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 7600

2023

Why buy it

✅+20.4% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 73.0% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 118.0 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($229 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.
✅16.7% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 31 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.7% higher average FPS across 31 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (22,430 vs 27,013).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 68.2 vs 118.0 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 7600 moves to AM5 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 7600 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 7600.

Ryzen 5 7600

2023

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Why buy it

✅+20.4% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 73.0% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 118.0 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($229 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.
✅16.7% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.7% higher average FPS across 31 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 31 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (22,430 vs 27,013).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 68.2 vs 118.0 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 7600 moves to AM5 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 7600 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 7600.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 7600 better than Ryzen 7 3700X?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 7 3700X is ahead with a 7.7% average FPS lead across 31 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 7600 pulls ahead with 20.4% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 7600 is the better fit. You are getting 20.4% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 7600 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 7600 is $100 cheaper on MSRP at $229 MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and it gives you 20.4% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Ryzen 7 3700X is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 7.7% average FPS lead across 31 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 73.0% better value on MSRP (118.0 vs 68.2 PassMark/$), 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 7 3700X 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 7600 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2019), a healthier platform with AM5 and DDR5 instead of AM4, and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 8/16. 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 7600 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 3700X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 7600	Ryzen 7 3700X
1080p
low	261 FPS	200 FPS
medium	238 FPS	163 FPS
high	203 FPS	137 FPS
ultra	175 FPS	110 FPS
1440p
low	225 FPS	156 FPS
medium	187 FPS	121 FPS
high	152 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	134 FPS	80 FPS
4K
low	157 FPS	84 FPS
medium	131 FPS	71 FPS
high	101 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	88 FPS	44 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 7600 Open Ryzen 7 3700X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 7600	Ryzen 7 3700X
1080p
low	588 FPS	561 FPS
medium	486 FPS	525 FPS
high	408 FPS	428 FPS
ultra	366 FPS	383 FPS
1440p
low	504 FPS	545 FPS
medium	432 FPS	471 FPS
high	368 FPS	394 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	337 FPS
4K
low	318 FPS	350 FPS
medium	277 FPS	304 FPS
high	258 FPS	274 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	242 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 7600 Open Ryzen 7 3700X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 7600	Ryzen 7 3700X
1080p
low	675 FPS	561 FPS
medium	657 FPS	561 FPS
high	575 FPS	561 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	561 FPS
1440p
low	675 FPS	561 FPS
medium	559 FPS	561 FPS
high	483 FPS	538 FPS
ultra	412 FPS	470 FPS
4K
low	471 FPS	499 FPS
medium	396 FPS	394 FPS
high	345 FPS	343 FPS
ultra	284 FPS	275 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 7600 Open Ryzen 7 3700X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 7600	Ryzen 7 3700X
1080p
low	675 FPS	561 FPS
medium	675 FPS	561 FPS
high	675 FPS	561 FPS
ultra	675 FPS	561 FPS
1440p
low	675 FPS	561 FPS
medium	675 FPS	561 FPS
high	666 FPS	561 FPS
ultra	573 FPS	555 FPS
4K
low	567 FPS	561 FPS
medium	504 FPS	501 FPS
high	454 FPS	447 FPS
ultra	392 FPS	396 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 7600 Open Ryzen 7 3700X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 7600 and Ryzen 7 3700X

Ryzen 5 7600

The Ryzen 5 7600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 14 January 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.8 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 5 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5200. Passmark benchmark score: 27,013 points. Launch price was $229.

Ryzen 7 3700X

The Ryzen 7 3700X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 July 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 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 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 22,430 points. Launch price was $329.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 7600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 7 3700X offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 7 3700X has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.1 GHz on the Ryzen 5 7600 versus 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3700X — a 14.7% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 7600 (base: 3.8 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Ryzen 5 7600 uses the Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) architecture (5 nm), while the Ryzen 7 3700X uses Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 7600 scores 27,013 against the Ryzen 7 3700X's 22,430 — a 18.5% lead for the Ryzen 5 7600. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 7600 vs 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 3700X.

Feature	Ryzen 5 7600	Ryzen 7 3700X
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	5.1 GHz+16%	4.4 GHz
Base Clock	3.8 GHz+6%	3.6 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)	32 MB
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)+100%	512K (per core)
Process	5 nm-29%	7 nm, 12 nm
Architecture	Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023)	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)
PassMark	27,013+20%	22,430
Cinebench R23 Multi	14,500	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,800	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	12,000	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 7600 uses the AM5 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 7 3700X uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-5200 on the Ryzen 5 7600 versus DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 7 3700X — the Ryzen 5 7600 supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 28 (Ryzen 5 7600) vs 24 (Ryzen 7 3700X) — the Ryzen 5 7600 offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: A620,B650,X670,B840,B850,X870 (Ryzen 5 7600) and AMD 500 series,AMD 400 series,AMD 300 series (Ryzen 7 3700X).

Feature	Ryzen 5 7600	Ryzen 7 3700X
Socket	AM5	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5200+25%	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	28+17%	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Ryzen 5 7600) / not specified (Ryzen 7 3700X). The Ryzen 5 7600 includes integrated graphics (Radeon Graphics (2-core)), while the Ryzen 7 3700X requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 5 7600 targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 7600 rivals Core i5-13400.

Feature	Ryzen 5 7600	Ryzen 7 3700X
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	Radeon Graphics (2-core)	—
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	Yes	—
Virtualization	AMD-V	—
Target Use	Gaming	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 7600 launched at $229 MSRP, while the Ryzen 7 3700X debuted at $329. On MSRP ($229 vs $329), the Ryzen 5 7600 is $100 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 7600 delivers 118.0 pts/$ vs 68.2 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 3700X — making the Ryzen 5 7600 the 53.5% better value option.