Ryzen 5 3450U vs Ryzen 5 3600

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 3450U

2020

Why buy it

✅Draws 2W instead of 65W, a 63W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (6,550 vs 17,685).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 32 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +78.6% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+700% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 4 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 3450U.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 3450U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌3150% higher power demand at 65W vs 2W.

Ryzen 5 3450U

2020

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Why buy it

✅Draws 2W instead of 65W, a 63W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +78.6% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+700% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 4 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 3450U.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (6,550 vs 17,685).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 32 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 3450U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌3150% higher power demand at 65W vs 2W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 3600 better than Ryzen 5 3450U?

Yes. Ryzen 5 3600 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 78.6% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data and 170% better PassMark, 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 78.6% 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 170% 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 at an unclear MSRP at $199 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 78.6% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (88.9 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 3450U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2019). 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 3450U Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 3600 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3450U	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	164 FPS	200 FPS
medium	139 FPS	161 FPS
high	109 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	106 FPS
1440p
low	142 FPS	154 FPS
medium	112 FPS	119 FPS
high	87 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	75 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	70 FPS
medium	57 FPS	58 FPS
high	45 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	36 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3450U Open Ryzen 5 3600

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3450U	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	106 FPS	442 FPS
medium	92 FPS	404 FPS
high	85 FPS	332 FPS
ultra	66 FPS	295 FPS
1440p
low	92 FPS	420 FPS
medium	80 FPS	359 FPS
high	74 FPS	303 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	263 FPS
4K
low	69 FPS	297 FPS
medium	62 FPS	259 FPS
high	50 FPS	230 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	201 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3450U Open Ryzen 5 3600

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 3450U	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	164 FPS	442 FPS
medium	164 FPS	442 FPS
high	164 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	164 FPS	442 FPS
1440p
low	164 FPS	442 FPS
medium	164 FPS	442 FPS
high	164 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	164 FPS	432 FPS
4K
low	164 FPS	442 FPS
medium	164 FPS	361 FPS
high	164 FPS	305 FPS
ultra	164 FPS	242 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3450U Open Ryzen 5 3600

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 3450U	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	164 FPS	442 FPS
medium	164 FPS	442 FPS
high	164 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	164 FPS	442 FPS
1440p
low	164 FPS	442 FPS
medium	164 FPS	442 FPS
high	164 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	164 FPS	442 FPS
4K
low	164 FPS	442 FPS
medium	164 FPS	442 FPS
high	164 FPS	413 FPS
ultra	164 FPS	357 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3450U Open Ryzen 5 3600

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 3450U and Ryzen 5 3600

Ryzen 5 3450U

The Ryzen 5 3450U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 1 May 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Picasso-U (Zen+) (2019−2020) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 12 nm process technology. Socket: FP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 MB + 4 MB. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 6,550 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.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 3450U 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 3.5 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3450U versus 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3600 — a 18.2% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 3600 (base: 2.1 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Ryzen 5 3450U uses the Picasso-U (Zen+) (2019−2020) architecture (12 nm), while the Ryzen 5 3600 uses Matisse (2019−2020) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 3450U scores 6,550 against the Ryzen 5 3600's 17,685 — a 91.9% lead for the Ryzen 5 3600. L3 cache: 4 MB on the Ryzen 5 3450U vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 3600.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3450U	Ryzen 5 3600
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	6 / 12+50%
Boost Clock	3.5 GHz	4.2 GHz+20%
Base Clock	2.1 GHz	3.6 GHz+71%
L3 Cache	4 MB	32 MB (total)+700%
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	512K (per core)
Process	12 nm	7 nm, 12 nm-42%
Architecture	Picasso-U (Zen+) (2019−2020)	Matisse (2019−2020)
PassMark	6,550	17,685+170%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	9,500
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,295
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,898

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 3450U uses the FP5 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 5 3600 uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3450U	Ryzen 5 3600
Socket	FP5	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

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Ryzen 5 3450U) / Yes (Ryzen 5 3600). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 3600 targets Gaming/Budget Workstation. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 3600 rivals Core i5-10400.