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 i5-13400

2023

Why buy it

✅+2% higher PassMark.
✅+25% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5980HX across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $221 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 5980HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 5980HX can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 9 5980HX

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +4.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (8CU), while Core i5-13400 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (23,300 vs 23,769).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Core i5-13400 moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Core i5-13400

2023

Ryzen 9 5980HX

2021

Why buy it

✅+2% higher PassMark.
✅+25% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +4.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (8CU), while Core i5-13400 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5980HX across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $221 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 5980HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 5980HX can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (23,300 vs 23,769).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Core i5-13400 moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-13400 better than Ryzen 9 5980HX?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 9 5980HX is ahead with a 4.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-13400 pulls ahead with 2% better PassMark. Core i5-13400 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 i5-13400 is the better fit. You are getting 2% better PassMark, backed by 10 cores and 16 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 i5-13400 is the smarter buy today. Core i5-13400 is at an unclear MSRP at $221 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 2% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Ryzen 9 5980HX is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 4.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (107.6 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 i5-13400 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 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 10 cores / 16 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 i5-13400 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 5980HX Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-13400	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	171 FPS	260 FPS
medium	158 FPS	239 FPS
high	132 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	112 FPS	170 FPS
1440p
low	143 FPS	231 FPS
medium	123 FPS	192 FPS
high	99 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	84 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	81 FPS	159 FPS
medium	74 FPS	134 FPS
high	59 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	46 FPS	91 FPS

Open Core i5-13400 Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-13400	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	544 FPS	427 FPS
medium	464 FPS	356 FPS
high	389 FPS	308 FPS
ultra	356 FPS	273 FPS
1440p
low	457 FPS	357 FPS
medium	403 FPS	312 FPS
high	345 FPS	276 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	236 FPS
4K
low	279 FPS	245 FPS
medium	247 FPS	220 FPS
high	231 FPS	207 FPS
ultra	204 FPS	180 FPS

Open Core i5-13400 Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-13400	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	530 FPS	582 FPS
medium	449 FPS	582 FPS
high	415 FPS	576 FPS
ultra	375 FPS	472 FPS
1440p
low	490 FPS	582 FPS
medium	422 FPS	532 FPS
high	382 FPS	451 FPS
ultra	343 FPS	372 FPS
4K
low	393 FPS	456 FPS
medium	331 FPS	396 FPS
high	296 FPS	347 FPS
ultra	246 FPS	282 FPS

Open Core i5-13400 Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-13400	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	594 FPS	582 FPS
medium	594 FPS	582 FPS
high	594 FPS	582 FPS
ultra	594 FPS	582 FPS
1440p
low	594 FPS	582 FPS
medium	594 FPS	582 FPS
high	594 FPS	554 FPS
ultra	521 FPS	475 FPS
4K
low	535 FPS	511 FPS
medium	492 FPS	460 FPS
high	439 FPS	405 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	348 FPS

Open Core i5-13400 Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-13400 and Ryzen 9 5980HX

Core i5-13400

The Core i5-13400 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 4 January 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024) architecture. It features 10 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 20 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: 23,769 points. Launch price was $221.

Ryzen 9 5980HX

The Ryzen 9 5980HX is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 23,300 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-13400 packs 10 cores / 16 threads, while the Ryzen 9 5980HX offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core i5-13400 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Core i5-13400 versus 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5980HX — a 4.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 5980HX (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Core i5-13400 uses the Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Ryzen 9 5980HX uses Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-13400 scores 23,769 against the Ryzen 9 5980HX's 23,300 — a 2% lead for the Core i5-13400. L3 cache: 20 MB (total) on the Core i5-13400 vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 5980HX.

Feature	Core i5-13400	Ryzen 9 5980HX
Cores / Threads	10 / 16+25%	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz	4.8 GHz+4%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.3 GHz+32%
L3 Cache	20 MB (total)+25%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+150%	512 kB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm	7 nm
Architecture	Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024)	Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021)
PassMark	23,769+2%	23,300

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-13400 uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 9 5980HX uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-13400	Ryzen 9 5980HX
Socket	LGA1700	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	—	LPDDR4-4266
Max RAM Capacity	—	64 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	No
PCIe Lanes	—	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core i5-13400) / AMD-V (Ryzen 9 5980HX). The Ryzen 9 5980HX includes integrated graphics (Radeon Graphics (8CU)), while the Core i5-13400 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 9 5980HX targets Mobile High-End.