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 i5-12490F

2022

Why buy it

✅+0.5% higher PassMark.
✅+25% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.
✅25% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Stock Cooler), unlike Ryzen 9 5980HS.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5980HS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $250 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 5980HS mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 5980HS can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 9 5980HS

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +12.6% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (8CU), while Core i5-12490F needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (20,257 vs 20,366).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Core i5-12490F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12490F.

Core i5-12490F

2022

Ryzen 9 5980HS

2021

Why buy it

✅+0.5% higher PassMark.
✅+25% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.
✅25% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Stock Cooler), unlike Ryzen 9 5980HS.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +12.6% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (8CU), while Core i5-12490F needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5980HS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $250 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 5980HS mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 5980HS can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (20,257 vs 20,366).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Core i5-12490F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12490F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-12490F better than Ryzen 9 5980HS?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 9 5980HS is ahead with a 12.6% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-12490F pulls ahead with 0.5% better PassMark. Core i5-12490F 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, Core i5-12490F is the better fit. You are getting 0.5% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 25% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 16 MB).

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

Core i5-12490F is the smarter buy today. Core i5-12490F is at an unclear MSRP at $250 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 0.5% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Ryzen 9 5980HS is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 12.6% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.5 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 i5-12490F is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2021), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of FP6, 25% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 16 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 8/16. 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 i5-12490F Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 5980HS Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12490F	Ryzen 9 5980HS
1080p
low	172 FPS	277 FPS
medium	148 FPS	250 FPS
high	120 FPS	210 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	180 FPS
1440p
low	147 FPS	241 FPS
medium	123 FPS	195 FPS
high	99 FPS	159 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	140 FPS
4K
low	80 FPS	168 FPS
medium	72 FPS	138 FPS
high	58 FPS	106 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	93 FPS

Open Core i5-12490F Open Ryzen 9 5980HS

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12490F	Ryzen 9 5980HS
1080p
low	475 FPS	506 FPS
medium	404 FPS	464 FPS
high	341 FPS	390 FPS
ultra	300 FPS	342 FPS
1440p
low	414 FPS	485 FPS
medium	360 FPS	407 FPS
high	313 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	267 FPS	294 FPS
4K
low	278 FPS	334 FPS
medium	246 FPS	288 FPS
high	226 FPS	263 FPS
ultra	193 FPS	227 FPS

Open Core i5-12490F Open Ryzen 9 5980HS

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12490F	Ryzen 9 5980HS
1080p
low	509 FPS	506 FPS
medium	509 FPS	506 FPS
high	509 FPS	506 FPS
ultra	502 FPS	506 FPS
1440p
low	509 FPS	506 FPS
medium	498 FPS	506 FPS
high	451 FPS	506 FPS
ultra	393 FPS	463 FPS
4K
low	418 FPS	506 FPS
medium	351 FPS	469 FPS
high	306 FPS	413 FPS
ultra	247 FPS	348 FPS

Open Core i5-12490F Open Ryzen 9 5980HS

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12490F	Ryzen 9 5980HS
1080p
low	509 FPS	506 FPS
medium	509 FPS	506 FPS
high	509 FPS	506 FPS
ultra	509 FPS	506 FPS
1440p
low	509 FPS	506 FPS
medium	509 FPS	506 FPS
high	509 FPS	506 FPS
ultra	509 FPS	477 FPS
4K
low	509 FPS	506 FPS
medium	499 FPS	463 FPS
high	441 FPS	410 FPS
ultra	377 FPS	346 FPS

Open Core i5-12490F Open Ryzen 9 5980HS

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12490F and Ryzen 9 5980HS

Core i5-12490F

The Core i5-12490F is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 20,366 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 9 5980HS

The Ryzen 9 5980HS is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne-HS (Zen 3) (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 20,257 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12490F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 9 5980HS offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 9 5980HS has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Core i5-12490F versus 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5980HS — a 4.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 5980HS (base: 3 GHz vs 3 GHz). The Core i5-12490F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (10 nm), while the Ryzen 9 5980HS uses Cezanne-HS (Zen 3) (2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12490F scores 20,366 against the Ryzen 9 5980HS's 20,257 — a 0.5% lead for the Core i5-12490F. L3 cache: 20 MB (total) on the Core i5-12490F vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 5980HS.

Feature	Core i5-12490F	Ryzen 9 5980HS
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz	4.8 GHz+4%
Base Clock	3 GHz	3 GHz
L3 Cache	20 MB (total)+25%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+150%	512K (per core)
Process	10 nm	7 nm-30%
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Cezanne-HS (Zen 3) (2021)
PassMark	20,366	20,257
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,500	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,800	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	8,800	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12490F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 9 5980HS uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-4800 on the Core i5-12490F versus LPDDR4-4266 on the Ryzen 9 5980HS — the Core i5-12490F supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i5-12490F supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 32 GB — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-12490F) vs 16 (Ryzen 9 5980HS) — the Core i5-12490F offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Core i5-12490F	Ryzen 9 5980HS
Socket	LGA1700	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800+25%	LPDDR4-4266
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+300%	32 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	20+25%	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 9 5980HS has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-12490F) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 9 5980HS). The Ryzen 9 5980HS includes integrated graphics (Radeon Graphics (8CU)), while the Core i5-12490F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-12490F targets Gaming Desktop, Ryzen 9 5980HS targets Mobile High-End. Direct competitor: Core i5-12490F rivals Ryzen 5 5600X.

Feature	Core i5-12490F	Ryzen 9 5980HS
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	None	Radeon Graphics (8CU)
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	AMD-V
Target Use	Gaming Desktop	Mobile High-End