Ryzen 9 5900X vs Core i5-12400

CPU Head-to-Head · FPS & Value Comparison

Ryzen 9 5900X vs Core i5-12400: Gaming Performance Comparison in 1080p Ultra

In gaming, the Ryzen 9 5900X delivers approximately +4% higher frame rates compared to the Core i5-12400 in 1080p Ultra. For budget-conscious buyers, the Core i5-12400 currently offers +25.4% better value, available at a $47.95 price difference.

Ryzen 9 5900X Advantages

Up to 4% faster in gaming benchmarks on average – 147 vs 142 FPS

More processing cores – 12 vs 6 cores

Core i5-12400 Advantages

Up to 25.4% better value for money – $1.13 vs $1.42/FPS

Costs only 77% of the price – $161 vs $209 (23% cheaper)

Is newer – 2022-01-04 vs 2020-11-05

Consumes up to 38% less energy – 65W vs 105W

Performance Analytics

Average FPS across 21 games · all benchmarks use the same test suite

1080p Low

Full HD — min settings

AVG FPS
Ryzen 9 5900X
147fps(100%)
Core i5-12400
142fps(97%)
WinnerRyzen 9 5900X
+4% faster
General Explanation of Benchmark Percentages

When you see two FPS numbers, there are two common but different ways to show the difference:

"X% of the performance"

This compares the slower card to the faster card.

Formula: (Core i5-12400 FPS ÷ Ryzen 9 5900X FPS) × 100
Example: (142 ÷ 147) × 100 = 97%
"X% faster"

This shows how much more the faster card performs compared to the slower one.

Formula: ((Ryzen 9 5900X FPS - Core i5-12400 FPS) ÷ Core i5-12400 FPS) × 100
Example: ((147 - 142) ÷ 142) × 100 = 4%
Why Someone Might Get Confused:

You naturally think: "If Core i5-12400 is only 97% as fast, then Ryzen 9 5900X should be 3% faster" — but that's incorrect.

The "4% faster" is measured against the slower card, not against the faster one. So both numbers (97% of and 4% faster) are mathematically correct at the same time.

Efficiency Coefficient 1080p Ultra (Higher = Better Value)

Performance delivered per currency unit: FPS/$

Ryzen 9 5900X
0.704 Value80% Efficiency
Core i5-12400
0.884 Value100% Efficiency