Core i7-7700HQ vs Ryzen 5 3500U

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.

Core i7-7700HQ

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (6 MB vs 4 MB).
✅33.3% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 12) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌200% higher power demand at 45W vs 15W.

Ryzen 5 3500U

2019

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 45W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-7700HQ across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (6,836 vs 6,880).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 6 MB).

Core i7-7700HQ

2017

Ryzen 5 3500U

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (6 MB vs 4 MB).
✅33.3% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 12) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 45W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌200% higher power demand at 45W vs 15W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-7700HQ across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (6,836 vs 6,880).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 6 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Core i7-7700HQ better than Ryzen 5 3500U?

Yes. Core i7-7700HQ is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 10.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data and 0.6% better PassMark, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core i7-7700HQ is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 10.4% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-7700HQ is the better fit. You are getting 0.6% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 8 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (6 MB vs 4 MB).

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

Core i7-7700HQ still looks like the safer overall buy. Core i7-7700HQ is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 10.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data.

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

Ryzen 5 3500U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2019 vs 2017). 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.

Core i7-7700HQ Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 3500U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-7700HQ	Ryzen 5 3500U
1080p
low	172 FPS	169 FPS
medium	138 FPS	149 FPS
high	109 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	85 FPS	98 FPS
1440p
low	148 FPS	142 FPS
medium	118 FPS	121 FPS
high	92 FPS	95 FPS
ultra	72 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	70 FPS	67 FPS
medium	60 FPS	61 FPS
high	47 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	37 FPS

Open Core i7-7700HQ Open Ryzen 5 3500U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-7700HQ	Ryzen 5 3500U
1080p
low	172 FPS	120 FPS
medium	172 FPS	105 FPS
high	172 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	78 FPS
1440p
low	172 FPS	103 FPS
medium	172 FPS	90 FPS
high	158 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	127 FPS	70 FPS
4K
low	165 FPS	77 FPS
medium	143 FPS	69 FPS
high	116 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	42 FPS

Open Core i7-7700HQ Open Ryzen 5 3500U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-7700HQ	Ryzen 5 3500U
1080p
low	172 FPS	171 FPS
medium	172 FPS	171 FPS
high	172 FPS	171 FPS
ultra	172 FPS	171 FPS
1440p
low	172 FPS	171 FPS
medium	172 FPS	171 FPS
high	172 FPS	171 FPS
ultra	172 FPS	171 FPS
4K
low	172 FPS	171 FPS
medium	172 FPS	171 FPS
high	172 FPS	171 FPS
ultra	172 FPS	171 FPS

Open Core i7-7700HQ Open Ryzen 5 3500U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-7700HQ	Ryzen 5 3500U
1080p
low	172 FPS	171 FPS
medium	172 FPS	171 FPS
high	172 FPS	171 FPS
ultra	172 FPS	171 FPS
1440p
low	172 FPS	171 FPS
medium	172 FPS	171 FPS
high	172 FPS	171 FPS
ultra	172 FPS	171 FPS
4K
low	172 FPS	171 FPS
medium	172 FPS	171 FPS
high	172 FPS	171 FPS
ultra	172 FPS	171 FPS

Open Core i7-7700HQ Open Ryzen 5 3500U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-7700HQ and Ryzen 5 3500U

Core i7-7700HQ

The Core i7-7700HQ is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 January 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Kaby Lake-H (2017) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 6,880 points. Launch price was $378.

Ryzen 5 3500U

The Ryzen 5 3500U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2019 (6 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 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 12 nm process technology. Socket: FP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 6,836 points. Launch price was $149.

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Processing Power

Both the Core i7-7700HQ and Ryzen 5 3500U share an identical 4-core/8-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.8 GHz on the Core i7-7700HQ versus 3.7 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3500U — a 2.7% clock advantage for the Core i7-7700HQ (base: 2.8 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Core i7-7700HQ uses the Kaby Lake-H (2017) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 3500U uses Picasso-U (Zen+) (2019−2020) (12 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-7700HQ scores 6,880 against the Ryzen 5 3500U's 6,836 — a 0.6% lead for the Core i7-7700HQ. L3 cache: 6 MB (total) on the Core i7-7700HQ vs 4 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 3500U.

Feature	Core i7-7700HQ	Ryzen 5 3500U
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	4 / 8
Boost Clock	3.8 GHz+3%	3.7 GHz
Base Clock	2.8 GHz+33%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	6 MB (total)+50%	4 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512K (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	12 nm-14%
Architecture	Kaby Lake-H (2017)	Picasso-U (Zen+) (2019−2020)
PassMark	6,880	6,836
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	3,545
Geekbench 6 Single	—	876
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,898

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Memory & Platform

The Core i7-7700HQ uses the BGA1440 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 5 3500U uses FP5 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2400 memory speed. Both support up to 64 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-7700HQ) vs 12 (Ryzen 5 3500U) — the Core i7-7700HQ offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: BGA1440 (Core i7-7700HQ) and Mobile (Ryzen 5 3500U).

Feature	Core i7-7700HQ	Ryzen 5 3500U
Socket	BGA1440	FP5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2400	DDR4-2400
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	64 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	16+33%	12

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-7700HQ) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 5 3500U). Both include integrated graphics — HD Graphics 630 (Core i7-7700HQ) and Radeon Vega 8 (Ryzen 5 3500U) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 5 3500U targets Budget. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 3500U rivals Core i5-10210U.