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.

FX-8320

2012

Why buy it

✅Costs $130 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 7 5700X.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 5700X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (4,500 vs 14,000).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 32.4 vs 89.0 PassMark/$ ($169 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 65W.

Ryzen 7 5700X

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +107.3% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Delivers 174.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 89.0 vs 32.4 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 125W, a 60W reduction.
✅50% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌
76.9% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$169 MSRP
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike FX-8320.

FX-8320

2012

Ryzen 7 5700X

2022

Why buy it

✅Costs $130 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 7 5700X.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +107.3% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Delivers 174.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 89.0 vs 32.4 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 125W, a 60W reduction.
✅50% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 5700X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (4,500 vs 14,000).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 32.4 vs 89.0 PassMark/$ ($169 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 65W.

Trade-offs

❌
76.9% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$169 MSRP
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike FX-8320.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 5700X better than FX-8320?

Yes. Ryzen 7 5700X is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 107.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 211.1% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, 386.3% higher PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 7 5700X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 107.3% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 5700X is the better fit. You are getting 211.1% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 7 5700X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 5700X is 76.9% more expensive on MSRP at $299 MSRP versus $169 MSRP, and it gives you a 107.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 174.9% better value on MSRP (89.0 vs 32.4 PassMark/$), 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?

Ryzen 7 5700X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2012) and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 8/8. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

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.

FX-8320 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 5700X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	FX-8320	Ryzen 7 5700X
1080p
low	137 FPS	156 FPS
medium	137 FPS	129 FPS
high	118 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	98 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	137 FPS	137 FPS
medium	120 FPS	111 FPS
high	95 FPS	95 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	78 FPS
4K
low	65 FPS	77 FPS
medium	58 FPS	67 FPS
high	45 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	43 FPS

Open FX-8320 Open Ryzen 7 5700X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	FX-8320	Ryzen 7 5700X
1080p
low	137 FPS	649 FPS
medium	137 FPS	549 FPS
high	137 FPS	448 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	404 FPS
1440p
low	137 FPS	552 FPS
medium	137 FPS	484 FPS
high	137 FPS	407 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	350 FPS
4K
low	137 FPS	343 FPS
medium	137 FPS	303 FPS
high	137 FPS	277 FPS
ultra	120 FPS	245 FPS

Open FX-8320 Open Ryzen 7 5700X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	FX-8320	Ryzen 7 5700X
1080p
low	137 FPS	665 FPS
medium	137 FPS	557 FPS
high	137 FPS	509 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	439 FPS
1440p
low	137 FPS	554 FPS
medium	137 FPS	458 FPS
high	137 FPS	419 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	358 FPS
4K
low	137 FPS	402 FPS
medium	137 FPS	322 FPS
high	137 FPS	292 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	229 FPS

Open FX-8320 Open Ryzen 7 5700X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	FX-8320	Ryzen 7 5700X
1080p
low	137 FPS	665 FPS
medium	137 FPS	665 FPS
high	137 FPS	665 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	665 FPS
1440p
low	137 FPS	665 FPS
medium	137 FPS	665 FPS
high	137 FPS	607 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	533 FPS
4K
low	137 FPS	545 FPS
medium	137 FPS	488 FPS
high	137 FPS	439 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	385 FPS

Open FX-8320 Open Ryzen 7 5700X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of FX-8320 and Ryzen 7 5700X

FX-8320

The FX-8320 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 23 October 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Vishera (2012−2015) architecture. It features 8 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L2 cache: 8192 kB. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: AM3+. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 5,472 points. Launch price was $149.

Ryzen 7 5700X

The Ryzen 7 5700X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 4 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 26,609 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The FX-8320 packs 8 cores / 8 threads, matching the Ryzen 7 5700X's 8 cores. Boost clocks reach 4 GHz on the FX-8320 versus 4.6 GHz on the Ryzen 7 5700X — a 14% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 5700X (base: 3.5 GHz vs 3.4 GHz). The FX-8320 uses the Vishera (2012−2015) architecture (32 nm), while the Ryzen 7 5700X uses Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) (7 nm). In PassMark, the FX-8320 scores 5,472 against the Ryzen 7 5700X's 26,609 — a 131.8% lead for the Ryzen 7 5700X. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 4,500 vs 14,000 (102.7% advantage for the Ryzen 7 5700X). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 458 vs 2,116, a 128.8% lead for the Ryzen 7 5700X that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 1,791 vs 9,715 (137.7% advantage for the Ryzen 7 5700X).

Feature	FX-8320	Ryzen 7 5700X
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4 GHz	4.6 GHz+15%
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+3%	3.4 GHz
L3 Cache	—	32 MB (total)
L2 Cache	8192 kB+1500%	512K (per core)
Process	32 nm	7 nm-78%
Architecture	Vishera (2012−2015)	Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)
PassMark	5,472	26,609+386%
Cinebench R23 Multi	4,500	14,000+211%
Geekbench 6 Single	458	2,116+362%
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,791	9,715+442%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The FX-8320 uses the AM3+ socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Ryzen 7 5700X uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1866 on the FX-8320 versus DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 7 5700X — the Ryzen 7 5700X supports 28.6% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Ryzen 7 5700X supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 32 GB — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (FX-8320) vs 24 (Ryzen 7 5700X) — the Ryzen 7 5700X offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: 970,990X,990FX (FX-8320) and A320,B350,X370,B450,X470,B550,X570 (Ryzen 7 5700X).

Feature	FX-8320	Ryzen 7 5700X
Socket	AM3+	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 4.0+100%
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1866	DDR4-3200+33%
Max RAM Capacity	32 GB	128 GB+300%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	16	24+50%

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Both support AMD-V virtualization. Primary use case: FX-8320 targets Productivity, Ryzen 7 5700X targets Gaming. Direct competitor: FX-8320 rivals Core i5-3570; Ryzen 7 5700X rivals Core i7-11700K.

Feature	FX-8320	Ryzen 7 5700X
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	AMD-V	AMD-V
Target Use	Productivity	Gaming

💰

Value Analysis

The FX-8320 launched at $169 MSRP, while the Ryzen 7 5700X debuted at $299. On MSRP ($169 vs $299), the FX-8320 is $130 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the FX-8320 delivers 32.4 pts/$ vs 89.0 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 5700X — making the Ryzen 7 5700X the 93.3% better value option.