Intel Core i5-12400 Review

The Core i5-12400 is one of Intel's mid-range Desktop processors. It was released in 2022 with 6 cores and 12 threads. With base clock at 2.5GHz, max speed at 4.4GHz, and a 65W power rating. The Core i5-12400 is based on the Alder Lake-S 10nm family and is part of the Core i5 series.

Core i5-12400 is also the successor of Intel's last gen Core i5-11400 processor that was based on the Rocket Lake and 14nm process and was released in 2021.

In our mind, the best processors are the ones that deliver outstanding performance at a reasonable price point. And, the Core i5-12400 absolutely nails this concept.

Speaking of which, if you want a high-end desktop (HEDT) 8-core processor that can compete with the Intel Core i5-12400, you’re going to have to drop quite a bit more cash and get something like the $399 AMD Ryzen 7 5800X. And, even if you do go with this AMD chip, you won’t necessarily end up with the same level of performance.

Intel Core i5 12th Generation, and the Alder Lake-S architecture itself, is notable because it leads 10nm processors to the mainstream for the first time. But, there’s a lot more going on under the hood than just a smaller manufacturing node.

We covered the deep dive details of the Alder Lake-S chip design in our Intel Core i5-12600K and Core i3-11300 review, so head there for more information on the Core i5-12400's architecture, which is identical to the Core i3-11300.

Intel Core i5 12 Generation is finally here, and the Intel Core i5-12400 might just be the poster child for what this generation of processors has in store for consumers. Sure, it might have stuck with the 6-core, 12-thread setup, which it inherited from its predecessor, the Core i5-11400. However, with the new 10nm manufacturing process, it delivers a far better performance at lower power consumption.

The Intel Core i5-12400 is essentially the best processor for most people. It won't overpower the Core i5-12600K, especially in multi-threaded workloads, but it's so much more affordable and needs less robust cooling. Most people will find a lot to love with the Core i5-12400, and we're sure the inevitable processor deals will only help.

This decision to 10nm has brought a beefy 15% boost to IPC (instructions per clock) performance. Effectively, compared to a Core i5 11-Generation processor at the same clock speed, you will get a straight 15% increase in performance. That’s not big enough to be evident in day-to-day workloads, but it does still mean something.

The Intel Core i5-12400 has a 65W TDP, and with that fairly low amount of power, it's able to deliver quite a lot. This processor can keep up with even the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, a processor that considerably costs more and consumes more power, with its TDP of 105W.

What this all means is that the Intel Core i5-12400 is an absolute beast when it comes to multi-threaded workloads, especially at this price point. If you're counting on doing some video editing or compiling one hell of an Excel spreadsheet, you're going to see firsthand a performance boost with the Core i5-12400.

If you're mostly playing games on your PC, you will be happy buying either processor. Both proved to be solid options and are evenly matched with a slight advantage to the AMD chip if you don't tune up the Ryzen 5 processor. The base performance we showed for the Core i5-12400 can be achieved with $90 memory, while the Ryzen 5 5600X will require $110 - $120 memory in order to enable the frame rates shown here. It’s not a big cost difference and right now with anything less than an RTX 2070 or Vega 64 you’ll more than likely become GPU limited.

One of the nice things about the Intel Core i5-12400 processors is that the retail boxed models come with a CPU cooler. So, you can pick something like the Intel Core i5-12400 up for $143 and don’t need to spend any extra money on CPU cooling.

The Intel Core i5-12400 retail boxed processor comes with the traditional ‘pancake’ CPU cooler. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done on this processor which is rated at 65W TDP. You do not need to have an aftermarket cooling solution unless you want to.

For a 6-core processor, Intel’s $143 flagship Core i5-12400 processor seems downright cheap. On paper, the cost of those 0 extra cores is almost an afterthought when you stack it up against its direct competitor, the $299 6-core AMD Ryzen 5 5600X.

That said, Intel still lags behind in frequency when the Ryzen 7 5800X operates at 4GHz at any given moment and 4.8GHz when push comes to shove.

With Core i5, Intel continues to innovate on its new architecture and 10nm process. Like Core i5, Intel has engineered Core i5 to operate on a 1700 chipset with all the modern amenities of computing. This includes support for DDR4 RAM, the fastest NVMe SSDs and Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Now the biggest question is can Intel’s Core i5 processor play games? The answer is simply yes as it got a respectable gaming score of 92% in our benchmarks.

Regardless of those external factors, the Core i5-12400 proves it has the chops to be your main gaming system and a just as effective media creation platform – two things that are becoming intrinsically connected in this age of live-streaming, eSports and uploading gameplay videos.

If you’ve been looking for an affordable, powerhouse CPU that both works and parties hard, this is it.

While the 10-core and high-price of the Intel Core i5-12600K seemed like overkill in certain respects, the Intel Core i5-12400 feels like a no brainer for everyone from enthusiasts to artists and regular users who look for an extra bit of power. It’s an affordable and powerful chip for everything the modern gamer and creative needs, with extra headroom to grow.

Fresh from a successful roll-out of mainstream Core i5 CPUs, Intel's attack on AMD now extends down into the mid-range with its Core i5-12400 processors, which the company is making available as of Jan 4th, 2022.