Core i5-12400 vs Core i5-13400

The short answer

On paper, the Core i5-13400 is the stronger processor, ahead of the Core i5-12400 in 6 of the specs we compare (the Core i5-12400 leads in 0).

• The Core i5-13400 is 1 generation newer (13th gen, launched Q1'23) than the Core i5-12400 (12th gen, Q1'22). The newer chip uses a newer core design that generally gets more work done per clock, so clock speeds alone understate the gap.
• The Core i5-13400 has 10 cores and 16 threads (6 Performance-cores and 4 Efficient-cores), against 6 cores and 12 threads on the Core i5-12400. More cores and threads help most with multitasking, video editing, 3D rendering, compiling code and other work that spreads across many cores.
• The Core i5-13400 reaches 4.60 GHz with turbo, 5% higher than the Core i5-12400's 4.40 GHz. Higher clocks help games and everyday apps that lean on a few fast cores.
• The Core i5-13400 has 20 MB of cache versus 18 MB.

This verdict is generated from official specifications only. We haven't benchmarked these processors, so it doesn't measure real-world speed in games or apps; check independent benchmarks for your specific use.