Ryzen 9 9900X vs Core i5-12400F

Ryzen 9 9900X

12 Cores24 Thrd120 WWMax: 5.6 GHz2024

Core i5-12400F

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.4 GHz2022

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Ryzen 9 9900X

12 / 24

54,530

+179.2%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX

Ryzen Threadripper 9970X

Core i5-12400F

6 / 12

19,532

0.0%

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 Ryzen 9 9900X

#54

Core Ultra 7 265

MSRP: $384|Avg: $320

105%

#55

Ryzen 7 5800X

MSRP: $449|Avg: $180

104%

#56

Core i5-11400F

MSRP: $157|Avg: $110

104%

#57

Ryzen 7 5700G

MSRP: $359|Avg: $160

103%

#58

Ryzen 7 5700X

MSRP: $299|Avg: $175

103%

#59

Core i5-9500

MSRP: $192|Avg: $65

103%

#60

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9955WX

MSRP: $429|Avg: $450

102%

#61

Core i9-9960X

MSRP: $1684|Avg: $200

102%

#62

Core Ultra 5 225T

MSRP: $240|Avg: $180

101%

#63

Ryzen 3 3300X

MSRP: $120|Avg: $90

101%

#64

Core i5-12600K

MSRP: $289|Avg: $185

101%

#65

Core Ultra 5 235

MSRP: $257|Avg: $269

101%

#66

Ryzen 7 5700

MSRP: $179|Avg: $164

101%

#67

Ryzen 5 PRO 2600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $90

100%

#68

Ryzen 3 4100

MSRP: $99|Avg: $75

100%

#69

Ryzen 9 9900X

MSRP: $499|Avg: $370

100%

#70

Ryzen 5 7600

MSRP: $229|Avg: $185

99%

#71

Core i5-14490F

MSRP: $209|Avg: $190

99%

#72

Core i5-12600KF

MSRP: $264|Avg: $190

99%

#73

Core i5-13600KF

MSRP: $249|Avg: $258

98%

#74

Ryzen 5 5500GT

MSRP: $125|Avg: $130

98%

#75

Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G

MSRP: $309|Avg: $140

98%

#75

Ryzen 7 1700

MSRP: $140|Avg: $185

72%

#76

Ryzen 7 7700X

MSRP: $399|Avg: $249

97%

#77

Ryzen 9 5900XT

MSRP: $349|Avg: $311

96%

#78

Core i5-12500

MSRP: $212|Avg: $140

96%

#79

Core i5-14600K

MSRP: $329|Avg: $275

95%

#80

Ryzen 7 7700

MSRP: $329|Avg: $246

95%

#81

Core i5-13400F

MSRP: $196|Avg: $180

94%

#82

Core i3-12100T

MSRP: $125|Avg: $90

94%

#83

Core i7-11700F

MSRP: $298|Avg: $150

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

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 Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Ryzen 9 9900X delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core i5-12400F in both compute-intensive tasks (94.5% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Ryzen 9 9900X	Core i5-12400F
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($370)	✅ More affordable ($110)
Longevity	✨ Modern (Granite Ridge (2024−2025) / 4 nm)	✨ Modern (Alder Lake-S (2022) / Intel 7 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Value Proposition: The Core i5-12400F offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. Priced at $110 (vs $370), it costs 70% less. While offering significantly lower raw performance, it results in a 20% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Ryzen 9 9900X.

Insight	Ryzen 9 9900X	Core i5-12400F
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+20%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($370)	✅ More affordable ($110)

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.

Ryzen 9 9900X Benchmark Check

Core i5-12400F Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 9 9900X and Core i5-12400F

Ryzen 9 9900X

The Ryzen 9 9900X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 15 August 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Granite Ridge (2024−2025) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 4.4 GHz, with boost up to 5.6 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 120 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 54,530 points. Launch price was $499.

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.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 9 9900X packs 12 cores / 24 threads, while the Core i5-12400F offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Ryzen 9 9900X has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.6 GHz on the Ryzen 9 9900X versus 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F — a 24% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 9900X (base: 4.4 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Ryzen 9 9900X uses the Granite Ridge (2024−2025) architecture (4 nm), while the Core i5-12400F uses Alder Lake-S (2022) (Intel 7 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 9 9900X scores 54,530 against the Core i5-12400F's 19,532 — a 94.5% lead for the Ryzen 9 9900X. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 33,003 vs 12,380 (90.9% advantage for the Ryzen 9 9900X). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 3,401 vs 1,700, a 66.7% lead for the Ryzen 9 9900X that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 19,756 vs 657 (187.1% advantage for the Ryzen 9 9900X). L3 cache: 64 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 9900X vs 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F.

Feature	Ryzen 9 9900X	Core i5-12400F
Cores / Threads	12 / 24+100%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	5.6 GHz+27%	4.4 GHz
Base Clock	4.4 GHz+76%	2.5 GHz
L3 Cache	64 MB (total)+256%	18 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)+25%
Process	4 nm-43%	Intel 7 nm
Architecture	Granite Ridge (2024−2025)	Alder Lake-S (2022)
PassMark	54,530+179%	19,532
Cinebench R23 Multi	33,003+167%	12,380
Geekbench 6 Single	3,401+100%	1,700
Geekbench 6 Multi	19,756+2907%	657

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 9 9900X uses the AM5 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Core i5-12400F uses LGA1700 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-5600 memory speed. The Ryzen 9 9900X supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 9 9900X) vs 20 (Core i5-12400F) — the Ryzen 9 9900X offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: A620,B650,X670,X870 (Ryzen 9 9900X) and H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F).

Feature	Ryzen 9 9900X	Core i5-12400F
Socket	AM5	LGA1700
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5600	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	256 GB+100%	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	✅	❌
PCIe Lanes	24+20%	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: AMD-V (Ryzen 9 9900X) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F). The Ryzen 9 9900X includes integrated graphics (Radeon 610M), while the Core i5-12400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Ryzen 9 9900X	Core i5-12400F
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	Radeon 610M	—
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	Yes	—
Virtualization	AMD-V	VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use	—	Gaming Performance/Value

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 9 9900X launched at $499 MSRP, while the Core i5-12400F debuted at $174. At current prices ($370 vs $110), the Core i5-12400F is $260 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 9 9900X delivers 147.4 pts/$ vs 177.6 pts/$ for the Core i5-12400F — making the Core i5-12400F the 18.6% better value option.