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.

Core i5-12400F

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Costs $137 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $311 MSRP).
✅Delivers 78.0% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 63.1 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $311 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 125W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (19,532 vs 19,611).

Xeon W-1350P

2021

Why buy it

✅+0.4% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 63.1 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($311 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Core i5-12400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Core i5-12400F

2022

Xeon W-1350P

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Costs $137 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $311 MSRP).
✅Delivers 78.0% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 63.1 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $311 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 125W, a 60W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+0.4% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (19,532 vs 19,611).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12400F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 63.1 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($311 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Core i5-12400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-12400F better than Xeon W-1350P?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-1350P makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i5-12400F is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon W-1350P is the better fit. You are getting 0.4% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Core i5-12400F is the smarter buy today. Core i5-12400F is $137 cheaper on MSRP at $174 MSRP versus $311 MSRP, and it gives you a 9.6% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon W-1350P is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.4% better PassMark. It is also 78.0% better value on MSRP (112.3 vs 63.1 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

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

Core i5-12400F is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2021), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of LGA1200, and 50% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 12 MB). That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

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.

Core i5-12400F Benchmark Check

Xeon W-1350P Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-1350P
1080p
low	183 FPS	261 FPS
medium	168 FPS	239 FPS
high	139 FPS	199 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	171 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	227 FPS
medium	132 FPS	189 FPS
high	106 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	156 FPS
medium	81 FPS	130 FPS
high	64 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	88 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon W-1350P

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-1350P
1080p
low	471 FPS	325 FPS
medium	397 FPS	274 FPS
high	341 FPS	250 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	225 FPS
1440p
low	407 FPS	289 FPS
medium	351 FPS	245 FPS
high	309 FPS	225 FPS
ultra	265 FPS	201 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	226 FPS
medium	248 FPS	194 FPS
high	229 FPS	182 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	148 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon W-1350P

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-1350P
1080p
low	488 FPS	490 FPS
medium	488 FPS	490 FPS
high	488 FPS	449 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	388 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	490 FPS
medium	488 FPS	475 FPS
high	485 FPS	403 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	351 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	391 FPS
medium	389 FPS	345 FPS
high	337 FPS	302 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	252 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon W-1350P

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-1350P
1080p
low	488 FPS	490 FPS
medium	488 FPS	490 FPS
high	488 FPS	490 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	490 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	490 FPS
medium	488 FPS	490 FPS
high	488 FPS	490 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	490 FPS
4K
low	488 FPS	490 FPS
medium	450 FPS	490 FPS
high	391 FPS	490 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	437 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon W-1350P

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Xeon W-1350P

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.

Xeon W-1350P

The Xeon W-1350P is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 6 May 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Rocket Lake-S (2021) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 19,611 points. Launch price was $311.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i5-12400F and Xeon W-1350P share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 5.1 GHz on the Xeon W-1350P — a 14.7% clock advantage for the Xeon W-1350P (base: 2.5 GHz vs 4 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Xeon W-1350P uses Rocket Lake-S (2021) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Xeon W-1350P's 19,611 — a 0.4% lead for the Xeon W-1350P. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 12 MB (total) on the Xeon W-1350P.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-1350P
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	5.1 GHz+16%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	4 GHz+60%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)+50%	12 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+150%	512 kB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Rocket Lake-S (2021)
PassMark	19,532	19,611
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,380	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,700	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	657	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon W-1350P uses LGA1200 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-1350P
Socket	LGA1700	LGA1200
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	20	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F) / not specified (Xeon W-1350P). Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Xeon W-1350P
Integrated GPU	No	—
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	—
Target Use	Gaming Performance/Value	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-12400F launched at $174 MSRP, while the Xeon W-1350P debuted at $311. On MSRP ($174 vs $311), the Core i5-12400F is $137 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 112.3 pts/$ vs 63.1 pts/$ for the Xeon W-1350P — making the Core i5-12400F the 56.1% better value option.