 770
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	Gaming Performance/Value	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-12400F launched at $174 MSRP, while the Core i9-12900KS debuted at $739. At current prices ($110 vs $385), the Core i5-12400F is $275 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 177.6 pts/$ vs 113.1 pts/$ for the Core i9-12900KS — making the Core i5-12400F the 44.4% better value option.