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Ryzen 5 5600 vs Core i5-12400F

The two most popular 6-core, 12-thread CPUs for budget PCs. The Ryzen 5 5600 uses the AM4 platform with DDR4; the Core i5-12400F uses LGA1700, which supports both DDR4 and DDR5. Neither has integrated graphics.

Ryzen 5 5600

Pick it if…

You already have an AM4 motherboard or want the cheapest platform, and you like the idea of moving up to a Ryzen 7 5700X3D or 5800X3D later without changing your motherboard or memory.

Core i5-12400F

Pick it if…

You're building from scratch and want the option to move to DDR5 or a 13th or 14th Gen Core chip on the same motherboard.

Note. Different sockets (AM4 and LGA1700): they are not interchangeable on the same motherboard. Switching from one to the other means changing the motherboard.

Warning. Different memory types between the CPUs (DDR4 and DDR4/DDR5): the RAM from one will not work with the other.

Note. AMD Ryzen 5 5600, Intel Core i5-12400F do not include integrated graphics: you need a dedicated graphics card.

Specifications

We highlight the best value in each row with a soft background. A higher or lower value does not mean the processor is better for you: it depends on how you use it.

SpecificationRyzen 5 5600Core i5-12400F
Price
Best price≈ $156.00 (best value in this row)≈ $161.29
Performance per dollar (pts per USD)Data not availableData not available
Processing
Cores66
Threads1212
Base frequency3.5 GHz (best value in this row)2.5 GHz
Boost / turbo frequency4.4 GHz4.4 GHz
L2 cache3 MB8 MB (best value in this row)
L3 cache32 MB (best value in this row)18 MB
L2 + L3 cache35 MB (best value in this row)26 MB
Power and temperature
TDP / base power65 W65 W
Maximum power (PPT / turbo)Data not available117 W
Maximum temperature (Tjmax)Data not availableData not available
Platform
SocketAM4LGA1700
RAMDDR4DDR4 / DDR5
Official RAM speed3,200 MT/s4,800 MT/s (best value in this row)
PCIePCIe 4.0PCIe 5.0 y 4.0
Integrated graphicsNoNo
ArchitectureZen 3Alder Lake
GenerationRyzen 5000 series12th Gen Core
ReleaseApril 2022January 2022
Unlocked multiplierYesNo
Performance scores
gaming score (0-100)Data not availableData not available
productivity score (0-100)Data not availableData not available
single-core score (0-100)Data not availableData not available
multi-core score (0-100)Data not availableData not available
efficiency score (0-100)Data not availableData not available

Still to be verified on the official spec sheet: Ryzen 5 5600 (Base and boost frequencies, Release date (month), Official RAM speed, PCIe version, Maximum power (PPT), Maximum temperature (Tjmax), PCIe lanes, Maximum RAM capacity); Core i5-12400F (Base and boost frequencies, Release date (month), Official RAM speed, PCIe version, Maximum temperature (Tjmax), PCIe lanes, Maximum RAM capacity).

Performance

Scores from 0 to 100 calculated from sourced benchmarks. If there is no real data, nothing is shown.

There are no sourced benchmarks for these CPUs yet

To avoid making up data, the gaming, productivity, single-core, multi-core and efficiency scores will appear once you load real results in src/data/benchmarks.ts, citing the source of each one.

Price and performance

Relative performance (in games) divided by the current price. It is a figure to interpret, not a verdict.

  • Ryzen 5 5600

    Relative performance
    No data
    Price
    $156.00
    Performance per dollar
    No data

  • Core i5-12400F

    Relative performance
    No data
    Price
    $161.29
    Performance per dollar
    No data

The price/performance chart needs a price and benchmarks

It is drawn automatically once the CPU has a dated price (src/data/prices.ts) and performance scores.

Videos for this comparison

Video tests of this combination. FPS depends on the GPU, the games and the settings of each test.

Related videos

Some results come from an automatic YouTube search: make sure they are what you're looking for.

General features

Visual comparison of the official specifications. It does not measure real-world performance.

  • Ryzen 5 5600
  • Core i5-12400F

Cores

Ryzen 5 56006
Core i5-12400F6

Threads

Ryzen 5 560012
Core i5-12400F12

Boost / turbo

Ryzen 5 56004.4 GHz
Core i5-12400F4.4 GHz

L2 + L3 cache

Ryzen 5 560035 MB
Core i5-12400F26 MB

TDP / base power

Ryzen 5 560065 W
Core i5-12400F65 W

Relative scale among the selected CPUs (100 = highest value on each axis). These are specifications, not performance.

Comparison breakdown

Performance

They're very evenly matched: 6 cores and 12 threads each, with a 4.4 GHz boost on both. The 5600 has 32 MB of L3 cache vs 18 MB on the 12400F, while the 12400F has more L2 cache. In games the difference depends on the title; with a midrange graphics card, the GPU matters far more than the CPU.

Overclocking and power

The 5600 has an unlocked multiplier, although overclocking headroom is small. The 12400F is locked. Both are rated at a 65 W TDP; Intel lists up to 117 W maximum turbo power for the 12400F. 12th Gen was not affected by the stability issues of 13th and 14th Gen.

Future upgrades

AM4 no longer gets new CPUs, but its lineup is huge: the 5700X3D or 5800X3D is a clear gaming upgrade on the same motherboard. LGA1700 is also a dead end, but it goes up to the Core i9-14900K, with PCIe 5.0 on boards that include it.

Based on official catalog specifications. Prices change: check the table, which shows the date of each price.

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