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

✅Costs $226 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 82.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 61.4 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 7 7840U.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 7840U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (19,532 vs 24,547).
❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.

Ryzen 7 7840U

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +25.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 61.4 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($400 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Core i5-12400F

2022

Ryzen 7 7840U

2023

Why buy it

✅Costs $226 less on MSRP ($174 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 82.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 61.4 PassMark/$ ($174 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 7 7840U.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +25.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 7840U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (19,532 vs 24,547).
❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 61.4 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($400 MSRP vs $174 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 7840U better than Core i5-12400F?

Yes. Ryzen 7 7840U is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 25.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 25.7% 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, Ryzen 7 7840U is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 25.0% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 7840U is the better fit. You are getting 25.7% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 7 7840U is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-12400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 7 7840U is 129.9% more expensive on MSRP at $400 MSRP versus $174 MSRP, and it gives you a 25.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-12400F is also 82.9% better value on MSRP (112.3 vs 61.4 PassMark/$), 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 7 7840U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2022) and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 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

Ryzen 7 7840U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 7 7840U
1080p
low	183 FPS	257 FPS
medium	168 FPS	237 FPS
high	139 FPS	200 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	173 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	228 FPS
medium	132 FPS	191 FPS
high	106 FPS	155 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	159 FPS
medium	81 FPS	134 FPS
high	64 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	92 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen 7 7840U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 7 7840U
1080p
low	471 FPS	477 FPS
medium	397 FPS	395 FPS
high	341 FPS	342 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	306 FPS
1440p
low	407 FPS	417 FPS
medium	351 FPS	364 FPS
high	309 FPS	315 FPS
ultra	265 FPS	270 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	275 FPS
medium	248 FPS	251 FPS
high	229 FPS	238 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	206 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen 7 7840U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 7 7840U
1080p
low	488 FPS	614 FPS
medium	488 FPS	614 FPS
high	488 FPS	614 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	595 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	614 FPS
medium	488 FPS	614 FPS
high	485 FPS	526 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	452 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	525 FPS
medium	389 FPS	459 FPS
high	337 FPS	407 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	345 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen 7 7840U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 7 7840U
1080p
low	488 FPS	614 FPS
medium	488 FPS	614 FPS
high	488 FPS	614 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	614 FPS
1440p
low	488 FPS	614 FPS
medium	488 FPS	614 FPS
high	488 FPS	614 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	549 FPS
4K
low	488 FPS	560 FPS
medium	450 FPS	502 FPS
high	391 FPS	447 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	384 FPS

Open Core i5-12400F Open Ryzen 7 7840U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12400F and Ryzen 7 7840U

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 7 7840U

The Ryzen 7 7840U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Maio 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Phoenix-U (Zen 4) (2023) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5600. Passmark benchmark score: 24,547 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 7 7840U offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 7 7840U has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400F versus 5.1 GHz on the Ryzen 7 7840U — a 14.7% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 7840U (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Core i5-12400F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Ryzen 7 7840U uses Phoenix-U (Zen 4) (2023) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12400F scores 19,532 against the Ryzen 7 7840U's 24,547 — a 22.8% lead for the Ryzen 7 7840U. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12400F vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 7840U.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 7 7840U
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	5.1 GHz+16%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.3 GHz+32%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)+13%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+25%	1 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm	4 nm-43%
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Phoenix-U (Zen 4) (2023)
PassMark	19,532	24,547+26%
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 7 7840U uses FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 7 7840U
Socket	LGA1700	FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
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 (Ryzen 7 7840U). Primary use case: Core i5-12400F targets Gaming Performance/Value. Direct competitor: Core i5-12400F rivals Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Core i5-12400F	Ryzen 7 7840U
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 Ryzen 7 7840U debuted at $400. On MSRP ($174 vs $400), the Core i5-12400F is $226 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-12400F delivers 112.3 pts/$ vs 61.4 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 7840U — making the Core i5-12400F the 58.6% better value option.