Core i9-10900F vs Ryzen 5 PRO 220

Intel

Core i9-10900F

10 Cores20 Thrd65 WWMax: 5.1 GHz2020

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Ryzen 5 PRO 220

6 Cores12 Thrd6 WWMax: 4.9 GHz2025

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 i9-10900F

2020

Why buy it

  • Better for gaming: +15.0% higher average FPS across 45 shared CPU benchmark tests.
  • +25% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 16 MB).
  • 100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
  • Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 PRO 220.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark (19,800 vs 19,889).
  • Launch MSRP is still $464 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 PRO 220 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
  • 983.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 6W.
  • Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 PRO 220 moves to FP7/FP7r2 and DDR5.

Ryzen 5 PRO 220

2025

Why buy it

  • +0.4% higher PassMark.
  • Draws 6W instead of 65W, a 59W reduction.
  • Newer platform on FP7/FP7r2 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

  • Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-10900F across 45 shared CPU benchmark tests.
  • Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 20 MB).
  • No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i9-10900F.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 PRO 220 better than Core i9-10900F?
It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i9-10900F is ahead with a 15.0% average FPS lead across 45 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 PRO 220 pulls ahead with 0.4% better PassMark. Core i9-10900F also has the bigger cache pool with 25% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 16 MB).
Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?
For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 PRO 220 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?
Ryzen 5 PRO 220 is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i9-10900F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 5 PRO 220 is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $464 MSRP, and it gives you 0.4% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i9-10900F is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 15.0% average FPS lead across 45 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i9-10900F is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (42.7 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
Ryzen 5 PRO 220 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2020), a healthier platform with FP7/FP7r2 and DDR5 instead of LGA1200, and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 10/20. 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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetCore i9-10900FRyzen 5 PRO 220
1080p
low292 FPS259 FPS
medium259 FPS237 FPS
high219 FPS199 FPS
ultra188 FPS171 FPS
1440p
low239 FPS229 FPS
medium191 FPS191 FPS
high157 FPS155 FPS
ultra138 FPS137 FPS
4K
low166 FPS159 FPS
medium135 FPS134 FPS
high104 FPS104 FPS
ultra91 FPS92 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetCore i9-10900FRyzen 5 PRO 220
1080p
low495 FPS386 FPS
medium495 FPS320 FPS
high495 FPS284 FPS
ultra495 FPS248 FPS
1440p
low495 FPS324 FPS
medium495 FPS280 FPS
high495 FPS255 FPS
ultra452 FPS218 FPS
4K
low458 FPS243 FPS
medium385 FPS214 FPS
high360 FPS201 FPS
ultra310 FPS169 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetCore i9-10900FRyzen 5 PRO 220
1080p
low495 FPS497 FPS
medium495 FPS497 FPS
high495 FPS497 FPS
ultra495 FPS497 FPS
1440p
low495 FPS497 FPS
medium495 FPS497 FPS
high495 FPS497 FPS
ultra461 FPS430 FPS
4K
low495 FPS484 FPS
medium465 FPS425 FPS
high417 FPS362 FPS
ultra351 FPS299 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetCore i9-10900FRyzen 5 PRO 220
1080p
low495 FPS497 FPS
medium495 FPS497 FPS
high495 FPS497 FPS
ultra495 FPS497 FPS
1440p
low495 FPS497 FPS
medium495 FPS497 FPS
high495 FPS497 FPS
ultra495 FPS497 FPS
4K
low495 FPS497 FPS
medium495 FPS497 FPS
high495 FPS441 FPS
ultra436 FPS377 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-10900F and Ryzen 5 PRO 220

Intel

Core i9-10900F

The Core i9-10900F is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 30 April 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 19,800 points. Launch price was $299.

AMD

Ryzen 5 PRO 220

The Ryzen 5 PRO 220 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point-U (Zen 4 + Zen 4c) (2023−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB. L2 cache: 6 MB. Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP7/FP7r2. Thermal design power (TDP): 6 MB + 16 MB. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 19,889 points. Launch price was $299.

Processing Power

The Core i9-10900F packs 10 cores / 20 threads, while the Ryzen 5 PRO 220 offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core i9-10900F has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.1 GHz on the Core i9-10900F versus 4.9 GHz on the Ryzen 5 PRO 220 — a 4% clock advantage for the Core i9-10900F (base: 2.8 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Core i9-10900F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 PRO 220 uses Hawk Point-U (Zen 4 + Zen 4c) (2023−2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-10900F scores 19,800 against the Ryzen 5 PRO 220's 19,889 — a 0.4% lead for the Ryzen 5 PRO 220. L3 cache: 20 MB (total) on the Core i9-10900F vs 16 MB on the Ryzen 5 PRO 220.

FeatureCore i9-10900FRyzen 5 PRO 220
Cores / Threads
10 / 20+67%
6 / 12
Boost Clock
5.1 GHz+4%
4.9 GHz
Base Clock
2.8 GHz
3.2 GHz+14%
L3 Cache
20 MB (total)+25%
16 MB
L2 Cache
256K (per core)
6 MB+2300%
Process
14 nm
4 nm-71%
Architecture
Comet Lake (2020−2025)
Hawk Point-U (Zen 4 + Zen 4c) (2023−2025)
PassMark
19,800
19,889
Cinebench R23 Multi
13,500
Geekbench 6 Single
1,701
Geekbench 6 Multi
8,456
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-10900F uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 5 PRO 220 uses FP7/FP7r2 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureCore i9-10900FRyzen 5 PRO 220
Socket
LGA1200
FP7/FP7r2
PCIe Generation
PCIe 4.0+33%
PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed
DDR4-2933
Max RAM Capacity
128 GB
RAM Channels
2
ECC Support
No
PCIe Lanes
16
🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i9-10900F) / not specified (Ryzen 5 PRO 220). Primary use case: Core i9-10900F targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i9-10900F rivals Ryzen 7 3800X.

FeatureCore i9-10900FRyzen 5 PRO 220
Integrated GPU
No
Unlocked
No
AVX-512
No
Virtualization
VT-x, VT-d
Target Use
Gaming
💰

Value Analysis

The Core i9-10900F launched at $464 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 PRO 220 debuted at $0. On MSRP ($464 vs $0), the Ryzen 5 PRO 220 is $464 cheaper.

FeatureCore i9-10900FRyzen 5 PRO 220
MSRP
$464
$0-100%
Performance per Dollar
42.7
Release Date
2020
2025