Core i5-12400F vs Ryzen 3 3100

CPU

GPU

Core i5-12400F

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.4 GHz2022

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Ryzen 3 3100

4 Cores8 Thrd65 WWMax: 3.9 GHz2020

Popular choices:

i5-12400F•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i5-12400F

6 / 12

19,532

+63.7%

11,928

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX

Ryzen Threadripper 9960X

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.

Core i5-12400F

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +28.7% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 3 3100.

Trade-offs

❌
75.8% HIGHER MSRP
$174 MSRPvs$99 MSRP

Ryzen 3 3100

2020

Why buy it

✅Costs $75 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
✅20% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12400F across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (11,928 vs 19,532).
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Core i5-12400F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Core i5-12400F

2022

Ryzen 3 3100

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +28.7% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 3 3100.

Why buy it

✅Costs $75 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
✅20% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌
75.8% HIGHER MSRP
$174 MSRPvs$99 MSRP

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12400F across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (11,928 vs 19,532).
❌Older platform position on AM4 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 Ryzen 3 3100?

Yes. Core i5-12400F is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 28.7% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data, 63.7% better PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core i5-12400F is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 28.7% more average FPS across 3 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-12400F is the better fit. You are getting 63.7% 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 by a wide margin for a fresh build. Core i5-12400F is 75.8% more expensive on MSRP at $174 MSRP versus $99 MSRP, and it gives you a 28.7% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 3 3100 only looks stronger on raw value math because it is so cheap, but its absolute performance tier is too low to be the smarter recommendation now. At roughly 11,928 PassMark with 4 cores and 8 threads, it only makes sense as a bare-minimum stopgap or a very constrained existing-platform upgrade.

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 2020), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of AM4, and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 4/8. 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

Ryzen 3 3100 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 3 3100
1080p
low	183 FPS	166 FPS
medium	168 FPS	136 FPS
high	139 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	144 FPS
medium	132 FPS	115 FPS
high	106 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	68 FPS
medium	81 FPS	58 FPS
high	64 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	36 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen 3 3100

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 3 3100
1080p
low	471 FPS	271 FPS
medium	397 FPS	228 FPS
high	341 FPS	191 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	147 FPS
1440p
low	407 FPS	231 FPS
medium	351 FPS	200 FPS
high	309 FPS	169 FPS
ultra	265 FPS	133 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	165 FPS
medium	248 FPS	148 FPS
high	229 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	89 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen 3 3100

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 3 3100
1080p
low	488 FPS	298 FPS
medium	488 FPS	298 FPS
high	488 FPS	298 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	298 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	298 FPS
medium	488 FPS	298 FPS
high	485 FPS	298 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	298 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	298 FPS
medium	389 FPS	268 FPS
high	337 FPS	226 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	179 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen 3 3100

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 3 3100
1080p
low	488 FPS	298 FPS
medium	488 FPS	298 FPS
high	488 FPS	298 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	298 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	298 FPS
medium	488 FPS	298 FPS
high	488 FPS	298 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	298 FPS
4K
low	488 FPS	298 FPS
medium	450 FPS	298 FPS
high	391 FPS	298 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	298 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen 3 3100

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Ryzen 3 3100

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.

Ryzen 3 3100

The Ryzen 3 3100 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 24 April 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 11,928 points. Launch price was $99.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 3 3100 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i5-12400F has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 3.9 GHz on the Ryzen 3 3100 — a 12% clock advantage for the Core i5-12400F (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Ryzen 3 3100 uses Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Ryzen 3 3100's 11,928 — a 48.3% lead for the Core i5-12400F. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 3 3100.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 3 3100
Cores / Threads	6 / 12+50%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+13%	3.9 GHz
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.6 GHz+44%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)+13%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+150%	512K (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm	7 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)
PassMark	19,532+64%	11,928
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 Ryzen 3 3100 uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 on the Core i5-12400F versus DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 3 3100 — the Core i5-12400F supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-12400F) vs 24 (Ryzen 3 3100) — the Ryzen 3 3100 offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H610,B660,H670,Z690,B760,H770,Z790 (Core i5-12400F) and AMD 500 series,AMD 400 series,AMD 300 series (Ryzen 3 3100).

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 3 3100
Socket	LGA1700	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200+25%	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	20	24+20%

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12400F) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 3 3100). Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value, Ryzen 3 3100 targets Desktop. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 3 3100
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	AMD-V
Target Use	Gaming Performance/Value	Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-12400F launched at $174 MSRP, while the Ryzen 3 3100 debuted at $99. On MSRP ($174 vs $99), the Ryzen 3 3100 is $75 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 112.3 pts/$ vs 120.5 pts/$ for the Ryzen 3 3100 — making the Ryzen 3 3100 the 7.1% better value option.