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 5 1400

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $30 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (7,731 vs 21,550).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 45.7 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($169 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Ryzen 5 5600

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +67.3% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+300% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Delivers 136.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 45.7 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Stealth), unlike Ryzen 5 1400.

Trade-offs

❌
17.8% HIGHER MSRP
$199 MSRPvs$169 MSRP

Ryzen 5 1400

2017

Ryzen 5 5600

2022

Why buy it

✅Costs $30 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +67.3% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+300% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Delivers 136.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 45.7 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Stealth), unlike Ryzen 5 1400.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (7,731 vs 21,550).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 45.7 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($169 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Trade-offs

❌
17.8% HIGHER MSRP
$199 MSRPvs$169 MSRP

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5600 better than Ryzen 5 1400?

Yes. Ryzen 5 5600 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 67.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 178.7% 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 5600 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 67.3% 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 5 5600 is the better fit. You are getting 178.7% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 300% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 8 MB).

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

Ryzen 5 5600 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 5600 is 17.8% more expensive on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $169 MSRP, and it gives you a 67.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 136.7% better value on MSRP (108.3 vs 45.7 PassMark/$), 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 5600 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2017), 300% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 8 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 5 1400 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 5600 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 1400	Ryzen 5 5600
1080p
low	170 FPS	161 FPS
medium	148 FPS	130 FPS
high	119 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	141 FPS	141 FPS
medium	118 FPS	113 FPS
high	92 FPS	95 FPS
ultra	73 FPS	78 FPS
4K
low	65 FPS	79 FPS
medium	58 FPS	69 FPS
high	45 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	44 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 1400 Open Ryzen 5 5600

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 1400	Ryzen 5 5600
1080p
low	168 FPS	508 FPS
medium	148 FPS	419 FPS
high	139 FPS	351 FPS
ultra	105 FPS	310 FPS
1440p
low	146 FPS	447 FPS
medium	129 FPS	375 FPS
high	120 FPS	323 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	277 FPS
4K
low	114 FPS	313 FPS
medium	103 FPS	268 FPS
high	80 FPS	243 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	209 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 1400 Open Ryzen 5 5600

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 1400	Ryzen 5 5600
1080p
low	193 FPS	539 FPS
medium	193 FPS	526 FPS
high	193 FPS	483 FPS
ultra	193 FPS	414 FPS
1440p
low	193 FPS	539 FPS
medium	193 FPS	434 FPS
high	193 FPS	396 FPS
ultra	193 FPS	339 FPS
4K
low	193 FPS	371 FPS
medium	193 FPS	298 FPS
high	193 FPS	255 FPS
ultra	181 FPS	197 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 1400 Open Ryzen 5 5600

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 1400	Ryzen 5 5600
1080p
low	193 FPS	539 FPS
medium	193 FPS	539 FPS
high	193 FPS	539 FPS
ultra	193 FPS	539 FPS
1440p
low	193 FPS	539 FPS
medium	193 FPS	539 FPS
high	193 FPS	539 FPS
ultra	193 FPS	493 FPS
4K
low	193 FPS	501 FPS
medium	193 FPS	448 FPS
high	193 FPS	398 FPS
ultra	193 FPS	349 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 1400 Open Ryzen 5 5600

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 1400 and Ryzen 5 5600

Ryzen 5 1400

The Ryzen 5 1400 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 11 April 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Zen (2017−2020) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 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: 7,731 points. Launch price was $169.

Ryzen 5 5600

The Ryzen 5 5600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 20 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 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: 21,550 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 1400 packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Ryzen 5 5600 offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Ryzen 5 5600 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 1400 versus 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600 — a 25.6% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600 (base: 3.2 GHz vs 3.5 GHz). The Ryzen 5 1400 uses the Zen (2017−2020) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 5600 uses Vermeer (2020−2025) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 1400 scores 7,731 against the Ryzen 5 5600's 21,550 — a 94.4% lead for the Ryzen 5 5600. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 1400 vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Ryzen 5 1400	Ryzen 5 5600
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	6 / 12+50%
Boost Clock	3.4 GHz	4.4 GHz+29%
Base Clock	3.2 GHz	3.5 GHz+9%
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)	32 MB (total)+300%
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512K (per core)
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Zen (2017−2020)	Vermeer (2020−2025)
PassMark	7,731	21,550+179%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	11,077
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,052
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	8,600

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the AM4 socket with PCIe 3.0. Both support up to DDR4-2666 memory speed. The Ryzen 5 5600 supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 24 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: AMD 400 series,AMD 300 series (Ryzen 5 1400) and B550,X570,B450,X470,A520 (Ryzen 5 5600).

Feature	Ryzen 5 1400	Ryzen 5 5600
Socket	AM4	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	128 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	24	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Ryzen 5 1400) / AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600 targets Desktop.

Feature	Ryzen 5 1400	Ryzen 5 5600
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 1400 launched at $169 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 5600 debuted at $199. On MSRP ($169 vs $199), the Ryzen 5 1400 is $30 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 1400 delivers 45.7 pts/$ vs 108.3 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 5600 — making the Ryzen 5 5600 the 81.2% better value option.