Ryzen 5 240 vs Ryzen 9 5980HX

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 5 240

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (23,167 vs 23,300).
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 5980HX can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 9 5980HX

2021

Why buy it

✅+0.6% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (8CU), while Ryzen 5 240 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 240 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 240 moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Ryzen 5 240

2025

Ryzen 9 5980HX

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅+0.6% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (8CU), while Ryzen 5 240 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (23,167 vs 23,300).
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 5980HX can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 240 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 240 moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 5980HX better than Ryzen 5 240?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 5 240 is ahead with a 6.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 5980HX pulls ahead with 0.6% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 5980HX is the better fit. You are getting 0.6% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 9 5980HX still looks like the safer overall buy. Ryzen 9 5980HX is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 0.6% better PassMark.

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

Ryzen 5 240 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2021) and a healthier platform with FP8 and DDR5 instead of FP6. 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.

Ryzen 5 240 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 5980HX Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 240	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	265 FPS	260 FPS
medium	239 FPS	239 FPS
high	200 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	172 FPS	170 FPS
1440p
low	234 FPS	231 FPS
medium	191 FPS	192 FPS
high	156 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	162 FPS	159 FPS
medium	135 FPS	134 FPS
high	104 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	91 FPS	91 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 240 Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 240	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	425 FPS	427 FPS
medium	353 FPS	356 FPS
high	308 FPS	308 FPS
ultra	271 FPS	273 FPS
1440p
low	368 FPS	357 FPS
medium	320 FPS	312 FPS
high	281 FPS	276 FPS
ultra	240 FPS	236 FPS
4K
low	265 FPS	245 FPS
medium	235 FPS	220 FPS
high	218 FPS	207 FPS
ultra	183 FPS	180 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 240 Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 240	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	579 FPS	582 FPS
medium	579 FPS	582 FPS
high	579 FPS	576 FPS
ultra	579 FPS	472 FPS
1440p
low	579 FPS	582 FPS
medium	579 FPS	532 FPS
high	520 FPS	451 FPS
ultra	449 FPS	372 FPS
4K
low	501 FPS	456 FPS
medium	445 FPS	396 FPS
high	380 FPS	347 FPS
ultra	315 FPS	282 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 240 Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 240	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	579 FPS	582 FPS
medium	579 FPS	582 FPS
high	579 FPS	582 FPS
ultra	579 FPS	582 FPS
1440p
low	579 FPS	582 FPS
medium	579 FPS	582 FPS
high	579 FPS	554 FPS
ultra	545 FPS	475 FPS
4K
low	565 FPS	511 FPS
medium	506 FPS	460 FPS
high	450 FPS	405 FPS
ultra	386 FPS	348 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 240 Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 240 and Ryzen 9 5980HX

Ryzen 5 240

The Ryzen 5 240 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point (2024−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 4.3 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 23,167 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 9 5980HX

The Ryzen 9 5980HX is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 23,300 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 240 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 9 5980HX offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 9 5980HX has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Ryzen 5 240 versus 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5980HX — a 4.1% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 240 (base: 4.3 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Ryzen 5 240 uses the Hawk Point (2024−2025) architecture (4 nm), while the Ryzen 9 5980HX uses Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 240 scores 23,167 against the Ryzen 9 5980HX's 23,300 — a 0.6% lead for the Ryzen 9 5980HX. Both processors carry 16 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Ryzen 5 240	Ryzen 9 5980HX
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	5 GHz+4%	4.8 GHz
Base Clock	4.3 GHz+30%	3.3 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)+100%	512 kB (per core)
Process	4 nm-43%	7 nm
Architecture	Hawk Point (2024−2025)	Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021)
PassMark	23,167	23,300

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 240 uses the FP8 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 9 5980HX uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 240	Ryzen 9 5980HX
Socket	FP8	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	—	LPDDR4-4266
Max RAM Capacity	—	64 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	No
PCIe Lanes	—	16

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Ryzen 5 240) / AMD-V (Ryzen 9 5980HX). The Ryzen 9 5980HX includes integrated graphics (Radeon Graphics (8CU)), while the Ryzen 5 240 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 9 5980HX targets Mobile High-End.