Core i5-8500 vs Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U

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 i5-8500

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.1% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+125% larger total L3 cache (9 MB vs 4 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $192 MSRP, while Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.

Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U

2020

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-8500 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (9,493 vs 9,521).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 9 MB).

Core i5-8500

2018

Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.1% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+125% larger total L3 cache (9 MB vs 4 MB).

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $192 MSRP, while Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-8500 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (9,493 vs 9,521).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 9 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-8500 better than Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U?

Yes. Core i5-8500 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 11.1% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data and 0.3% better PassMark, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core i5-8500 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 11.1% 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, Core i5-8500 is the better fit. You are getting 0.3% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 6 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 125% larger total L3 cache (9 MB vs 4 MB).

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

Core i5-8500 is the smarter buy today. Core i5-8500 is at an unclear MSRP at $192 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 11.1% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (49.6 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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?

Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2018). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

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 i5-8500 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-8500	Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U
1080p
low	179 FPS	172 FPS
medium	144 FPS	141 FPS
high	115 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	91 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	152 FPS	148 FPS
medium	122 FPS	120 FPS
high	96 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	73 FPS
4K
low	71 FPS	69 FPS
medium	61 FPS	60 FPS
high	48 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	37 FPS

Open Core i5-8500 Open Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-8500	Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U
1080p
low	238 FPS	237 FPS
medium	238 FPS	221 FPS
high	238 FPS	194 FPS
ultra	223 FPS	150 FPS
1440p
low	238 FPS	221 FPS
medium	238 FPS	187 FPS
high	226 FPS	165 FPS
ultra	202 FPS	133 FPS
4K
low	238 FPS	163 FPS
medium	216 FPS	144 FPS
high	196 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	171 FPS	87 FPS

Open Core i5-8500 Open Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-8500	Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U
1080p
low	238 FPS	237 FPS
medium	238 FPS	237 FPS
high	238 FPS	237 FPS
ultra	238 FPS	237 FPS
1440p
low	238 FPS	237 FPS
medium	238 FPS	237 FPS
high	238 FPS	237 FPS
ultra	238 FPS	237 FPS
4K
low	238 FPS	237 FPS
medium	227 FPS	237 FPS
high	192 FPS	237 FPS
ultra	152 FPS	231 FPS

Open Core i5-8500 Open Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-8500	Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U
1080p
low	238 FPS	237 FPS
medium	238 FPS	237 FPS
high	238 FPS	237 FPS
ultra	238 FPS	237 FPS
1440p
low	238 FPS	237 FPS
medium	238 FPS	237 FPS
high	238 FPS	237 FPS
ultra	238 FPS	237 FPS
4K
low	238 FPS	237 FPS
medium	238 FPS	237 FPS
high	238 FPS	237 FPS
ultra	238 FPS	237 FPS

Open Core i5-8500 Open Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-8500 and Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U

Core i5-8500

The Core i5-8500 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 14 February 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018) architecture. It features 6 cores and 6 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 4.1 GHz. L3 cache: 9 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 9,521 points. Launch price was $202.

Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U

The Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 May 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Renoir PRO (Zen 2) (2020) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-4266. Passmark benchmark score: 9,493 points. Launch price was $149.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-8500 packs 6 cores / 6 threads, while the Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i5-8500 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.1 GHz on the Core i5-8500 versus 3.7 GHz on the Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U — a 10.3% clock advantage for the Core i5-8500 (base: 3 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Core i5-8500 uses the Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U uses Renoir PRO (Zen 2) (2020) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-8500 scores 9,521 against the Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U's 9,493 — a 0.3% lead for the Core i5-8500. L3 cache: 9 MB (total) on the Core i5-8500 vs 4 MB (total) on the Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U.

Feature	Core i5-8500	Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U
Cores / Threads	6 / 6+50%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.1 GHz+11%	3.7 GHz
Base Clock	3 GHz+25%	2.4 GHz
L3 Cache	9 MB (total)+125%	4 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512K (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018)	Renoir PRO (Zen 2) (2020)
PassMark	9,521	9,493

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Memory & Platform

The Core i5-8500 uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.