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 3600

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +79.7% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+700% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 4 MB).
✅500% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 4) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 7520U.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 7520U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 7520U moves to FT6 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 7520U can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 5 7520U

2022

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FT6 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 610M, while Ryzen 5 3600 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (4,527 vs 9,500).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 32 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Ryzen 5 7520U

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +79.7% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+700% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 4 MB).
✅500% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 4) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 5 7520U.

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FT6 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 610M, while Ryzen 5 3600 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 7520U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 7520U moves to FT6 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 7520U can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (4,527 vs 9,500).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 32 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 3600 better than Ryzen 5 7520U?

Yes. Ryzen 5 3600 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 79.7% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 109.9% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, and 95.1% higher 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 79.7% 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, Ryzen 5 3600 is the better fit. You are getting 109.9% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, 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 $199 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 79.7% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (88.9 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 7520U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2019) and a healthier platform with FT6 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 3600 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 7520U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 5 7520U
1080p
low	200 FPS	170 FPS
medium	161 FPS	135 FPS
high	135 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	106 FPS	86 FPS
1440p
low	154 FPS	143 FPS
medium	119 FPS	112 FPS
high	96 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	70 FPS	76 FPS
medium	58 FPS	64 FPS
high	46 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	40 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Ryzen 5 7520U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 5 7520U
1080p
low	442 FPS	227 FPS
medium	404 FPS	227 FPS
high	332 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	295 FPS	175 FPS
1440p
low	420 FPS	227 FPS
medium	359 FPS	199 FPS
high	303 FPS	181 FPS
ultra	263 FPS	154 FPS
4K
low	297 FPS	174 FPS
medium	259 FPS	153 FPS
high	230 FPS	127 FPS
ultra	201 FPS	107 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Ryzen 5 7520U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 5 7520U
1080p
low	442 FPS	227 FPS
medium	442 FPS	227 FPS
high	442 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	227 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	227 FPS
medium	442 FPS	227 FPS
high	442 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	432 FPS	227 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	227 FPS
medium	361 FPS	227 FPS
high	305 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	219 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Ryzen 5 7520U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 5 7520U
1080p
low	442 FPS	227 FPS
medium	442 FPS	227 FPS
high	442 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	227 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	227 FPS
medium	442 FPS	227 FPS
high	442 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	227 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	227 FPS
medium	442 FPS	227 FPS
high	413 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	357 FPS	227 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Ryzen 5 7520U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 5 7520U

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.

Ryzen 5 7520U

The Ryzen 5 7520U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 20 September 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Mendocino-U (Zen 2) (2022) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.3 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 6 nm process technology. Socket: FT6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 9,063 points. Launch price was $149.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 3600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 5 7520U offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Ryzen 5 3600 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3600 versus 4.3 GHz on the Ryzen 5 7520U — a 2.4% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 7520U (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.8 GHz). The Ryzen 5 3600 uses the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Ryzen 5 7520U uses Mendocino-U (Zen 2) (2022) (6 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 3600 scores 17,685 against the Ryzen 5 7520U's 9,063 — a 64.5% lead for the Ryzen 5 3600. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 9,500 vs 4,527 (70.9% advantage for the Ryzen 5 3600). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,295 vs 797, a 47.6% lead for the Ryzen 5 3600 that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 1,898 vs 2,744 (36.4% advantage for the Ryzen 5 7520U). L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 3600 vs 4 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 7520U.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 5 7520U
Cores / Threads	6 / 12+50%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz	4.3 GHz+2%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+29%	2.8 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+700%	4 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512 kB (per core)
Process	7 nm, 12 nm	6 nm-14%
Architecture	Matisse (2019−2020)	Mendocino-U (Zen 2) (2022)
PassMark	17,685+95%	9,063
Cinebench R23 Multi	9,500+110%	4,527
Geekbench 6 Single	1,295+62%	797
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,898	2,744+45%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 3600 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 5 7520U uses FT6 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 5 3600 versus LPDDR5-5500 on the Ryzen 5 7520U — the Ryzen 5 7520U supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Ryzen 5 3600 supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 16 GB — 155.6% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 5 3600) vs 4 (Ryzen 5 7520U) — the Ryzen 5 3600 offers 20 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD B550,AMD X570,AMD B450,AMD X470 (Ryzen 5 3600) and FT6 (Ryzen 5 7520U).

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 5 7520U
Socket	AM4	FT6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	LPDDR5-5500+25%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+700%	16 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	24+500%	4

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 5 3600 has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Virtualization support: Yes (Ryzen 5 3600) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 5 7520U). The Ryzen 5 7520U includes integrated graphics (Radeon 610M), while the Ryzen 5 3600 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 5 3600 targets Gaming/Budget Workstation. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 3600 rivals Core i5-10400.