Core i5-9400F
Popular choices:
Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U
Popular choices:
Performance Spectrum - CPU
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 i5-9400F
2019Why buy it
- ✅+125% larger total L3 cache (9 MB vs 4 MB).
- ✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
Trade-offs
- ❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
- ❌Lower PassMark (9,462 vs 9,493).
- ❌Launch MSRP is still $182 MSRP, while Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
- ❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.
Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U
2020Why buy it
- ✅Better for gaming: +11.6% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
- ✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 9 MB).
Core i5-9400F
2019Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U
2020Why buy it
- ✅+125% larger total L3 cache (9 MB vs 4 MB).
- ✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
Why buy it
- ✅Better for gaming: +11.6% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
- ✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
- ❌Lower PassMark (9,462 vs 9,493).
- ❌Launch MSRP is still $182 MSRP, while Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
- ❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.
Trade-offs
- ❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 9 MB).
Quick Answers
So, is Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U better than Core i5-9400F?
Which one is better for gaming?
Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
Games Benchmarks
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.
Path of Exile 2
| Preset | Core i5-9400F | Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | ||
| low | 179 FPS | 172 FPS |
| medium | 144 FPS | 141 FPS |
| high | 115 FPS | 112 FPS |
| ultra | 91 FPS | 87 FPS |
| 1440p | ||
| low | 152 FPS | 148 FPS |
| medium | 122 FPS | 120 FPS |
| high | 96 FPS | 94 FPS |
| ultra | 75 FPS | 73 FPS |
| 4K | ||
| low | 71 FPS | 69 FPS |
| medium | 61 FPS | 60 FPS |
| high | 48 FPS | 47 FPS |
| ultra | 37 FPS | 37 FPS |
Counter-Strike 2
| Preset | Core i5-9400F | Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | ||
| low | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| medium | 237 FPS | 221 FPS |
| high | 237 FPS | 194 FPS |
| ultra | 222 FPS | 150 FPS |
| 1440p | ||
| low | 237 FPS | 221 FPS |
| medium | 237 FPS | 187 FPS |
| high | 226 FPS | 165 FPS |
| ultra | 202 FPS | 133 FPS |
| 4K | ||
| low | 237 FPS | 163 FPS |
| medium | 216 FPS | 144 FPS |
| high | 196 FPS | 115 FPS |
| ultra | 170 FPS | 87 FPS |
League of Legends
| Preset | Core i5-9400F | Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | ||
| low | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| medium | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| high | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| ultra | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| 1440p | ||
| low | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| medium | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| high | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| ultra | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| 4K | ||
| low | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| medium | 226 FPS | 237 FPS |
| high | 192 FPS | 237 FPS |
| ultra | 152 FPS | 231 FPS |
Valorant
| Preset | Core i5-9400F | Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | ||
| low | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| medium | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| high | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| ultra | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| 1440p | ||
| low | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| medium | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| high | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| ultra | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| 4K | ||
| low | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| medium | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| high | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
| ultra | 237 FPS | 237 FPS |
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-9400F and Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U
Core i5-9400F
Core i5-9400F
The Core i5-9400F is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 8 January 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. It features 6 cores and 6 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 4.1 GHz. L3 cache: 9 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 9,462 points. Launch price was $182.
Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U
Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U
The Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 May 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Renoir PRO (Zen 2) (2020) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-4266. Passmark benchmark score: 9,493 points. Launch price was $149.
Processing Power
The Core i5-9400F packs 6 cores / 6 threads, while the Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i5-9400F has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.1 GHz on the Core i5-9400F versus 3.7 GHz on the Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U — a 10.3% clock advantage for the Core i5-9400F (base: 2.9 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Core i5-9400F uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U uses Renoir PRO (Zen 2) (2020) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-9400F scores 9,462 against the Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U's 9,493 — a 0.3% lead for the Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U. L3 cache: 9 MB (total) on the Core i5-9400F vs 4 MB (total) on the Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U.
| Feature | Core i5-9400F | Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 6 / 6+50% | 4 / 8 |
| Boost Clock | 4.1 GHz+11% | 3.7 GHz |
| Base Clock | 2.9 GHz+21% | 2.4 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 9 MB (total)+125% | 4 MB (total) |
| L2 Cache | 256K (per core) | 512K (per core)+100% |
| Process | 14 nm | 7 nm-50% |
| Architecture | Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) | Renoir PRO (Zen 2) (2020) |
| PassMark | 9,462 | 9,493 |
Memory & Platform
The Core i5-9400F uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Core i5-9400F | Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | LGA1151 | FP6 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR4-2666 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 128 GB | — |
| RAM Channels | 2 | — |
| ECC Support | No | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 16 | — |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-9400F) / not specified (Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U). Primary use case: Core i5-9400F targets Desktop.
| Feature | Core i5-9400F | Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | No | — |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | VT-x, VT-d | — |
| Target Use | Desktop | — |
Top Performing CPUs
The most powerful cpus ranked by PassMark CPU Mark benchmark scores.
You May Also Compare
Similar CPU comparisons based on Core i5-9400F and Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U
