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 i5-10400F

2020

Why buy it

✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 9 8945H.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 8945H across 6 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (8,191 vs 17,500).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 8945H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌712.5% higher power demand at 65W vs 8W.

Ryzen 9 8945H

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +70.7% higher average FPS across 6 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 8W instead of 65W, a 57W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7/FP7r2/FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.
✅25% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Core i5-10400F

2020

Ryzen 9 8945H

2023

Why buy it

✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 9 8945H.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +70.7% higher average FPS across 6 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 8W instead of 65W, a 57W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7/FP7r2/FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.
✅25% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 8945H across 6 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (8,191 vs 17,500).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $160 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 8945H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌712.5% higher power demand at 65W vs 8W.

Trade-offs

❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-10400F.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 8945H better than Core i5-10400F?

Yes. Ryzen 9 8945H is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 70.7% average FPS lead across 6 shared CPU game tests in our data, 113.6% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, 132.1% higher 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 9 8945H is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 70.7% more average FPS across 6 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 8945H is the better fit. You are getting 113.6% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Ryzen 9 8945H is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-10400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 9 8945H is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $160 MSRP, and it gives you a 70.7% average FPS lead across 6 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-10400F is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (81.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 9 8945H is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2020), a healthier platform with FP7/FP7r2/FP8 and DDR5 instead of LGA1200, 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 6/12. 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 i5-10400F Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 8945H Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	192 FPS	269 FPS
medium	152 FPS	243 FPS
high	123 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	176 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	236 FPS
medium	119 FPS	193 FPS
high	97 FPS	157 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	139 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	164 FPS
medium	70 FPS	136 FPS
high	55 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	92 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 9 8945H

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	326 FPS	513 FPS
medium	318 FPS	421 FPS
high	290 FPS	363 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	323 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	448 FPS
medium	292 FPS	388 FPS
high	267 FPS	334 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	285 FPS
4K
low	309 FPS	295 FPS
medium	258 FPS	267 FPS
high	235 FPS	253 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	217 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 9 8945H

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	326 FPS	756 FPS
medium	326 FPS	756 FPS
high	326 FPS	647 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	546 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	756 FPS
medium	326 FPS	637 FPS
high	326 FPS	541 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	464 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	541 FPS
medium	326 FPS	473 FPS
high	289 FPS	419 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	355 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 9 8945H

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	326 FPS	756 FPS
medium	326 FPS	756 FPS
high	326 FPS	756 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	754 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	756 FPS
medium	326 FPS	756 FPS
high	326 FPS	660 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	573 FPS
4K
low	326 FPS	572 FPS
medium	326 FPS	511 FPS
high	326 FPS	457 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	394 FPS

Open Core i5-10400F Open Ryzen 9 8945H

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10400F and Ryzen 9 8945H

Core i5-10400F

The Core i5-10400F 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 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 4.3 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 13,029 points. Launch price was $155.

Ryzen 9 8945H

The Ryzen 9 8945H is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 December 2023 (1 year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB. L2 cache: 8 MB. Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP7/FP7r2/FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 8 MB + 16 MB. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 30,240 points. Launch price was $499.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-10400F packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 9 8945H offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 9 8945H has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-10400F versus 5.2 GHz on the Ryzen 9 8945H — a 18.9% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 8945H (base: 2.9 GHz vs 4 GHz). The Core i5-10400F uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 9 8945H uses Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10400F scores 13,029 against the Ryzen 9 8945H's 30,240 — a 79.6% lead for the Ryzen 9 8945H. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 8,191 vs 17,500 (72.5% advantage for the Ryzen 9 8945H). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,454 vs 2,617, a 57.1% lead for the Ryzen 9 8945H that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 5,783 vs 12,662 (74.6% advantage for the Ryzen 9 8945H). L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10400F vs 16 MB on the Ryzen 9 8945H.

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 9 8945H
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz	5.2 GHz+21%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz	4 GHz+38%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	16 MB+33%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	8 MB+3100%
Process	14 nm	4 nm-71%
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024)
PassMark	13,029	30,240+132%
Cinebench R23 Multi	8,191	17,500+114%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,454	2,617+80%
Geekbench 6 Multi	5,783	12,662+119%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-10400F uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 9 8945H uses FP7/FP7r2/FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i5-10400F versus DDR5-5600 on the Ryzen 9 8945H — the Ryzen 9 8945H supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Ryzen 9 8945H supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i5-10400F) vs 20 (Ryzen 9 8945H) — the Ryzen 9 8945H offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H410,B460,H470,Z490,H510,B560,H570,Z590 (Core i5-10400F) and FP7,FP7r2,FP8 (Ryzen 9 8945H).

Feature	Core i5-10400F	Ryzen 9 8945H
Socket	LGA1200	FP7/FP7r2/FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR5-5600+25%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	256 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	16	20+25%

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Only the Ryzen 9 8945H supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-10400F) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 9 8945H). The Ryzen 9 8945H includes integrated graphics (Radeon 780M), while the Core i5-10400F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-10400F targets Gaming, Ryzen 9 8945H targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i5-10400F rivals Ryzen 5 3600; Ryzen 9 8945H rivals Core i9-13900H.