Ryzen 5 8400F vs Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

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.

Ryzen 5 8400F

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.3% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $97 less on MSRP ($303 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 31.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 81.0 vs 61.5 PassMark/$ ($303 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (24,554 vs 24,613).
❌18.2% higher power demand at 65W vs 55W.

Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

2025

Why buy it

✅+0.2% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 55W instead of 65W, a 10W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 8400F across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 61.5 vs 81.0 PassMark/$ ($400 MSRP vs $303 MSRP).

Ryzen 5 8400F

2024

Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.3% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $97 less on MSRP ($303 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 31.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 81.0 vs 61.5 PassMark/$ ($303 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).

Why buy it

✅+0.2% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 55W instead of 65W, a 10W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (24,554 vs 24,613).
❌18.2% higher power demand at 65W vs 55W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 8400F across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 61.5 vs 81.0 PassMark/$ ($400 MSRP vs $303 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 better than Ryzen 5 8400F?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 5 8400F is ahead with a 7.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 pulls ahead with 0.2% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 is the better fit. You are getting 0.2% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 8400F makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 is 32.0% more expensive on MSRP at $400 MSRP versus $303 MSRP, and it gives you 0.2% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Ryzen 5 8400F is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 7.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 8400F is also 31.7% better value on MSRP (81.0 vs 61.5 PassMark/$), 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 AI Max PRO 380 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2024) and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 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.

Ryzen 5 8400F Benchmark Check

Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 8400F	Ryzen AI Max PRO 380
1080p
low	178 FPS	272 FPS
medium	151 FPS	239 FPS
high	123 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	174 FPS
1440p
low	151 FPS	233 FPS
medium	124 FPS	184 FPS
high	101 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	84 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	81 FPS	161 FPS
medium	72 FPS	129 FPS
high	58 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	86 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 8400F Open Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 8400F	Ryzen AI Max PRO 380
1080p
low	374 FPS	402 FPS
medium	316 FPS	327 FPS
high	278 FPS	282 FPS
ultra	238 FPS	244 FPS
1440p
low	326 FPS	341 FPS
medium	282 FPS	287 FPS
high	255 FPS	255 FPS
ultra	214 FPS	216 FPS
4K
low	243 FPS	257 FPS
medium	215 FPS	221 FPS
high	198 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	165 FPS	170 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 8400F Open Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 8400F	Ryzen AI Max PRO 380
1080p
low	614 FPS	615 FPS
medium	614 FPS	615 FPS
high	614 FPS	615 FPS
ultra	614 FPS	554 FPS
1440p
low	614 FPS	615 FPS
medium	603 FPS	588 FPS
high	522 FPS	507 FPS
ultra	446 FPS	429 FPS
4K
low	492 FPS	509 FPS
medium	431 FPS	416 FPS
high	369 FPS	356 FPS
ultra	303 FPS	289 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 8400F Open Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 8400F	Ryzen AI Max PRO 380
1080p
low	614 FPS	615 FPS
medium	614 FPS	615 FPS
high	614 FPS	615 FPS
ultra	614 FPS	615 FPS
1440p
low	614 FPS	615 FPS
medium	614 FPS	615 FPS
high	614 FPS	615 FPS
ultra	601 FPS	589 FPS
4K
low	610 FPS	602 FPS
medium	548 FPS	536 FPS
high	490 FPS	480 FPS
ultra	426 FPS	421 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 8400F Open Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 8400F and Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

Ryzen 5 8400F

The Ryzen 5 8400F is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 1 April 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Phoenix (2023−2024) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 4.2 GHz, with boost up to 4.7 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 24,554 points. Launch price was $170.

Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

The Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Strix Halo (2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP11. Thermal design power (TDP): 55 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 24,613 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 5 8400F and Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.7 GHz on the Ryzen 5 8400F versus 4.9 GHz on the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 — a 4.2% clock advantage for the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 (base: 4.2 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Ryzen 5 8400F uses the Phoenix (2023−2024) architecture (4 nm), while the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 uses Strix Halo (2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 8400F scores 24,554 against the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380's 24,613 — a 0.2% lead for the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380. Both processors carry 16 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Ryzen 5 8400F	Ryzen AI Max PRO 380
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.7 GHz	4.9 GHz+4%
Base Clock	4.2 GHz+17%	3.6 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	1 MB (per core)
Process	4 nm	4 nm
Architecture	Phoenix (2023−2024)	Strix Halo (2025)
PassMark	24,554	24,613

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 8400F uses the AM5 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 uses FP11 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 8400F	Ryzen AI Max PRO 380
Socket	AM5	FP11
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 8400F launched at $303 MSRP, while the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 debuted at $400. On MSRP ($303 vs $400), the Ryzen 5 8400F is $97 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 8400F delivers 81.0 pts/$ vs 61.5 pts/$ for the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 — making the Ryzen 5 8400F the 27.4% better value option.