Core 5 120UL vs Ryzen 5 4500U

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core 5 120UL

2024

Why buy it

✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (10,558 vs 10,692).
❌Launch MSRP is still $277 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 4500U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Ryzen 5 4500U

2020

Why buy it

✅+1.3% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Core 5 120UL moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Core 5 120UL

2024

Ryzen 5 4500U

2020

Why buy it

✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅+1.3% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (10,558 vs 10,692).
❌Launch MSRP is still $277 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 4500U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Core 5 120UL moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Core 5 120UL better than Ryzen 5 4500U?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core 5 120UL is ahead with a 1.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 4500U pulls ahead with 1.3% better PassMark. Core 5 120UL also has the bigger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 4500U is the better fit. You are getting 1.3% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 6 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Core 5 120UL is the smarter buy today. Core 5 120UL is at an unclear MSRP at $277 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 1.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Ryzen 5 4500U is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 1.3% better PassMark. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (38.1 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Core 5 120UL is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2020), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of FP6, and 50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB). That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core 5 120UL Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 4500U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core 5 120UL	Ryzen 5 4500U
1080p
low	173 FPS	169 FPS
medium	141 FPS	138 FPS
high	117 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	144 FPS	146 FPS
medium	114 FPS	118 FPS
high	94 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	73 FPS
4K
low	79 FPS	68 FPS
medium	68 FPS	59 FPS
high	54 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	36 FPS

Open Core 5 120UL Open Ryzen 5 4500U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core 5 120UL	Ryzen 5 4500U
1080p
low	201 FPS	254 FPS
medium	171 FPS	213 FPS
high	155 FPS	186 FPS
ultra	136 FPS	147 FPS
1440p
low	177 FPS	215 FPS
medium	155 FPS	185 FPS
high	143 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	123 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	138 FPS	180 FPS
medium	125 FPS	160 FPS
high	118 FPS	139 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	109 FPS

Open Core 5 120UL Open Ryzen 5 4500U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core 5 120UL	Ryzen 5 4500U
1080p
low	264 FPS	267 FPS
medium	264 FPS	267 FPS
high	264 FPS	267 FPS
ultra	264 FPS	267 FPS
1440p
low	264 FPS	267 FPS
medium	264 FPS	267 FPS
high	264 FPS	267 FPS
ultra	264 FPS	263 FPS
4K
low	264 FPS	267 FPS
medium	264 FPS	238 FPS
high	264 FPS	199 FPS
ultra	249 FPS	159 FPS

Open Core 5 120UL Open Ryzen 5 4500U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core 5 120UL	Ryzen 5 4500U
1080p
low	264 FPS	267 FPS
medium	264 FPS	267 FPS
high	264 FPS	267 FPS
ultra	264 FPS	267 FPS
1440p
low	264 FPS	267 FPS
medium	264 FPS	267 FPS
high	264 FPS	267 FPS
ultra	264 FPS	267 FPS
4K
low	264 FPS	267 FPS
medium	264 FPS	267 FPS
high	264 FPS	267 FPS
ultra	264 FPS	267 FPS

Open Core 5 120UL Open Ryzen 5 4500U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 5 120UL and Ryzen 5 4500U

Core 5 120UL

The Core 5 120UL is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 8 April 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake-PS (2024) architecture. It features 10 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 1.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 10,558 points. Launch price was $149.

Ryzen 5 4500U

The Ryzen 5 4500U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) architecture. It features 6 cores and 6 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 10,692 points. Launch price was $149.

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Processing Power

The Core 5 120UL packs 10 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 5 4500U offers 6 cores / 6 threads — the Core 5 120UL has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Core 5 120UL versus 4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 4500U — a 14% clock advantage for the Core 5 120UL (base: 1.3 GHz vs 2.3 GHz). The Core 5 120UL uses the Raptor Lake-PS (2024) architecture (10 nm), while the Ryzen 5 4500U uses Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core 5 120UL scores 10,558 against the Ryzen 5 4500U's 10,692 — a 1.3% lead for the Ryzen 5 4500U. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core 5 120UL vs 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 4500U.

Feature	Core 5 120UL	Ryzen 5 4500U
Cores / Threads	10 / 12+67%	6 / 6
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz+15%	4 GHz
Base Clock	1.3 GHz	2.3 GHz+77%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+50%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+150%	512 kB (per core)
Process	10 nm	7 nm-30%
Architecture	Raptor Lake-PS (2024)	Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021)
PassMark	10,558	10,692+1%

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Memory & Platform

The Core 5 120UL uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 5 4500U uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.