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 3400GE

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (8,825 vs 17,685).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 59.2 vs 88.9 PassMark/$ ($149 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +45.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+700% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 4 MB).
✅Delivers 50.0% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 88.9 vs 59.2 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 3400GE.

Trade-offs

❌
33.6% HIGHER MSRP
$199 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Ryzen 5 3400GE

2019

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +45.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+700% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 4 MB).
✅Delivers 50.0% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 88.9 vs 59.2 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 3400GE.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (8,825 vs 17,685).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 59.2 vs 88.9 PassMark/$ ($149 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Trade-offs

❌
33.6% HIGHER MSRP
$199 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 3600 better than Ryzen 5 3400GE?

Yes. Ryzen 5 3600 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 45.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 100.4% 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 3600 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 45.0% 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 3600 is the better fit. You are getting 100.4% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 700% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 4 MB).

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

Ryzen 5 3600 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 3600 is 33.6% more expensive on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $149 MSRP, and it gives you a 45.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 50.0% better value on MSRP (88.9 vs 59.2 PassMark/$), 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 3600 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 700% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 4 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 3400GE Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 3600 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3400GE	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	172 FPS	200 FPS
medium	151 FPS	161 FPS
high	124 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	106 FPS
1440p
low	143 FPS	154 FPS
medium	121 FPS	119 FPS
high	96 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	76 FPS	75 FPS
4K
low	65 FPS	70 FPS
medium	58 FPS	58 FPS
high	46 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	36 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3400GE Open Ryzen 5 3600

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3400GE	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	218 FPS	442 FPS
medium	189 FPS	404 FPS
high	173 FPS	332 FPS
ultra	136 FPS	295 FPS
1440p
low	187 FPS	420 FPS
medium	161 FPS	359 FPS
high	147 FPS	303 FPS
ultra	120 FPS	263 FPS
4K
low	138 FPS	297 FPS
medium	123 FPS	259 FPS
high	97 FPS	230 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	201 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3400GE Open Ryzen 5 3600

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 3400GE	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	221 FPS	442 FPS
medium	221 FPS	442 FPS
high	221 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	221 FPS	442 FPS
1440p
low	221 FPS	442 FPS
medium	221 FPS	442 FPS
high	221 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	221 FPS	432 FPS
4K
low	221 FPS	442 FPS
medium	221 FPS	361 FPS
high	221 FPS	305 FPS
ultra	221 FPS	242 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3400GE Open Ryzen 5 3600

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 3400GE	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	221 FPS	442 FPS
medium	221 FPS	442 FPS
high	221 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	221 FPS	442 FPS
1440p
low	221 FPS	442 FPS
medium	221 FPS	442 FPS
high	221 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	221 FPS	442 FPS
4K
low	221 FPS	442 FPS
medium	221 FPS	442 FPS
high	221 FPS	413 FPS
ultra	221 FPS	357 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3400GE Open Ryzen 5 3600

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 3400GE and Ryzen 5 3600

Ryzen 5 3400GE

The Ryzen 5 3400GE is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 July 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Picasso (2019−2022) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 8,825 points. Launch price was $149.

Ryzen 5 3600

The Ryzen 5 3600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 July 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 17,685 points. Launch price was $199.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 3400GE packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Ryzen 5 3600 offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Ryzen 5 3600 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3400GE versus 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3600 — a 4.9% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 3600 (base: 3.3 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Ryzen 5 3400GE uses the Picasso (2019−2022) architecture (12 nm), while the Ryzen 5 3600 uses Matisse (2019−2020) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 3400GE scores 8,825 against the Ryzen 5 3600's 17,685 — a 66.8% lead for the Ryzen 5 3600. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 3400GE vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 3600.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3400GE	Ryzen 5 3600
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	6 / 12+50%
Boost Clock	4 GHz	4.2 GHz+5%
Base Clock	3.3 GHz	3.6 GHz+9%
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	32 MB (total)+700%
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512K (per core)
Process	12 nm	7 nm, 12 nm-42%
Architecture	Picasso (2019−2022)	Matisse (2019−2020)
PassMark	8,825	17,685+100%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	9,500
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,295
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,898

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the AM4 socket with PCIe 3.0.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3400GE	Ryzen 5 3600
Socket	AM4	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	—	128 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	No
PCIe Lanes	—	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Ryzen 5 3400GE) / Yes (Ryzen 5 3600). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 3600 targets Gaming/Budget Workstation. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 3600 rivals Core i5-10400.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3400GE	Ryzen 5 3600
Integrated GPU	—	No
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	Yes
Target Use	—	Gaming/Budget Workstation

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 3400GE launched at $149 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 3600 debuted at $199. On MSRP ($149 vs $199), the Ryzen 5 3400GE is $50 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 3400GE delivers 59.2 pts/$ vs 88.9 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 3600 — making the Ryzen 5 3600 the 40% better value option.