A12-9800 vs Pentium Gold G5400

CPU

GPU

A12-9800

4 Cores4 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.2 GHz2017

Popular choices:

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Pentium Gold G5400

2 Cores4 Thrd54 WWMax: 3.7 GHz2018

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - CPU

A12-9800

4 / 4

3,695

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Pentium Gold G5400

2 / 4

3,735

+1.1%

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

A12-9800

2017

Why buy it

✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Pentium Gold G5400.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (3,695 vs 3,735).
❌20.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 54W.

Pentium Gold G5400

2018

Why buy it

✅+1.1% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 54W instead of 65W, a 11W reduction.
✅100% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 8) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌No boxed cooler included, unlike A12-9800.

A12-9800

2017

Pentium Gold G5400

2018

Why buy it

✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Pentium Gold G5400.

Why buy it

✅+1.1% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 54W instead of 65W, a 11W reduction.
✅100% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 8) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (3,695 vs 3,735).
❌20.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 54W.

Trade-offs

❌No boxed cooler included, unlike A12-9800.

Quick Answers

So, is Pentium Gold G5400 better than A12-9800?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, A12-9800 is ahead with a 2.2% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Pentium Gold G5400 pulls ahead with 1.1% better PassMark.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Pentium Gold G5400 is the better fit. You are getting 1.1% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 4 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Pentium Gold G5400 still looks like the safer overall buy. Pentium Gold G5400 is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 1.1% better PassMark. That said, if you already own a compatible AM4 + DDR4 setup, A12-9800 can still make sense as a platform-matched option because it avoids a motherboard and RAM swap.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Pentium Gold G5400 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2018 vs 2017) and more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 4 threads instead of 4/4. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

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.

A12-9800 Benchmark Check

Pentium Gold G5400 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	A12-9800	Pentium Gold G5400
1080p
low	92 FPS	93 FPS
medium	92 FPS	93 FPS
high	92 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	92 FPS	93 FPS
medium	92 FPS	93 FPS
high	92 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	76 FPS	73 FPS
4K
low	65 FPS	74 FPS
medium	58 FPS	61 FPS
high	45 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	36 FPS

Open A12-9800 Open Pentium Gold G5400

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	A12-9800	Pentium Gold G5400
1080p
low	92 FPS	93 FPS
medium	92 FPS	93 FPS
high	92 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	92 FPS	93 FPS
medium	92 FPS	93 FPS
high	92 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	82 FPS
4K
low	92 FPS	93 FPS
medium	92 FPS	87 FPS
high	92 FPS	64 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	45 FPS

Open A12-9800 Open Pentium Gold G5400

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	A12-9800	Pentium Gold G5400
1080p
low	92 FPS	93 FPS
medium	92 FPS	93 FPS
high	92 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	92 FPS	93 FPS
medium	92 FPS	93 FPS
high	92 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	93 FPS
4K
low	92 FPS	93 FPS
medium	92 FPS	93 FPS
high	92 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	93 FPS

Open A12-9800 Open Pentium Gold G5400

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	A12-9800	Pentium Gold G5400
1080p
low	92 FPS	93 FPS
medium	92 FPS	93 FPS
high	92 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	92 FPS	93 FPS
medium	92 FPS	93 FPS
high	92 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	93 FPS
4K
low	92 FPS	93 FPS
medium	92 FPS	93 FPS
high	92 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	93 FPS

Open A12-9800 Open Pentium Gold G5400

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of A12-9800 and Pentium Gold G5400

A12-9800

The A12-9800 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 27 July 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2048 kB. Built on 28 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 3,695 points. Launch price was $139.

Pentium Gold G5400

The Pentium Gold G5400 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake (2017−2019) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 58 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 3,735 points. Launch price was $64.

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Processing Power

The A12-9800 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Pentium Gold G5400 offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the A12-9800 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the A12-9800 versus 3.7 GHz on the Pentium Gold G5400 — a 12.7% clock advantage for the A12-9800 (base: 3.8 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The A12-9800 uses the Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) architecture (28 nm), while the Pentium Gold G5400 uses Coffee Lake (2017−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the A12-9800 scores 3,695 against the Pentium Gold G5400's 3,735 — a 1.1% lead for the Pentium Gold G5400. L3 cache: 0 kB on the A12-9800 vs 4 MB (total) on the Pentium Gold G5400.

Feature	A12-9800	Pentium Gold G5400
Cores / Threads	4 / 4+100%	2 / 4
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz+14%	3.7 GHz
Base Clock	3.8 GHz+3%	3.7 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	4 MB (total)
L2 Cache	2048 kB+700%	256K (per core)
Process	28 nm	14 nm-50%
Architecture	Bristol Ridge (2016−2019)	Coffee Lake (2017−2019)
PassMark	3,695	3,735+1%
Geekbench 6 Single	635	—

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Memory & Platform

The A12-9800 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Pentium Gold G5400 uses LGA1151 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2400 memory speed. Both support up to 64 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 8 (A12-9800) vs 16 (Pentium Gold G5400) — the Pentium Gold G5400 offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	A12-9800	Pentium Gold G5400
Socket	AM4	LGA1151
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2400	DDR4-2400
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	64 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	8	16+100%

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Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: AMD-V (A12-9800) vs VT-x (Pentium Gold G5400). Both include integrated graphics — Radeon R7 (A12-9800) and UHD Graphics 610 (Pentium Gold G5400) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: A12-9800 targets Budget, Pentium Gold G5400 targets Budget. Direct competitor: A12-9800 rivals Pentium G4600.