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 7440U

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.2% higher average FPS across 48 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (13,100 vs 13,145).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 16 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 2600.

Ryzen 5 2600

2018

Why buy it

✅+0.3% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 3 7440U.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 3 7440U across 48 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Ryzen 3 7440U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 3 7440U moves to FP7 and DDR5.

Ryzen 3 7440U

2023

Ryzen 5 2600

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.2% higher average FPS across 48 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅+0.3% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 3 7440U.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (13,100 vs 13,145).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 16 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 2600.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 3 7440U across 48 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Ryzen 3 7440U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 3 7440U moves to FP7 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 3 7440U better than Ryzen 5 2600?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 3 7440U is ahead with a 3.2% average FPS lead across 48 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 2600 pulls ahead with 0.3% better PassMark. Ryzen 5 2600 also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 2600 is the better fit. You are getting 0.3% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).

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

Ryzen 3 7440U is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 2600 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 3 7440U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and it gives you a 3.2% average FPS lead across 48 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Ryzen 5 2600 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.3% better PassMark. Ryzen 5 2600 is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (66.1 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

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

Ryzen 3 7440U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2018) and a healthier platform with FP7 and DDR5 instead of AM4. 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 3 7440U Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 2600 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 3 7440U	Ryzen 5 2600
1080p
low	172 FPS	183 FPS
medium	141 FPS	157 FPS
high	112 FPS	127 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	102 FPS
1440p
low	149 FPS	152 FPS
medium	119 FPS	125 FPS
high	94 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	77 FPS
4K
low	84 FPS	68 FPS
medium	73 FPS	60 FPS
high	57 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	38 FPS

Open Ryzen 3 7440U Open Ryzen 5 2600

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 3 7440U	Ryzen 5 2600
1080p
low	328 FPS	263 FPS
medium	273 FPS	227 FPS
high	238 FPS	202 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	162 FPS
1440p
low	289 FPS	236 FPS
medium	235 FPS	206 FPS
high	210 FPS	183 FPS
ultra	172 FPS	151 FPS
4K
low	214 FPS	186 FPS
medium	180 FPS	165 FPS
high	149 FPS	146 FPS
ultra	121 FPS	111 FPS

Open Ryzen 3 7440U Open Ryzen 5 2600

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 3 7440U	Ryzen 5 2600
1080p
low	328 FPS	329 FPS
medium	328 FPS	329 FPS
high	328 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	328 FPS	329 FPS
1440p
low	328 FPS	329 FPS
medium	328 FPS	329 FPS
high	328 FPS	322 FPS
ultra	328 FPS	268 FPS
4K
low	328 FPS	304 FPS
medium	328 FPS	248 FPS
high	328 FPS	215 FPS
ultra	308 FPS	167 FPS

Open Ryzen 3 7440U Open Ryzen 5 2600

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 3 7440U	Ryzen 5 2600
1080p
low	328 FPS	329 FPS
medium	328 FPS	329 FPS
high	328 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	328 FPS	329 FPS
1440p
low	328 FPS	329 FPS
medium	328 FPS	329 FPS
high	328 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	328 FPS	329 FPS
4K
low	328 FPS	329 FPS
medium	328 FPS	329 FPS
high	328 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	328 FPS	310 FPS

Open Ryzen 3 7440U Open Ryzen 5 2600

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 3 7440U and Ryzen 5 2600

Ryzen 3 7440U

The Ryzen 3 7440U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 3 May 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Phoenix-U (Zen 4 + Zen 4c) (2023) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 4.7 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP7. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 13,100 points. Launch price was $149.

Ryzen 5 2600

The Ryzen 5 2600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 19 April 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Pinnacle Riege (Zen+) (2018) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 3 MB. Built on 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 13,145 points. Launch price was $199.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 3 7440U packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Ryzen 5 2600 offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Ryzen 5 2600 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.7 GHz on the Ryzen 3 7440U versus 3.9 GHz on the Ryzen 5 2600 — a 18.6% clock advantage for the Ryzen 3 7440U (base: 3 GHz vs 3.4 GHz). The Ryzen 3 7440U uses the Phoenix-U (Zen 4 + Zen 4c) (2023) architecture (4 nm), while the Ryzen 5 2600 uses Pinnacle Riege (Zen+) (2018) (12 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 3 7440U scores 13,100 against the Ryzen 5 2600's 13,145 — a 0.3% lead for the Ryzen 5 2600. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 3 7440U vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 2600.

Feature	Ryzen 3 7440U	Ryzen 5 2600
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	6 / 12+50%
Boost Clock	4.7 GHz+21%	3.9 GHz
Base Clock	3 GHz	3.4 GHz+13%
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)	16 MB (total)+100%
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	3 MB+200%
Process	4 nm-67%	12 nm
Architecture	Phoenix-U (Zen 4 + Zen 4c) (2023)	Pinnacle Riege (Zen+) (2018)
PassMark	13,100	13,145
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	6,344
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,163
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	4,893

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 3 7440U uses the FP7 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 5 2600 uses AM4 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 3 7440U	Ryzen 5 2600
Socket	FP7	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-2933
Max RAM Capacity	—	64 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	Yes
PCIe Lanes	—	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Ryzen 3 7440U) / Yes (Ryzen 5 2600). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 2600 targets General Productivity. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 2600 rivals Core i5-9400.