Ryzen 5 5600 vs Core i5-12400F

The Ryzen 5 5600 and the Core i5-12400F perform about the same in games, within 4% in our estimates. Below: FPS in popular games, the specs side by side, and the graphics cards that suit each.

Updated October 16, 2026 · By Muhammad Muzammil

The short answer

In a typical one of 8 popular games at 1080p High with an RTX 5090, the Ryzen 5 5600 gets about 117 FPS and the Core i5-12400F about 120 FPS. With a slower graphics card, or at 1440p and 4K, the card sets the FPS more often and the gap gets smaller.

The Ryzen 5 5600 uses the AM4 socket and the Core i5-12400F uses LGA1700, so they need different motherboards. The Ryzen 5 5600 takes DDR4 memory and the Core i5-12400F takes DDR4/DDR5. Cores and threads: 6 / 12 on the Ryzen 5 5600, 6 / 12 on the Core i5-12400F. Both come with a cooler in the box.

Ryzen 5 5600 vs Core i5-12400F: FPS in popular games

Estimated FPS at 1080p High with 32 GB RAM (Ryzen 5 5600 / Core i5-12400F in each column). With an RTX 5090, the processor sets the frame rate wherever it can. Values above 500 show as 500+. See FPS for your own PC.

Game	RTX 5090	RTX 5060
Counter-Strike 2	268 / 275	268 / 275
Valorant	295 / 303	295 / 303
Fortnite	129 / 132	129 / 132
Apex Legends	118 / 121	118 / 121
Marvel Rivals	91 / 94	89 / 89
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6	117 / 120	110 / 110
Cyberpunk 2077	94 / 97	94 / 97
Baldur's Gate 3	95 / 98	95 / 98

With a mid-range graphics card such as an RTX 5060, the card sets the frame rate in more games, so the difference between the two processors is smaller.

Estimated FPS. Numbers come from the FPSVibe model, not measured benchmarks. How we estimate

Specs side by side

Spec	Ryzen 5 5600	Core i5-12400F
Cores / threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost clock	up to 4.4 GHz	up to 4.4 GHz
L3 cache	32 MB	18 MB
Socket	AM4	LGA1700
Memory	DDR4-3200	DDR5-4800 / DDR4-3200
Integrated graphics	None	None
Cooler in the box	AMD Wraith Stealth	Intel Laminar RM1
Power (TDP)	65 W	65 W
Launch year	2022	2022
Gaming index (est.)	53.6	55

Gaming index: estimated CPU-bound gaming performance at 1080p, Ryzen 7 9800X3D = 100. Memory and box cooler as listed on AMD and Intel product pages; where we couldn't confirm a value there, check the manufacturer's page.

Graphics cards that pair well with the Ryzen 5 5600

Graphics cards that pair well with the Core i5-12400F

Check a build in the bottleneck calculator

Ryzen 5 5600 vs Core i5-12400F FAQs

Is the Ryzen 5 5600 better than the Core i5-12400F for gaming?

The Ryzen 5 5600 and the Core i5-12400F perform about the same in games, within 4% in our estimates. In a typical one of 8 popular games at 1080p High with an RTX 5090, the Ryzen 5 5600 gets about 117 FPS and the Core i5-12400F about 120 FPS.

Ryzen 5 5600 or Core i5-12400F: which gets more FPS in Counter-Strike 2?

With an RTX 5090 at 1080p High, the Ryzen 5 5600 gets about 268 FPS and the Core i5-12400F about 275 FPS in our estimates.

Do the Ryzen 5 5600 and Core i5-12400F use the same motherboard?

No. The Ryzen 5 5600 uses the AM4 socket and the Core i5-12400F uses LGA1700, so you need a different motherboard to switch. They also take different memory: DDR4 vs DDR4/DDR5.

Do the Ryzen 5 5600 and Core i5-12400F come with a cooler?

Yes, both do: the Ryzen 5 5600 with the AMD Wraith Stealth and the Core i5-12400F with the Intel Laminar RM1.

Do the Ryzen 5 5600 and Core i5-12400F have integrated graphics?

No. Neither has integrated graphics, so you need a graphics card to get a picture.

What graphics card should I pair with the Ryzen 5 5600 or the Core i5-12400F?

Balanced picks in our estimates: for the Ryzen 5 5600, RX 9060 XT 16GB, RTX 5060 Ti 8GB, RX 9060 XT 8GB, RTX 5060; for the Core i5-12400F, RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, RX 9060 XT 16GB, RTX 5060 Ti 8GB, RX 9060 XT 8GB.