Core i5-12400F vs Core Ultra 7 265KF

Core i5-12400F

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.4 GHz2022

Core Ultra 7 265KF

20 Cores20 Thrd125 WWMax: 5.5 GHz2024

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i5-12400F

6 / 12

19,532

0.0%

58,690

+200.5%

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 7 265KF

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

120%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

119%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

118%

#16

Core Ultra 5 225F

MSRP: $231|Avg: $150

116%

#17

Core Ultra 7 265K

MSRP: $309|Avg: $285

114%

#18

Ryzen 9 3900

MSRP: $499|Avg: $150

112%

#19

Ryzen 5 3600X

MSRP: $249|Avg: $90

111%

#20

Core i7-14700KF

MSRP: $384|Avg: $260

111%

#21

Core i7-14700K

MSRP: $409|Avg: $270

106%

#22

Ryzen 5 4500

MSRP: $129|Avg: $85

104%

#23

Ryzen 5 5600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $115

103%

#24

Celeron G5925

MSRP: $62|Avg: $15

103%

#25

Ryzen 5 7500F

MSRP: $179|Avg: $145

101%

#26

Core Ultra 5 245

MSRP: $319|Avg: $220

100%

#27

Ryzen 7 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $86

100%

#28

Core Ultra 7 265KF

MSRP: $379|Avg: $323

100%

#29

Core Ultra 7 265F

MSRP: $369|Avg: $276

98%

#30

Core i5-12400F

MSRP: $174|Avg: $110

98%

#31

Ryzen 3 PRO 5355G

MSRP: $130|Avg: $80

97%

#32

Ryzen 7 2700X

MSRP: $329|Avg: $100

96%

#33

Core i3-10100F

MSRP: $88|Avg: $50

96%

#34

Ryzen 5 7400F

MSRP: $150|Avg: $147

96%

#35

Ryzen 5 9600X

MSRP: $279|Avg: $178

93%

#36

Ryzen 7 3800X

MSRP: $399|Avg: $140

90%

#37

Ryzen 3 5300G

MSRP: $130|Avg: $80

90%

#38

Ryzen 9 7900X

MSRP: $549|Avg: $316

89%

#39

Ryzen 5 5600X

MSRP: $299|Avg: $135

89%

#40

Core i5-14600KF

MSRP: $304|Avg: $239

89%

#41

Ryzen 7 5800

MSRP: $349|Avg: $160

89%

#42

Core i3-14100F

MSRP: $109|Avg: $96

88%

#43

Ryzen 7 3700X

MSRP: $329|Avg: $140

88%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Core Ultra 7 265KF delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core i5-12400F in both compute-intensive tasks (100.1% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core i5-12400F	Core Ultra 7 265KF
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($110)	⚠️ Higher cost ($323)
Longevity	✨ Modern (Alder Lake-S (2022) / Intel 7 nm)	✨ Modern (Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025) / 3 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Efficiency: The Core Ultra 7 265KF leads not only in performance but also in value. It delivers superior performance at a comparable price point.

Insight	Core i5-12400F	Core Ultra 7 265KF
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+2%)
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($110)	⚠️ Higher cost ($323)

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 7 265KF Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Core Ultra 7 265KF

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 7 265KF

The Core Ultra 7 265KF is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 October 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025) architecture. It features 20 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 3.9 GHz, with boost up to 5.5 GHz. L3 cache: 30 MB (total). L2 cache: 3 MB (per core). Built on 3 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1851. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-6400. Passmark benchmark score: 58,690 points. Launch price was $379.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core Ultra 7 265KF offers 20 cores / 20 threads — the Core Ultra 7 265KF has 14 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 5.5 GHz on the Core Ultra 7 265KF — a 22.2% clock advantage for the Core Ultra 7 265KF (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.9 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Core Ultra 7 265KF uses Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025) (3 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Core Ultra 7 265KF's 58,690 — a 100.1% lead for the Core Ultra 7 265KF. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 12,380 vs 35,315 (96.2% advantage for the Core Ultra 7 265KF). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,700 vs 3,055, a 57% lead for the Core Ultra 7 265KF that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 657 vs 20,373 (187.5% advantage for the Core Ultra 7 265KF). L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 30 MB (total) on the Core Ultra 7 265KF.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core Ultra 7 265KF
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	20 / 20+233%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	5.5 GHz+25%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.9 GHz+56%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)	30 MB (total)+67%
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	58,690+200%
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,380	35,315+185%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,700	3,055+80%
Geekbench 6 Multi	657	20,373+3001%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core Ultra 7 265KF 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 7 265KF supports up to 192 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 40% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-12400F) vs 24 (Core Ultra 7 265KF) — the Core Ultra 7 265KF offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F) and Intel Z890 (Core Ultra 7 265KF).

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core Ultra 7 265KF
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	192 GB+50%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	❌	❌
PCIe Lanes	20	24+20%

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F) vs true (Core Ultra 7 265KF). Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600; Core Ultra 7 265KF rivals Ryzen 7 9700X.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core Ultra 7 265KF
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	—	None
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	true
Target Use	Gaming Performance/Value	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-12400F launched at $174 MSRP, while the Core Ultra 7 265KF debuted at $379. At current prices ($110 vs $323), the Core i5-12400F is $213 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 177.6 pts/$ vs 181.7 pts/$ for the Core Ultra 7 265KF — making the Core Ultra 7 265KF the 2.3% better value option.