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 i7-8086K

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +22.4% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,069 vs 14,113).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 33.1 vs 80.2 PassMark/$ ($425 MSRP vs $176 MSRP).
❌46.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1151 with DDR4, while Ryzen 3 8300G moves to AM5 and DDR5.

Ryzen 3 8300G

2024

Why buy it

✅+0.3% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $249 less on MSRP ($176 MSRP vs $425 MSRP).
✅Delivers 142.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 80.2 vs 33.1 PassMark/$ ($176 MSRP vs $425 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-8086K across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).

Core i7-8086K

2018

Ryzen 3 8300G

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +22.4% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).

Why buy it

✅+0.3% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $249 less on MSRP ($176 MSRP vs $425 MSRP).
✅Delivers 142.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 80.2 vs 33.1 PassMark/$ ($176 MSRP vs $425 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,069 vs 14,113).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 33.1 vs 80.2 PassMark/$ ($425 MSRP vs $176 MSRP).
❌46.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1151 with DDR4, while Ryzen 3 8300G moves to AM5 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-8086K across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 3 8300G better than Core i7-8086K?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i7-8086K is ahead with a 22.4% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 3 8300G pulls ahead with 0.3% better PassMark. Core i7-8086K 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 3 8300G is the better fit. You are getting 0.3% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 8 threads.

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

Ryzen 3 8300G is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 3 8300G is $249 cheaper on MSRP at $176 MSRP versus $425 MSRP, and it gives you 0.3% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i7-8086K is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 22.4% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 142.2% better value on MSRP (80.2 vs 33.1 PassMark/$), 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 3 8300G is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2018), a healthier platform with AM5 and DDR5 instead of LGA1151, and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 8 threads instead of 6/12. 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 i7-8086K Benchmark Check

Ryzen 3 8300G Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-8086K	Ryzen 3 8300G
1080p
low	321 FPS	262 FPS
medium	284 FPS	232 FPS
high	236 FPS	199 FPS
ultra	185 FPS	168 FPS
1440p
low	279 FPS	229 FPS
medium	224 FPS	184 FPS
high	181 FPS	152 FPS
ultra	145 FPS	132 FPS
4K
low	177 FPS	159 FPS
medium	144 FPS	129 FPS
high	109 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	86 FPS

Open Core i7-8086K Open Ryzen 3 8300G

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-8086K	Ryzen 3 8300G
1080p
low	352 FPS	347 FPS
medium	352 FPS	280 FPS
high	352 FPS	245 FPS
ultra	332 FPS	206 FPS
1440p
low	352 FPS	286 FPS
medium	352 FPS	238 FPS
high	349 FPS	214 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	176 FPS
4K
low	352 FPS	212 FPS
medium	319 FPS	183 FPS
high	292 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	124 FPS

Open Core i7-8086K Open Ryzen 3 8300G

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-8086K	Ryzen 3 8300G
1080p
low	352 FPS	353 FPS
medium	352 FPS	353 FPS
high	352 FPS	353 FPS
ultra	352 FPS	353 FPS
1440p
low	352 FPS	353 FPS
medium	352 FPS	353 FPS
high	352 FPS	353 FPS
ultra	352 FPS	353 FPS
4K
low	352 FPS	353 FPS
medium	352 FPS	353 FPS
high	352 FPS	352 FPS
ultra	306 FPS	292 FPS

Open Core i7-8086K Open Ryzen 3 8300G

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-8086K	Ryzen 3 8300G
1080p
low	352 FPS	353 FPS
medium	352 FPS	353 FPS
high	352 FPS	353 FPS
ultra	352 FPS	353 FPS
1440p
low	352 FPS	353 FPS
medium	352 FPS	353 FPS
high	352 FPS	353 FPS
ultra	352 FPS	353 FPS
4K
low	352 FPS	353 FPS
medium	352 FPS	353 FPS
high	352 FPS	353 FPS
ultra	352 FPS	353 FPS

Open Core i7-8086K Open Ryzen 3 8300G

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-8086K and Ryzen 3 8300G

Core i7-8086K

The Core i7-8086K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 5 June 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 14,069 points. Launch price was $425.

Ryzen 3 8300G

The Ryzen 3 8300G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 8 January 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Phoenix2 (2024) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 14,113 points. Launch price was $176.

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Processing Power

The Core i7-8086K packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 3 8300G offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i7-8086K has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Core i7-8086K versus 4.9 GHz on the Ryzen 3 8300G — a 2% clock advantage for the Core i7-8086K (base: 4 GHz vs 3.4 GHz). The Core i7-8086K uses the Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 3 8300G uses Phoenix2 (2024) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-8086K scores 14,069 against the Ryzen 3 8300G's 14,113 — a 0.3% lead for the Ryzen 3 8300G. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-8086K vs 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 3 8300G.

Feature	Core i7-8086K	Ryzen 3 8300G
Cores / Threads	6 / 12+50%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	5 GHz+2%	4.9 GHz
Base Clock	4 GHz+18%	3.4 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+50%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	14 nm	4 nm-71%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018)	Phoenix2 (2024)
PassMark	14,069	14,113

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Memory & Platform

The Core i7-8086K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 3 8300G uses AM5 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-8086K	Ryzen 3 8300G
Socket	LGA1151	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%

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Value Analysis

The Core i7-8086K launched at $425 MSRP, while the Ryzen 3 8300G debuted at $176. On MSRP ($425 vs $176), the Ryzen 3 8300G is $249 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-8086K delivers 33.1 pts/$ vs 80.2 pts/$ for the Ryzen 3 8300G — making the Ryzen 3 8300G the 83.1% better value option.