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.

Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE

2020

Why buy it

✅Costs $10 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5500 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (10,940 vs 19,311).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 73.4 vs 121.5 PassMark/$ ($149 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).

Ryzen 5 5500

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +36.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+300% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 4 MB).
✅Delivers 65.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 121.5 vs 73.4 PassMark/$ ($159 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌
6.7% HIGHER MSRP
$159 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE

2020

Ryzen 5 5500

2022

Why buy it

✅Costs $10 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +36.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+300% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 4 MB).
✅Delivers 65.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 121.5 vs 73.4 PassMark/$ ($159 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5500 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (10,940 vs 19,311).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 73.4 vs 121.5 PassMark/$ ($149 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌
6.7% HIGHER MSRP
$159 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5500 better than Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE?

Yes. Ryzen 5 5500 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 36.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 76.5% better 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 5 5500 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 36.3% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 5500 is the better fit. You are getting 76.5% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 300% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 4 MB).

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

Ryzen 5 5500 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 5500 is 6.7% more expensive on MSRP at $159 MSRP versus $149 MSRP, and it gives you a 36.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 65.4% better value on MSRP (121.5 vs 73.4 PassMark/$), 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 5 5500 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2020), 300% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 4 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 4/8. 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.

Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 5500 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE	Ryzen 5 5500
1080p
low	175 FPS	181 FPS
medium	141 FPS	150 FPS
high	113 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	97 FPS
1440p
low	150 FPS	153 FPS
medium	120 FPS	124 FPS
high	94 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	79 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	70 FPS
medium	57 FPS	61 FPS
high	44 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	38 FPS

Open Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE Open Ryzen 5 5500

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE	Ryzen 5 5500
1080p
low	240 FPS	329 FPS
medium	204 FPS	285 FPS
high	181 FPS	254 FPS
ultra	140 FPS	221 FPS
1440p
low	199 FPS	291 FPS
medium	174 FPS	258 FPS
high	155 FPS	233 FPS
ultra	125 FPS	201 FPS
4K
low	147 FPS	229 FPS
medium	133 FPS	206 FPS
high	107 FPS	189 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	162 FPS

Open Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE Open Ryzen 5 5500

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE	Ryzen 5 5500
1080p
low	274 FPS	483 FPS
medium	274 FPS	483 FPS
high	274 FPS	483 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	406 FPS
1440p
low	274 FPS	483 FPS
medium	274 FPS	411 FPS
high	274 FPS	361 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	300 FPS
4K
low	274 FPS	340 FPS
medium	274 FPS	285 FPS
high	274 FPS	248 FPS
ultra	236 FPS	192 FPS

Open Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE Open Ryzen 5 5500

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE	Ryzen 5 5500
1080p
low	274 FPS	483 FPS
medium	274 FPS	483 FPS
high	274 FPS	483 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	483 FPS
1440p
low	274 FPS	483 FPS
medium	274 FPS	483 FPS
high	274 FPS	483 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	425 FPS
4K
low	274 FPS	448 FPS
medium	274 FPS	404 FPS
high	274 FPS	360 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	308 FPS

Open Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE Open Ryzen 5 5500

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE and Ryzen 5 5500

Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE

The Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 21 July 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Renoir (2020−2023) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 10,940 points. Launch price was $149.

Ryzen 5 5500

The Ryzen 5 5500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 4 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne (2021−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB. 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: 19,311 points. Launch price was $159.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Ryzen 5 5500 offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Ryzen 5 5500 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4 GHz on the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE versus 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5500 — a 4.9% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5500 (base: 3.5 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE uses the Renoir (2020−2023) architecture (7 nm), while the Ryzen 5 5500 uses Cezanne (2021−2025) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE scores 10,940 against the Ryzen 5 5500's 19,311 — a 55.3% lead for the Ryzen 5 5500. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE vs 16 MB on the Ryzen 5 5500.

Feature	Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE	Ryzen 5 5500
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	6 / 12+50%
Boost Clock	4 GHz	4.2 GHz+5%
Base Clock	3.5 GHz	3.6 GHz+3%
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	16 MB+300%
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	512K (per core)
Process	7 nm	7 nm
Architecture	Renoir (2020−2023)	Cezanne (2021−2025)
PassMark	10,940	19,311+77%

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the AM4 socket with PCIe 3.0.

Feature	Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE	Ryzen 5 5500
Socket	AM4	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	—	128 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	No
PCIe Lanes	—	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE) / AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5500). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5500 targets Desktop.

Feature	Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE	Ryzen 5 5500
Integrated GPU	—	No
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE launched at $149 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 5500 debuted at $159. On MSRP ($149 vs $159), the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE is $10 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE delivers 73.4 pts/$ vs 121.5 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 5500 — making the Ryzen 5 5500 the 49.3% better value option.