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 5600X

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,845 vs 22,010).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 73.1 vs 96.1 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 7400 moves to AM5 and DDR5.

Ryzen 5 7400

2025

Why buy it

✅+0.8% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $70 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 31.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 96.1 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($229 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).

Ryzen 5 5600X

2020

Ryzen 5 7400

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅+0.8% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $70 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 31.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 96.1 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($229 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,845 vs 22,010).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 73.1 vs 96.1 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 7400 moves to AM5 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 7400 better than Ryzen 5 5600X?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 5 5600X is ahead with a 10.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 7400 pulls ahead with 0.8% better PassMark. Ryzen 5 5600X also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 7400 is the better fit. You are getting 0.8% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 7400 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 7400 is $70 cheaper on MSRP at $229 MSRP versus $299 MSRP, and it gives you 0.8% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Ryzen 5 5600X is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 10.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 31.6% better value on MSRP (96.1 vs 73.1 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper. That said, if you already own a compatible AM4 + DDR4 setup, Ryzen 5 5600X can still make sense as a platform-matched option because it avoids a motherboard and RAM swap, but on MSRP alone you would want to find it meaningfully cheaper in real-world listings before that path becomes easy to justify.

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

Ryzen 5 7400 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2020), a healthier platform with AM5 and DDR5 instead of AM4, and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 6/12. 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 5600X Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 7400 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Ryzen 5 7400
1080p
low	203 FPS	146 FPS
medium	174 FPS	121 FPS
high	140 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	107 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	169 FPS	132 FPS
medium	141 FPS	108 FPS
high	113 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	85 FPS	72 FPS
medium	76 FPS	63 FPS
high	60 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	47 FPS	40 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Ryzen 5 7400

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Ryzen 5 7400
1080p
low	464 FPS	296 FPS
medium	387 FPS	256 FPS
high	324 FPS	229 FPS
ultra	291 FPS	200 FPS
1440p
low	397 FPS	260 FPS
medium	334 FPS	230 FPS
high	290 FPS	210 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	182 FPS
4K
low	263 FPS	204 FPS
medium	226 FPS	183 FPS
high	205 FPS	169 FPS
ultra	171 FPS	146 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Ryzen 5 7400

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Ryzen 5 7400
1080p
low	546 FPS	550 FPS
medium	473 FPS	550 FPS
high	432 FPS	550 FPS
ultra	358 FPS	550 FPS
1440p
low	508 FPS	550 FPS
medium	413 FPS	550 FPS
high	375 FPS	531 FPS
ultra	312 FPS	481 FPS
4K
low	348 FPS	419 FPS
medium	292 FPS	349 FPS
high	255 FPS	297 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	239 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Ryzen 5 7400

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Ryzen 5 7400
1080p
low	546 FPS	550 FPS
medium	546 FPS	550 FPS
high	546 FPS	550 FPS
ultra	546 FPS	550 FPS
1440p
low	546 FPS	550 FPS
medium	546 FPS	550 FPS
high	546 FPS	550 FPS
ultra	524 FPS	533 FPS
4K
low	529 FPS	550 FPS
medium	484 FPS	510 FPS
high	435 FPS	445 FPS
ultra	379 FPS	379 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Ryzen 5 7400

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5600X and Ryzen 5 7400

Ryzen 5 5600X

The Ryzen 5 5600X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 November 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 21,845 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 5 7400

The Ryzen 5 7400 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 16 September 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Raphael (2023−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.3 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 5 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 22,010 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 5 5600X and Ryzen 5 7400 share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600X versus 4.3 GHz on the Ryzen 5 7400 — a 6.7% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600X (base: 3.7 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5600X uses the Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Ryzen 5 7400 uses Raphael (2023−2025) (5 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5600X scores 21,845 against the Ryzen 5 7400's 22,010 — a 0.8% lead for the Ryzen 5 7400. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 5 5600X vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 7400.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Ryzen 5 7400
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz+7%	4.3 GHz
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+12%	3.3 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB+100%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+100%
Process	7 nm, 12 nm	5 nm-29%
Architecture	Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)	Raphael (2023−2025)
PassMark	21,845	22,010

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 5600X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 5 7400 uses AM5 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Ryzen 5 7400
Socket	AM4	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	24	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600X) / not specified (Ryzen 5 7400). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600X targets Desktop.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Ryzen 5 7400
Integrated GPU	No	—
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	AMD-V	—
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 5600X launched at $299 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 7400 debuted at $229. On MSRP ($299 vs $229), the Ryzen 5 7400 is $70 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 5600X delivers 73.1 pts/$ vs 96.1 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 7400 — making the Ryzen 5 7400 the 27.3% better value option.