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-9370

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $67 less on MSRP ($42 MSRP vs $109 MSRP).
✅Delivers 158.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 151.8 vs 58.8 PassMark/$ ($42 MSRP vs $109 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (6,374 vs 6,407).
❌238.5% higher power demand at 220W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 3 1200.

Ryzen 3 1200

2017

Why buy it

✅+0.5% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 65W instead of 220W, a 155W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Stealth), unlike FX-9370.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 58.8 vs 151.8 PassMark/$ ($109 MSRP vs $42 MSRP).

FX-9370

2013

Ryzen 3 1200

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $67 less on MSRP ($42 MSRP vs $109 MSRP).
✅Delivers 158.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 151.8 vs 58.8 PassMark/$ ($42 MSRP vs $109 MSRP).

Why buy it

✅+0.5% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 65W instead of 220W, a 155W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Stealth), unlike FX-9370.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (6,374 vs 6,407).
❌238.5% higher power demand at 220W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 3 1200.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 58.8 vs 151.8 PassMark/$ ($109 MSRP vs $42 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 3 1200 better than FX-9370?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, FX-9370 is ahead with a 0.6% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 3 1200 pulls ahead with 0.5% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 3 1200 is the better fit. You are getting 0.5% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 4 threads.

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

Ryzen 3 1200 is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Ryzen 3 1200 is 159.5% more expensive on MSRP at $109 MSRP versus $42 MSRP, and it gives you 0.5% better PassMark. FX-9370 only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2013 platform. Even with 158.2% better value on paper (151.8 vs 58.8 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a very cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on AM3+.

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

Ryzen 3 1200 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2017 vs 2013) and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 4 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-9370 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 3 1200 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	FX-9370	Ryzen 3 1200
1080p
low	159 FPS	160 FPS
medium	151 FPS	146 FPS
high	124 FPS	116 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	147 FPS	141 FPS
medium	123 FPS	118 FPS
high	99 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	84 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	78 FPS	67 FPS
medium	70 FPS	60 FPS
high	56 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	36 FPS

Open FX-9370 Open Ryzen 3 1200

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	FX-9370	Ryzen 3 1200
1080p
low	159 FPS	160 FPS
medium	159 FPS	145 FPS
high	159 FPS	136 FPS
ultra	159 FPS	106 FPS
1440p
low	159 FPS	145 FPS
medium	159 FPS	125 FPS
high	159 FPS	116 FPS
ultra	159 FPS	93 FPS
4K
low	159 FPS	113 FPS
medium	159 FPS	100 FPS
high	159 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	159 FPS	58 FPS

Open FX-9370 Open Ryzen 3 1200

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	FX-9370	Ryzen 3 1200
1080p
low	159 FPS	160 FPS
medium	159 FPS	160 FPS
high	159 FPS	160 FPS
ultra	159 FPS	160 FPS
1440p
low	159 FPS	160 FPS
medium	159 FPS	160 FPS
high	159 FPS	160 FPS
ultra	159 FPS	160 FPS
4K
low	159 FPS	160 FPS
medium	159 FPS	160 FPS
high	159 FPS	139 FPS
ultra	159 FPS	109 FPS

Open FX-9370 Open Ryzen 3 1200

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	FX-9370	Ryzen 3 1200
1080p
low	159 FPS	160 FPS
medium	159 FPS	160 FPS
high	159 FPS	160 FPS
ultra	159 FPS	160 FPS
1440p
low	159 FPS	160 FPS
medium	159 FPS	160 FPS
high	159 FPS	160 FPS
ultra	159 FPS	160 FPS
4K
low	159 FPS	160 FPS
medium	159 FPS	160 FPS
high	159 FPS	160 FPS
ultra	159 FPS	160 FPS

Open FX-9370 Open Ryzen 3 1200

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of FX-9370 and Ryzen 3 1200

FX-9370

The FX-9370 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 July 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Vishera (2012−2015) architecture. It features 8 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 4.4 GHz, with boost up to 4.7 GHz. L2 cache: 8192 kB. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: AM3+. Thermal design power (TDP): 220 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 6,374 points. Launch price was $149.

Ryzen 3 1200

The Ryzen 3 1200 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 27 July 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Summit Ridge (Zen) (2017) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 6,407 points. Launch price was $109.

⚡

Processing Power

The FX-9370 packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Ryzen 3 1200 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the FX-9370 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.7 GHz on the FX-9370 versus 3.4 GHz on the Ryzen 3 1200 — a 32.1% clock advantage for the FX-9370 (base: 4.4 GHz vs 3.1 GHz). The FX-9370 uses the Vishera (2012−2015) architecture (32 nm), while the Ryzen 3 1200 uses Summit Ridge (Zen) (2017) (14 nm). In PassMark, the FX-9370 scores 6,374 against the Ryzen 3 1200's 6,407 — a 0.5% lead for the Ryzen 3 1200.

Feature	FX-9370	Ryzen 3 1200
Cores / Threads	8 / 8+100%	4 / 4
Boost Clock	4.7 GHz+38%	3.4 GHz
Base Clock	4.4 GHz+42%	3.1 GHz
L3 Cache	—	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	8192 kB+1500%	512K (per core)
Process	32 nm	14 nm-56%
Architecture	Vishera (2012−2015)	Summit Ridge (Zen) (2017)
PassMark	6,374	6,407
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	3,013
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,000
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	3,000

🧠

Memory & Platform

The FX-9370 uses the AM3+ socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Ryzen 3 1200 uses AM4 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	FX-9370	Ryzen 3 1200
Socket	AM3+	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-2666
Max RAM Capacity	—	64 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	Yes
PCIe Lanes	—	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (FX-9370) / AMD-V (Ryzen 3 1200). Primary use case: Ryzen 3 1200 targets Budget.

Feature	FX-9370	Ryzen 3 1200
Integrated GPU	—	No
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Budget

💰

Value Analysis

The FX-9370 launched at $42 MSRP, while the Ryzen 3 1200 debuted at $109. On MSRP ($42 vs $109), the FX-9370 is $67 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the FX-9370 delivers 151.8 pts/$ vs 58.8 pts/$ for the Ryzen 3 1200 — making the FX-9370 the 88.3% better value option.