Ryzen 5 5500 vs Ryzen 5 6600HS

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 5500

2022

Why buy it

✅+1.8% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $159 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 6600HS mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 6600HS moves to FP7 and DDR5.

Ryzen 5 6600HS

2022

Why buy it

✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (18,975 vs 19,311).

Ryzen 5 5500

2022

Ryzen 5 6600HS

2022

Why buy it

✅+1.8% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $159 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 6600HS mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 6600HS moves to FP7 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (18,975 vs 19,311).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 6600HS better than Ryzen 5 5500?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 5 6600HS is ahead with a 1.4% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 5500 pulls ahead with 1.8% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 5500 is the better fit. You are getting 1.8% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 6600HS is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 5500 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 5 6600HS is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $159 MSRP, and it gives you a 1.4% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Ryzen 5 5500 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 1.8% better PassMark. Ryzen 5 5500 is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (121.5 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 5 6600HS is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 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 5 5500 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 6600HS Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 5 6600HS
1080p
low	181 FPS	167 FPS
medium	150 FPS	145 FPS
high	120 FPS	117 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	98 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	142 FPS
medium	124 FPS	122 FPS
high	98 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	82 FPS
4K
low	70 FPS	79 FPS
medium	61 FPS	72 FPS
high	48 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	45 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5500 Open Ryzen 5 6600HS

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 5 6600HS
1080p
low	329 FPS	353 FPS
medium	285 FPS	294 FPS
high	254 FPS	259 FPS
ultra	221 FPS	228 FPS
1440p
low	291 FPS	306 FPS
medium	258 FPS	259 FPS
high	233 FPS	235 FPS
ultra	201 FPS	203 FPS
4K
low	229 FPS	227 FPS
medium	206 FPS	196 FPS
high	189 FPS	179 FPS
ultra	162 FPS	146 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5500 Open Ryzen 5 6600HS

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 5 6600HS
1080p
low	483 FPS	474 FPS
medium	483 FPS	457 FPS
high	483 FPS	414 FPS
ultra	406 FPS	344 FPS
1440p
low	483 FPS	474 FPS
medium	411 FPS	400 FPS
high	361 FPS	360 FPS
ultra	300 FPS	301 FPS
4K
low	340 FPS	340 FPS
medium	285 FPS	284 FPS
high	248 FPS	246 FPS
ultra	192 FPS	193 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5500 Open Ryzen 5 6600HS

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 5 6600HS
1080p
low	483 FPS	474 FPS
medium	483 FPS	474 FPS
high	483 FPS	474 FPS
ultra	483 FPS	474 FPS
1440p
low	483 FPS	474 FPS
medium	483 FPS	474 FPS
high	483 FPS	474 FPS
ultra	425 FPS	474 FPS
4K
low	448 FPS	474 FPS
medium	404 FPS	471 FPS
high	360 FPS	420 FPS
ultra	308 FPS	364 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5500 Open Ryzen 5 6600HS

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5500 and Ryzen 5 6600HS

Ryzen 5 5500

The Ryzen 5 5500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 4 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne (2021−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 19,311 points. Launch price was $159.

Ryzen 5 6600HS

The Ryzen 5 6600HS is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Janeiro 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Rembrandt-HS (Zen 3+) (2022) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 6 nm process technology. Socket: FP7. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 18,975 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 5 5500 and Ryzen 5 6600HS share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5500 versus 4.5 GHz on the Ryzen 5 6600HS — a 6.9% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 6600HS (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5500 uses the Cezanne (2021−2025) architecture (7 nm), while the Ryzen 5 6600HS uses Rembrandt-HS (Zen 3+) (2022) (6 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5500 scores 19,311 against the Ryzen 5 6600HS's 18,975 — a 1.8% lead for the Ryzen 5 5500. L3 cache: 16 MB on the Ryzen 5 5500 vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 6600HS.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 5 6600HS
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz	4.5 GHz+7%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+9%	3.3 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512K (per core)
Process	7 nm	6 nm-14%
Architecture	Cezanne (2021−2025)	Rembrandt-HS (Zen 3+) (2022)
PassMark	19,311+2%	18,975

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 5500 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 5 6600HS uses FP7 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.