Core i5-12400F vs Core Ultra 5 225

Core i5-12400F

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.4 GHz2022

Core Ultra 5 225

10 Cores10 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.9 GHz2025

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i5-12400F

6 / 12

19,532

0.0%

31,137

+59.4%

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 Ultra 5 225

#36

Ryzen 7 3800X

MSRP: $399|Avg: $140

106%

#37

Ryzen 3 5300G

MSRP: $130|Avg: $80

105%

#38

Ryzen 9 7900X

MSRP: $549|Avg: $316

104%

#39

Ryzen 5 5600X

MSRP: $299|Avg: $135

104%

#40

Core i5-14600KF

MSRP: $304|Avg: $239

104%

#41

Ryzen 7 5800

MSRP: $349|Avg: $160

103%

#42

Core i3-14100F

MSRP: $109|Avg: $96

103%

#43

Ryzen 7 3700X

MSRP: $329|Avg: $140

103%

#44

Ryzen 5 7600X

MSRP: $299|Avg: $178

102%

#45

Ryzen 3 3100

MSRP: $99|Avg: $75

102%

#46

Core i5-13490F

MSRP: $235|Avg: $170

101%

#47

Ryzen 5 5600F

MSRP: $99|Avg: $129

101%

#48

Ryzen 9 PRO 3900

MSRP: $499|Avg: $200

100%

#49

Ryzen 3 4300GE

MSRP: $94|Avg: $72

100%

#50

Ryzen 5 PRO 2400GE

MSRP: $169|Avg: $50

100%

#51

Core Ultra 5 225

MSRP: $240|Avg: $200

100%

#52

Core i5-11500

MSRP: $192|Avg: $110

100%

#53

Core i3-12100F

MSRP: $97|Avg: $90

100%

#54

Core Ultra 7 265

MSRP: $384|Avg: $320

100%

#55

Ryzen 7 5800X

MSRP: $449|Avg: $180

99%

#56

Core i5-11400F

MSRP: $157|Avg: $110

99%

#57

Ryzen 7 5700G

MSRP: $359|Avg: $160

98%

#58

Ryzen 7 5700X

MSRP: $299|Avg: $175

98%

#59

Core i5-9500

MSRP: $192|Avg: $65

97%

#60

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9955WX

MSRP: $429|Avg: $450

96%

#61

Core i9-9960X

MSRP: $1684|Avg: $200

96%

#62

Core Ultra 5 225T

MSRP: $240|Avg: $180

96%

#63

Ryzen 3 3300X

MSRP: $120|Avg: $90

96%

#64

Core i5-12600K

MSRP: $289|Avg: $185

96%

#65

Core Ultra 5 235

MSRP: $257|Avg: $269

95%

#66

Ryzen 7 5700

MSRP: $179|Avg: $164

95%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Core Ultra 5 225 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core i5-12400F in both compute-intensive tasks (45.8% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core i5-12400F	Core Ultra 5 225
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($110)	⚠️ Higher cost ($200)
Longevity	✨ Modern (Alder Lake-S (2022) / Intel 7 nm)	✨ Modern (Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025) / 3 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Value Proposition: The Core i5-12400F offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. Priced at $110 (vs $200), it costs 45% less. While offering lower overall performance, it results in a 14% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Core Ultra 5 225.

Insight	Core i5-12400F	Core Ultra 5 225
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+14%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($110)	⚠️ Higher cost ($200)

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 Ultra 5 225 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Core Ultra 5 225

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 Ultra 5 225

The Core Ultra 5 225 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 7 January 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025) architecture. It features 10 cores and 10 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 3 MB (per core). Built on 3 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1851. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-6400. Passmark benchmark score: 31,137 points. Launch price was $246.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core Ultra 5 225 offers 10 cores / 10 threads — the Core Ultra 5 225 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 4.9 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 225 — a 10.8% clock advantage for the Core Ultra 5 225 (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Core Ultra 5 225 uses Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025) (3 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Core Ultra 5 225's 31,137 — a 45.8% lead for the Core Ultra 5 225. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 12,380 vs 17,020 (31.6% advantage for the Core Ultra 5 225). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,700 vs 2,653, a 43.8% lead for the Core Ultra 5 225 that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 657 vs 13,028 (180.8% advantage for the Core Ultra 5 225). L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 20 MB (total) on the Core Ultra 5 225.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core Ultra 5 225
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	10 / 10+67%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	4.9 GHz+11%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.3 GHz+32%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)	20 MB (total)+11%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)	3 MB (per core)+140%
Process	Intel 7 nm	3 nm-57%
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025)
PassMark	19,532	31,137+59%
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,380	17,020+37%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,700	2,653+56%
Geekbench 6 Multi	657	13,028+1883%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core Ultra 5 225 uses LGA1851 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 memory speed. The Core Ultra 5 225 supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-12400F) vs 24 (Core Ultra 5 225) — the Core Ultra 5 225 offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F) and Z890,B860,H810 (Core Ultra 5 225).

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core Ultra 5 225
Socket	LGA1700	LGA1851
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200	DDR5-6400
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	256 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	❌	❌
PCIe Lanes	20	24+20%

🔧

Advanced Features

Both support VT-x, VT-d, EPT virtualization. The Core Ultra 5 225 includes integrated graphics (Intel Arc Graphics (2 Xe-cores)), while the Core i5-12400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value, Core Ultra 5 225 targets Mainstream Desktop / Efficiency. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600; Core Ultra 5 225 rivals Ryzen 5 8600G.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core Ultra 5 225
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	—	Intel Arc Graphics (2 Xe-cores)
Unlocked	—	No
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use	Gaming Performance/Value	Mainstream Desktop / Efficiency

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-12400F launched at $174 MSRP, while the Core Ultra 5 225 debuted at $240. At current prices ($110 vs $200), the Core i5-12400F is $90 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 177.6 pts/$ vs 155.7 pts/$ for the Core Ultra 5 225 — making the Core i5-12400F the 13.1% better value option.