Ryzen 3 5300U
VS
Core i5-9400F

Ryzen 3 5300U vs Core i5-9400F

AMD

Ryzen 3 5300U

4 Cores8 Thrd15 WWMax: 3.8 GHz2021
VS
Intel

Core i5-9400F

6 Cores6 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.1 GHz2019

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

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i5-9400F

#118
Core i5-14500
MSRP: $239|Avg: $251
105%
#119
Core i5-11600KF
MSRP: $237|Avg: $157
105%
#120
Ryzen 5 5600XT
MSRP: $192|Avg: $180
105%
#121
Core i5-13600
MSRP: $255|Avg: $255
104%
#122
Core i3-13100F
MSRP: $109|Avg: $119
104%
#123
Ryzen 5 5600G
MSRP: $259|Avg: $160
104%
#124
Core Ultra 9 285K
MSRP: $589|Avg: $550
104%
#125
Core i5-13400E
MSRP: $221|Avg: $221
103%
#126
Ryzen 7 8700F
MSRP: $270|Avg: $257
103%
#127
Core i9-14900KF
MSRP: $564|Avg: $480
103%
#128
Core i7-12700K
MSRP: $409|Avg: $285
102%
#129
Core i9-13900KF
MSRP: $599|Avg: $480
102%
#130
Core i7-12700
MSRP: $250|Avg: $250
102%
#131
Core Ultra 5 245T
MSRP: $270|Avg: $270
102%
#132
Core i5-8500
MSRP: $192|Avg: $80
101%
#133
Core i5-9400F
MSRP: $182|Avg: $80
100%
#134
Core i5-11400
MSRP: $182|Avg: $141
100%
#135
Core i5-13600K
MSRP: $329|Avg: $319
100%
#136
Core i5-13500
MSRP: $242|Avg: $264
100%
#137
Ryzen 7 8700G
MSRP: $329|Avg: $269
99%
#138
Core i7-14700
MSRP: $384|Avg: $348
99%
#139
Ryzen 5 2500X
MSRP: $159|Avg: $80
99%
#140
Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE
MSRP: $100|Avg: $60
99%
#141
Core i9-13900K
MSRP: $599|Avg: $500
99%
#142
Core i3-14100
MSRP: $134|Avg: $131
98%
#143
Ryzen 5 3400G
MSRP: $149|Avg: $80
97%
#144
Core i7-10700KF
MSRP: $405|Avg: $160
97%
#145
Core i5-11600K
MSRP: $262|Avg: $170
97%
#146
Core i7-13700K
MSRP: $409|Avg: $400
97%
#147
Ryzen 5 PRO 3400G
MSRP: $149|Avg: $80
96%
#148
Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X
MSRP: $329|Avg: $150
96%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Core i5-9400F delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Ryzen 3 5300U in both compute-intensive tasks (0.1% faster) and gaming workloads.
InsightRyzen 3 5300UCore i5-9400F
Gaming
Lower gaming performance
Superior gaming performance
Workstation
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Better multi-core power
Price
More affordable ($0)
⚠️ Higher cost ($80)
Longevity
✨ Modern (Lucienne-U (Zen 2) (2021) / 7 nm)
✨ Modern (Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

InsightRyzen 3 5300UCore i5-9400F
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
More affordable ($0)
⚠️ Higher cost ($80)

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 Ryzen 3 5300U and Core i5-9400F

AMD

Ryzen 3 5300U

The Ryzen 3 5300U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Lucienne-U (Zen 2) (2021) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 9,453 points. Launch price was $149.

Intel

Core i5-9400F

The Core i5-9400F is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 8 January 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. It features 6 cores and 6 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 4.1 GHz. L3 cache: 9 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 9,462 points. Launch price was $182.

Processing Power

The Ryzen 3 5300U packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Core i5-9400F offers 6 cores / 6 threads — the Core i5-9400F has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.8 GHz on the Ryzen 3 5300U versus 4.1 GHz on the Core i5-9400F — a 7.6% clock advantage for the Core i5-9400F (base: 2.6 GHz vs 2.9 GHz). The Ryzen 3 5300U uses the Lucienne-U (Zen 2) (2021) architecture (7 nm), while the Core i5-9400F uses Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 3 5300U scores 9,453 against the Core i5-9400F's 9,462 — a 0.1% lead for the Core i5-9400F. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Ryzen 3 5300U vs 9 MB (total) on the Core i5-9400F.

FeatureRyzen 3 5300UCore i5-9400F
Cores / Threads
4 / 8
6 / 6+50%
Boost Clock
3.8 GHz
4.1 GHz+8%
Base Clock
2.6 GHz
2.9 GHz+12%
L3 Cache
4 MB (total)
9 MB (total)+125%
L2 Cache
512K (per core)+100%
256K (per core)
Process
7 nm-50%
14 nm
Architecture
Lucienne-U (Zen 2) (2021)
Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)
PassMark
9,453
9,462
Cinebench R23 Multi
5,522
Geekbench 6 Single
1,457
Geekbench 6 Multi
3,526
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 3 5300U uses the FP6 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-9400F uses LGA1151 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-3200 memory speed. The Core i5-9400F supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 12 (Ryzen 3 5300U) vs 16 (Core i5-9400F) — the Core i5-9400F offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SoC (Ryzen 3 5300U) and Intel 300 series (Core i5-9400F).

FeatureRyzen 3 5300UCore i5-9400F
Socket
FP6
LGA1151
PCIe Generation
PCIe 3.0
PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed
DDR4-3200
DDR4-2666
Max RAM Capacity
64 GB
128 GB+100%
RAM Channels
2
2
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
12
16+33%
🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: Yes (Ryzen 3 5300U) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-9400F). The Ryzen 3 5300U includes integrated graphics (Radeon Vega 6), while the Core i5-9400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-9400F targets Desktop.

FeatureRyzen 3 5300UCore i5-9400F
Integrated GPU
Yes
No
IGPU Model
Radeon Vega 6
Unlocked
No
AVX-512
No
No
Virtualization
Yes
VT-x, VT-d
Target Use
Desktop