Core i5-12400F
VS
Xeon Gold 6238R

Core i5-12400F vs Xeon Gold 6238R

Intel

Core i5-12400F

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.4 GHz2022
VS
Intel

Xeon Gold 6238R

28 Cores56 Thrd165 WWMax: 4 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 Xeon Gold 6238R

#41
Xeon W-2195
MSRP: $150|Avg: $5
128%
#50
Xeon Gold 6238R
MSRP: $2612|Avg: N/A
100%
#54
EPYC 4465P
MSRP: $399|Avg: $399
86%
#55
Ryzen 5 PRO 7645
MSRP: $229|Avg: $192
82%
#56
Xeon E5-4667 v3
MSRP: $128|Avg: $128
82%
#59
Ryzen 9 PRO 7945
MSRP: $409|Avg: $450
78%
#60
Xeon Platinum 8571N
MSRP: $599|Avg: $418
78%
#61
Xeon Platinum 8270
MSRP: $7405|Avg: N/A
78%
#62
EPYC 4464P
MSRP: $429|Avg: $450
75%
#63
EPYC 4345P
MSRP: $329|Avg: $329
75%
#64
EPYC 4344P
MSRP: $329|Avg: $314
74%
#65
EPYC 4364P
MSRP: $399|Avg: $334
70%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Use Case Distinction: This is a comparison between a Professional Workstation processor ($2,612) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon Gold 6238R is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightCore i5-12400FXeon Gold 6238R
Gaming
Superior gaming performance
Lower gaming performance
Workstation
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Better multi-core power
Price
More affordable ($110)
⚠️ Higher cost ($2,612)
Longevity
✨ Modern (Alder Lake-S (2022) / Intel 7 nm)
✨ Modern (Cascade Lake (2019−2020) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i5-12400F ($110), however, is optimized for mixed workloads and gaming. For most users, it offers superior single-thread performance and responsiveness at a fraction of the cost ($2,502 less, 96% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.
InsightCore i5-12400FXeon Gold 6238R
Cost Efficiency
Better overall value (+1235%)
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
More affordable ($110)
⚠️ Higher cost ($2,612)

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 Xeon Gold 6238R

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.

Intel

Xeon Gold 6238R

The Xeon Gold 6238R is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 February 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture. It features 28 cores and 56 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 38.5 MB. L2 cache: 28 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 165 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 34,751 points. Launch price was $2,612.

Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6238R offers 28 cores / 56 threads — the Xeon Gold 6238R has 22 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 4 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6238R — a 9.5% clock advantage for the Core i5-12400F (base: 2.5 GHz vs 2.2 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6238R uses Cascade Lake (2019−2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Xeon Gold 6238R's 34,751 — a 56.1% lead for the Xeon Gold 6238R. Multi-core Geekbench: 657 vs 21,433 (188.1% advantage for the Xeon Gold 6238R). L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 38.5 MB on the Xeon Gold 6238R.

FeatureCore i5-12400FXeon Gold 6238R
Cores / Threads
6 / 12
28 / 56+367%
Boost Clock
4.4 GHz+10%
4 GHz
Base Clock
2.5 GHz+14%
2.2 GHz
L3 Cache
18 MB (total)
38.5 MB+114%
L2 Cache
1.25 MB (per core)
28 MB+2140%
Process
Intel 7 nm-50%
14 nm
Architecture
Alder Lake-S (2022)
Cascade Lake (2019−2020)
PassMark
19,532
34,751+78%
Cinebench R23 Multi
12,380
Geekbench 6 Single
1,700
Geekbench 6 Multi
657
21,433+3162%
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon Gold 6238R uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 on the Core i5-12400F versus DDR4-2933 on the Xeon Gold 6238R — the Core i5-12400F supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i5-12400F supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 1 TB 196.9% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i5-12400F) vs 6 (Xeon Gold 6238R). PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-12400F) vs 48 (Xeon Gold 6238R) — the Xeon Gold 6238R offers 28 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F) and C621,C622,C624,C627,C628 (Xeon Gold 6238R).

FeatureCore i5-12400FXeon Gold 6238R
Socket
LGA1700
LGA3647
PCIe Generation
PCIe 3.0
PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed
DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200+25%
DDR4-2933
Max RAM Capacity
128 GB
1 TB+700%
RAM Channels
2
6+200%
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
20
48+140%
🔧

Advanced Features

Both support VT-x, VT-d, EPT virtualization. Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value, Xeon Gold 6238R targets Server. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600; Xeon Gold 6238R rivals Xeon Gold 6248R.

FeatureCore i5-12400FXeon Gold 6238R
Integrated GPU
No
No
Unlocked
No
AVX-512
Yes
Virtualization
VT-x, VT-d, EPT
VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use
Gaming Performance/Value
Server
💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-12400F launched at $174 MSRP, while the Xeon Gold 6238R debuted at $2612.

FeatureCore i5-12400FXeon Gold 6238R
MSRP
$174-93%
$2612
Avg Price (30d)
$110
Release Date
2022
2020