Core i5-12400F vs Core i5-9400F

The short answer

On paper, the Core i5-12400F is the stronger processor, ahead of the Core i5-9400F in 6 of the specs we compare (the Core i5-9400F leads in 0).

• The Core i5-12400F is 3 generations newer (12th gen, launched Q1'22) than the Core i5-9400F (9th gen, Q1'19). 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 i5-12400F has 6 cores and 12 threads, against 6 cores and 6 threads on the Core i5-9400F. More cores and threads help most with multitasking, video editing, 3D rendering, compiling code and other work that spreads across many cores.
• The Core i5-12400F reaches 4.40 GHz with turbo, 7% higher than the Core i5-9400F's 4.10 GHz. Higher clocks help games and everyday apps that lean on a few fast cores.
• The Core i5-12400F has 18 MB of cache versus 9 MB.
• They use different sockets (FCLGA1700 vs FCLGA1151), so each needs its own motherboard: you can't swap one into the other's board.
• The Core i5-12400F supports DDR5 as well as DDR4 memory (depending on the motherboard); the Core i5-9400F is limited to DDR4.
• Neither has integrated graphics, so both need a separate graphics card.

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.