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: +11.2% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $204 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $378 MSRP).
✅Delivers 114.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 52.2 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $378 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i7-12700TE.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (19,532 vs 19,744).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (18 MB vs 25 MB).
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Core i7-12700TE

2022

Why buy it

✅+1.1% higher PassMark.
✅+38.9% larger total L3 cache (25 MB vs 18 MB).
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12400F across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 52.2 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($378 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Core i5-12400F

2022

Core i7-12700TE

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.2% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $204 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $378 MSRP).
✅Delivers 114.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 52.2 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $378 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i7-12700TE.

Why buy it

✅+1.1% higher PassMark.
✅+38.9% larger total L3 cache (25 MB vs 18 MB).
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (19,532 vs 19,744).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (18 MB vs 25 MB).
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12400F across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 52.2 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($378 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i7-12700TE better than Core i5-12400F?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i5-12400F is ahead with a 11.2% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-12700TE pulls ahead with 1.1% better PassMark. Core i7-12700TE also has the bigger cache pool with 38.9% larger total L3 cache (25 MB vs 18 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-12700TE is the better fit. You are getting 1.1% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 20 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 38.9% larger total L3 cache (25 MB vs 18 MB).

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

Core i7-12700TE is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-12400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Core i7-12700TE is 117.2% more expensive on MSRP at $378 MSRP versus $174 MSRP, and it gives you 1.1% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i5-12400F is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 11.2% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-12400F is also 114.9% better value on MSRP (112.3 vs 52.2 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

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

Core i7-12700TE is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 38.9% larger total L3 cache (25 MB vs 18 MB) and more multi-core headroom with 12 cores / 20 threads instead of 6/12. 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.

Core i5-12400F Benchmark Check

Core i7-12700TE Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-12700TE
1080p
low	183 FPS	169 FPS
medium	168 FPS	153 FPS
high	139 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	107 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	141 FPS
medium	132 FPS	121 FPS
high	106 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	83 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	77 FPS
medium	81 FPS	71 FPS
high	64 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	45 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i7-12700TE

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-12700TE
1080p
low	471 FPS	319 FPS
medium	397 FPS	273 FPS
high	341 FPS	230 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	206 FPS
1440p
low	407 FPS	273 FPS
medium	351 FPS	241 FPS
high	309 FPS	210 FPS
ultra	265 FPS	179 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	168 FPS
medium	248 FPS	150 FPS
high	229 FPS	142 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	123 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i7-12700TE

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-12700TE
1080p
low	488 FPS	494 FPS
medium	488 FPS	494 FPS
high	488 FPS	494 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	448 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	494 FPS
medium	488 FPS	494 FPS
high	485 FPS	445 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	387 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	450 FPS
medium	389 FPS	363 FPS
high	337 FPS	323 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	266 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i7-12700TE

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-12700TE
1080p
low	488 FPS	494 FPS
medium	488 FPS	494 FPS
high	488 FPS	494 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	494 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	494 FPS
medium	488 FPS	494 FPS
high	488 FPS	494 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	494 FPS
4K
low	488 FPS	494 FPS
medium	450 FPS	474 FPS
high	391 FPS	423 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	371 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Core i7-12700TE

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Core i7-12700TE

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.

Core i7-12700TE

The Core i7-12700TE is manufactured by Intel. It was released in Janeiro 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture. It features 12 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 1.4 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 25 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 19,744 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Core i7-12700TE offers 12 cores / 20 threads — the Core i7-12700TE has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 4.6 GHz on the Core i7-12700TE — a 4.4% clock advantage for the Core i7-12700TE (base: 2.5 GHz vs 1.4 GHz). Both are built on the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture using a Intel 7 nm process. In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Core i7-12700TE's 19,744 — a 1.1% lead for the Core i7-12700TE. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 25 MB (total) on the Core i7-12700TE.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-12700TE
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	12 / 20+100%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	4.6 GHz+5%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz+79%	1.4 GHz
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)	25 MB (total)+39%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm-30%	10 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Alder Lake-S (2022)
PassMark	19,532	19,744+1%
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,380	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,700	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	657	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the LGA1700 socket with PCIe 3.0.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-12700TE
Socket	LGA1700	LGA1700
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 (Core i7-12700TE). Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Core i7-12700TE
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 Core i7-12700TE debuted at $378. On MSRP ($174 vs $378), the Core i5-12400F is $204 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 112.3 pts/$ vs 52.2 pts/$ for the Core i7-12700TE — making the Core i5-12400F the 73% better value option.