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: +8.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA3647 and DDR4.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon Gold 6152.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (19,532 vs 24,287).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (18 MB vs 30 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6152, which brings 22 cores / 44 threads and 48 PCIe lanes.
❌Launch MSRP is still $174 MSRP, while Xeon Gold 6152 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon Gold 6152

2017

Why buy it

✅+24.3% higher PassMark.
✅+68.1% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 18 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 22 cores / 44 threads, plus 48 PCIe lanes vs 20.
✅140% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12400F across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌115.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on LGA3647 with DDR4, while Core i5-12400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Core i5-12400F

2022

Xeon Gold 6152

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA3647 and DDR4.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon Gold 6152.

Why buy it

✅+24.3% higher PassMark.
✅+68.1% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 18 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 22 cores / 44 threads, plus 48 PCIe lanes vs 20.
✅140% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (19,532 vs 24,287).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (18 MB vs 30 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6152, which brings 22 cores / 44 threads and 48 PCIe lanes.
❌Launch MSRP is still $174 MSRP, while Xeon Gold 6152 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12400F across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌115.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on LGA3647 with DDR4, while Core i5-12400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-12400F better than Xeon Gold 6152?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 6152 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 Gold 6152 is the better fit. You are getting 24.3% better PassMark, backed by 22 cores and 44 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 68.1% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 18 MB).

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

Core i5-12400F is the smarter buy today. Core i5-12400F is at an unclear MSRP at $174 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 8.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon Gold 6152 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 24.3% better PassMark. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (112.3 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 2017) and a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of LGA3647. 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 Gold 6152 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon Gold 6152
1080p
low	183 FPS	187 FPS
medium	168 FPS	152 FPS
high	139 FPS	124 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	96 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	146 FPS
medium	132 FPS	115 FPS
high	106 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	68 FPS
medium	81 FPS	57 FPS
high	64 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	36 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon Gold 6152

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon Gold 6152
1080p
low	471 FPS	214 FPS
medium	397 FPS	189 FPS
high	341 FPS	162 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	137 FPS
1440p
low	407 FPS	185 FPS
medium	351 FPS	168 FPS
high	309 FPS	144 FPS
ultra	265 FPS	121 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	121 FPS
medium	248 FPS	110 FPS
high	229 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	83 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon Gold 6152

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon Gold 6152
1080p
low	488 FPS	607 FPS
medium	488 FPS	563 FPS
high	488 FPS	510 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	440 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	560 FPS
medium	488 FPS	456 FPS
high	485 FPS	413 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	356 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	407 FPS
medium	389 FPS	317 FPS
high	337 FPS	282 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	226 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon Gold 6152

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Xeon Gold 6152
1080p
low	488 FPS	607 FPS
medium	488 FPS	607 FPS
high	488 FPS	607 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	607 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	607 FPS
medium	488 FPS	607 FPS
high	488 FPS	550 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	468 FPS
4K
low	488 FPS	501 FPS
medium	450 FPS	449 FPS
high	391 FPS	400 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	345 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Xeon Gold 6152

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Xeon Gold 6152

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 Gold 6152

The Xeon Gold 6152 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 25 April 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 22 cores and 44 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 30.25 MB. L2 cache: 22 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 24,287 points. Launch price was $3,655.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6152 offers 22 cores / 44 threads — the Xeon Gold 6152 has 16 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 3.7 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6152 — a 17.3% clock advantage for the Core i5-12400F (base: 2.5 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6152 uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Xeon Gold 6152's 24,287 — a 21.7% lead for the Xeon Gold 6152. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 30.25 MB on the Xeon Gold 6152.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Xeon Gold 6152
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	22 / 44+267%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+19%	3.7 GHz
Base Clock	2.5 GHz+19%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)	30.25 MB+68%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)	22 MB+1660%
Process	Intel 7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	19,532	24,287+24%
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,380	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,700	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	657	—

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Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12400F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon Gold 6152 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 on the Core i5-12400F versus 2666 on the Xeon Gold 6152 — the Xeon Gold 6152 supports 199.3% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon Gold 6152 supports up to 768 of RAM compared to 128 GB — 142.9% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i5-12400F) vs 6 (Xeon Gold 6152). PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-12400F) vs 48 (Xeon Gold 6152) — the Xeon Gold 6152 offers 28 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F) and C621 (Xeon Gold 6152).

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Xeon Gold 6152
Socket	LGA1700	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200	2666+53220%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+17476167%	768
RAM Channels	2	6+200%
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	20	48+140%

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F) vs VT-x, VT-d (Xeon Gold 6152). Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600; Xeon Gold 6152 rivals EPYC 7451.