Core i5-12400F vs Core Ultra 9 285

Core i5-12400F

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.4 GHz2022

Core Ultra 9 285

24 Cores24 Thrd65 WWMax: 5.5 GHz2025

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i5-12400F

6 / 12

19,532

0.0%

57,442

+194.1%

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 9 285

#156

Ryzen 9 5900X

MSRP: $549|Avg: $350

107%

#157

Core i7-13700F

MSRP: $359|Avg: $345

106%

#158

Core i5-13600T

MSRP: $255|Avg: $255

106%

#159

Ryzen 5 3400GE

MSRP: $149|Avg: $80

106%

#160

Core i7-12700F

MSRP: $314|Avg: $275

106%

#161

Core i5-9400

MSRP: $192|Avg: $85

106%

#162

Core i3-13100

MSRP: $134|Avg: $128

105%

#163

Core i9-10910

MSRP: $488|Avg: $200

102%

#164

Core i5-14600T

MSRP: $255|Avg: $255

102%

#165

Core i5-11500T

MSRP: $192|Avg: $120

102%

#166

Ryzen 7 5700X3D

MSRP: $249|Avg: $249

101%

#167

Ryzen 3 8300GE

MSRP: $129|Avg: $129

101%

#168

Core i3-13100T

MSRP: $134|Avg: $122

100%

#169

Core i5-10600T

MSRP: $213|Avg: $110

100%

#170

Ryzen 3 3200G

MSRP: $100|Avg: $67

100%

#171

Core Ultra 9 285

MSRP: $589|Avg: $550

100%

#172

Core i9-13900KS

MSRP: $699|Avg: $580

100%

#173

Ryzen 5 2400G

MSRP: $169|Avg: $84

100%

#174

Ryzen 9 9950X3D

MSRP: $699|Avg: $675

100%

#175

Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G

MSRP: $149|Avg: $105.5

99%

#176

Core i7-13700

MSRP: $384|Avg: $350

99%

#177

Athlon 200GE

MSRP: $55|Avg: $40

98%

#178

Core i5-13500E

MSRP: $235|Avg: $235

98%

#179

Core i5-12500E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $200

98%

#180

Core i9-11900

MSRP: $439|Avg: $220

98%

#181

Core i7-12700E

MSRP: $314|Avg: $278

97%

#182

Core i3-14100T

MSRP: $134|Avg: $135

97%

#183

Core i5-13400T

MSRP: $221|Avg: $200

97%

#184

Core i3-12300

MSRP: $143|Avg: $143

96%

#185

Core i5-10505

MSRP: $192|Avg: $120

96%

#186

Ryzen 3 4300G

MSRP: $149|Avg: $100

95%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Core Ultra 9 285 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core i5-12400F in both compute-intensive tasks (98.5% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core i5-12400F	Core Ultra 9 285
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($110)	⚠️ Higher cost ($550)
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 $550), it costs 80% less. While offering significantly lower raw performance, it results in a 70% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Core Ultra 9 285.

Insight	Core i5-12400F	Core Ultra 9 285
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+70%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($110)	⚠️ Higher cost ($550)

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 9 285 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Core Ultra 9 285

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 9 285

The Core Ultra 9 285 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in Janeiro 2025 (recentemente). It is based on the Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025) architecture. It features 24 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 5.5 GHz. L3 cache: 36 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: 57,442 points. Launch price was $579.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core Ultra 9 285 offers 24 cores / 24 threads — the Core Ultra 9 285 has 18 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 5.5 GHz on the Core Ultra 9 285 — a 22.2% clock advantage for the Core Ultra 9 285 (base: 2.5 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Core Ultra 9 285 uses Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025) (3 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Core Ultra 9 285's 57,442 — a 98.5% lead for the Core Ultra 9 285. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 12,380 vs 40,000 (105.5% advantage for the Core Ultra 9 285). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,700 vs 3,000, a 55.3% lead for the Core Ultra 9 285 that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 657 vs 20,000 (187.3% advantage for the Core Ultra 9 285). L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 36 MB (total) on the Core Ultra 9 285.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core Ultra 9 285
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	24 / 24+300%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	5.5 GHz+25%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	2.5 GHz
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)	36 MB (total)+100%
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	57,442+194%
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,380	40,000+223%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,700	3,000+76%
Geekbench 6 Multi	657	20,000+2944%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core Ultra 9 285 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 9 285 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 9 285) — the Core Ultra 9 285 offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F) and Intel 800 Series (Core Ultra 9 285).

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core Ultra 9 285
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 Yes (Core Ultra 9 285). The Core Ultra 9 285 includes integrated graphics (Arc Graphics), while the Core i5-12400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value, Core Ultra 9 285 targets High-End Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core Ultra 9 285
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	—	Arc Graphics
Unlocked	—	No
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	Yes
Target Use	Gaming Performance/Value	High-End Gaming

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-12400F launched at $174 MSRP, while the Core Ultra 9 285 debuted at $589. At current prices ($110 vs $550), the Core i5-12400F is $440 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 177.6 pts/$ vs 104.4 pts/$ for the Core Ultra 9 285 — making the Core i5-12400F the 51.9% better value option.