Core i5-12400F
VS
Ryzen 9 5900X

Core i5-12400F vs Ryzen 9 5900X

Intel

Core i5-12400F

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.4 GHz2022
VS
AMD

Ryzen 9 5900X

12 Cores24 Thrd105 WWMax: 4.8 GHz2020

Performance Spectrum - CPU

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 Ryzen 9 5900X

#141
Core i9-13900K
MSRP: $599|Avg: $500
105%
#142
Core i3-14100
MSRP: $134|Avg: $131
104%
#143
Ryzen 5 3400G
MSRP: $149|Avg: $80
103%
#144
Core i7-10700KF
MSRP: $405|Avg: $160
103%
#145
Core i5-11600K
MSRP: $262|Avg: $170
103%
#146
Core i7-13700K
MSRP: $409|Avg: $400
103%
#147
Ryzen 5 PRO 3400G
MSRP: $149|Avg: $80
102%
#148
Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X
MSRP: $329|Avg: $150
102%
#149
Core i9-12900KS
MSRP: $739|Avg: $385
102%
#150
Ryzen 5 5500X3D
MSRP: $185|Avg: $180
101%
#151
Core Ultra 7 265T
MSRP: $384|Avg: $362
101%
#152
Ryzen 3 3200GE
MSRP: $85|Avg: $64
101%
#153
Core i3-9100T
MSRP: $122|Avg: $50
101%
#154
Ryzen 5 4600G
MSRP: $154|Avg: $143
100%
#155
Core i7-13700T
MSRP: $384|Avg: $250
100%
#156
Ryzen 9 5900X
MSRP: $549|Avg: $350
100%
#157
Core i7-13700F
MSRP: $359|Avg: $345
100%
#158
Core i5-13600T
MSRP: $255|Avg: $255
99%
#159
Ryzen 5 3400GE
MSRP: $149|Avg: $80
99%
#160
Core i7-12700F
MSRP: $314|Avg: $275
99%
#161
Core i5-9400
MSRP: $192|Avg: $85
99%
#162
Core i3-13100
MSRP: $134|Avg: $128
99%
#163
Core i9-10910
MSRP: $488|Avg: $200
96%
#164
Core i5-14600T
MSRP: $255|Avg: $255
96%
#165
Core i5-11500T
MSRP: $192|Avg: $120
95%
#166
Ryzen 7 5700X3D
MSRP: $249|Avg: $249
95%
#167
Ryzen 3 8300GE
MSRP: $129|Avg: $129
95%
#168
Core i3-13100T
MSRP: $134|Avg: $122
94%
#169
Core i5-10600T
MSRP: $213|Avg: $110
94%
#170
Ryzen 3 3200G
MSRP: $100|Avg: $67
94%
#171
Core Ultra 9 285
MSRP: $589|Avg: $550
94%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Ryzen 9 5900X delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core i5-12400F in both compute-intensive tasks (66.4% faster) and gaming workloads.
InsightCore i5-12400FRyzen 9 5900X
Gaming
Lower gaming performance
Superior gaming performance
Workstation
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Better multi-core power
Price
More affordable ($110)
⚠️ Higher cost ($350)
Longevity
✨ Modern (Alder Lake-S (2022) / Intel 7 nm)
✨ Modern (Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022) / 7 nm, 12 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Value Proposition: The Core i5-12400F offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. Priced at $110 (vs $350), it costs 69% less. While offering lower overall performance, it results in a 60% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Ryzen 9 5900X.
InsightCore i5-12400FRyzen 9 5900X
Cost Efficiency
Better overall value (+60%)
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
More affordable ($110)
⚠️ Higher cost ($350)

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.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Ryzen 9 5900X

Intel

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.

AMD

Ryzen 9 5900X

The Ryzen 9 5900X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 November 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 38,955 points. Launch price was $549.

Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 9 5900X offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the Ryzen 9 5900X has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5900X — a 8.7% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 5900X (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Ryzen 9 5900X uses Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Ryzen 9 5900X's 38,955 — a 66.4% lead for the Ryzen 9 5900X. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 12,380 vs 21,000 (51.6% advantage for the Ryzen 9 5900X). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,700 vs 2,174, a 24.5% lead for the Ryzen 9 5900X that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 657 vs 11,888 (179.1% advantage for the Ryzen 9 5900X). L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 64 MB on the Ryzen 9 5900X.

FeatureCore i5-12400FRyzen 9 5900X
Cores / Threads
6 / 12
12 / 24+100%
Boost Clock
4.4 GHz
4.8 GHz+9%
Base Clock
2.5 GHz
3.7 GHz+48%
L3 Cache
18 MB (total)
64 MB+256%
L2 Cache
1.25 MB (per core)+150%
512K (per core)
Process
Intel 7 nm
7 nm, 12 nm
Architecture
Alder Lake-S (2022)
Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022)
PassMark
19,532
38,955+99%
Cinebench R23 Multi
12,380
21,000+70%
Geekbench 6 Single
1,700
2,174+28%
Geekbench 6 Multi
657
11,888+1709%
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 9 5900X uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 on the Core i5-12400F versus DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 9 5900X — the Core i5-12400F supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-12400F) vs 24 (Ryzen 9 5900X) — the Ryzen 9 5900X offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F) and A320,B350,X370,B450,X470,B550,X570 (Ryzen 9 5900X).

FeatureCore i5-12400FRyzen 9 5900X
Socket
LGA1700
AM4
PCIe Generation
PCIe 3.0
PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed
DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200+25%
DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity
128 GB
128 GB
RAM Channels
2
2
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
20
24+20%
🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 9 5900X). Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value, Ryzen 9 5900X targets Workstation. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600; Ryzen 9 5900X rivals Core i9-12900K.

FeatureCore i5-12400FRyzen 9 5900X
Integrated GPU
No
No
Unlocked
Yes
AVX-512
No
Virtualization
VT-x, VT-d, EPT
AMD-V
Target Use
Gaming Performance/Value
Workstation
💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-12400F launched at $174 MSRP, while the Ryzen 9 5900X debuted at $549. At current prices ($110 vs $350), the Core i5-12400F is $240 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 177.6 pts/$ vs 111.3 pts/$ for the Ryzen 9 5900X — making the Core i5-12400F the 45.9% better value option.

FeatureCore i5-12400FRyzen 9 5900X
MSRP
$174-68%
$549
Avg Price (30d)
$110-69%
$350
Performance per Dollar
177.6+60%
111.3
Release Date
2022
2020