Ryzen 5 2600 vs Ryzen 5 4600U

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 2600

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.7% higher average FPS across 42 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+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 5 4600U.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 4600U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.

Ryzen 5 4600U

2020

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 2600 across 42 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,043 vs 13,145).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 16 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 2600.

Ryzen 5 2600

2018

Ryzen 5 4600U

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.7% higher average FPS across 42 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+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 5 4600U.

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 4600U 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 Ryzen 5 2600 across 42 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,043 vs 13,145).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 16 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 2600.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 2600 better than Ryzen 5 4600U?

Yes. Ryzen 5 2600 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 8.7% average FPS lead across 42 shared CPU game tests in our data and 0.8% better PassMark, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 5 2600 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 8.7% more average FPS across 42 shared CPU game tests.

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 0.8% 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 5 2600 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 2600 is at an unclear MSRP at $199 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 8.7% average FPS lead across 42 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (66.1 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 5 4600U 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.

Ryzen 5 2600 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 4600U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 2600	Ryzen 5 4600U
1080p
low	183 FPS	171 FPS
medium	157 FPS	140 FPS
high	127 FPS	111 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	89 FPS
1440p
low	152 FPS	146 FPS
medium	125 FPS	118 FPS
high	98 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	73 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	69 FPS
medium	60 FPS	60 FPS
high	47 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	37 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 2600 Open Ryzen 5 4600U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 2600	Ryzen 5 4600U
1080p
low	263 FPS	137 FPS
medium	227 FPS	118 FPS
high	202 FPS	107 FPS
ultra	162 FPS	84 FPS
1440p
low	236 FPS	117 FPS
medium	206 FPS	102 FPS
high	183 FPS	95 FPS
ultra	151 FPS	77 FPS
4K
low	186 FPS	100 FPS
medium	165 FPS	90 FPS
high	146 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	111 FPS	63 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 2600 Open Ryzen 5 4600U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 2600	Ryzen 5 4600U
1080p
low	329 FPS	326 FPS
medium	329 FPS	326 FPS
high	329 FPS	326 FPS
ultra	329 FPS	326 FPS
1440p
low	329 FPS	326 FPS
medium	329 FPS	326 FPS
high	322 FPS	326 FPS
ultra	268 FPS	326 FPS
4K
low	304 FPS	326 FPS
medium	248 FPS	326 FPS
high	215 FPS	297 FPS
ultra	167 FPS	238 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 2600 Open Ryzen 5 4600U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 2600	Ryzen 5 4600U
1080p
low	329 FPS	326 FPS
medium	329 FPS	326 FPS
high	329 FPS	326 FPS
ultra	329 FPS	326 FPS
1440p
low	329 FPS	326 FPS
medium	329 FPS	326 FPS
high	329 FPS	326 FPS
ultra	329 FPS	326 FPS
4K
low	329 FPS	326 FPS
medium	329 FPS	326 FPS
high	329 FPS	326 FPS
ultra	310 FPS	282 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 2600 Open Ryzen 5 4600U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 2600 and Ryzen 5 4600U

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.

Ryzen 5 4600U

The Ryzen 5 4600U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 13,043 points. Launch price was $149.

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Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 5 2600 and Ryzen 5 4600U share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.9 GHz on the Ryzen 5 2600 versus 4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 4600U — a 2.5% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 4600U (base: 3.4 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Ryzen 5 2600 uses the Pinnacle Riege (Zen+) (2018) architecture (12 nm), while the Ryzen 5 4600U uses Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 2600 scores 13,145 against the Ryzen 5 4600U's 13,043 — a 0.8% lead for the Ryzen 5 2600. L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 2600 vs 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 4600U.

Feature	Ryzen 5 2600	Ryzen 5 4600U
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	3.9 GHz	4 GHz+3%
Base Clock	3.4 GHz+62%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)+100%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	3 MB+500%	512 kB (per core)
Process	12 nm	7 nm-42%
Architecture	Pinnacle Riege (Zen+) (2018)	Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021)
PassMark	13,145	13,043
Cinebench R23 Multi	6,344	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,163	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	4,893	—

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 2600 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 5 4600U uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 2600	Ryzen 5 4600U
Socket	AM4	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2933	—
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	20	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: Yes (Ryzen 5 2600) / not specified (Ryzen 5 4600U). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 2600 targets General Productivity. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 2600 rivals Core i5-9400.