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 5 120

2025

Why buy it

✅+0.7% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 8500G across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 63.6 vs 120.0 PassMark/$ ($340 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 8500G can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 8500G.

Ryzen 5 8500G

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +16.2% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $161 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $340 MSRP).
✅Delivers 88.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 120.0 vs 63.6 PassMark/$ ($179 MSRP vs $340 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (14 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 740M, while Core 5 120 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,481 vs 21,629).

Core 5 120

2025

Ryzen 5 8500G

2024

Why buy it

✅+0.7% higher PassMark.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +16.2% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $161 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $340 MSRP).
✅Delivers 88.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 120.0 vs 63.6 PassMark/$ ($179 MSRP vs $340 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (14 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 740M, while Core 5 120 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 8500G across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 63.6 vs 120.0 PassMark/$ ($340 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 8500G can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 8500G.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,481 vs 21,629).

Quick Answers

So, is Core 5 120 better than Ryzen 5 8500G?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 5 8500G is ahead with a 16.2% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core 5 120 pulls ahead with 0.7% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core 5 120 is the better fit. You are getting 0.7% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Core 5 120 is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 8500G makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Core 5 120 is 89.9% more expensive on MSRP at $340 MSRP versus $179 MSRP, and it gives you 0.7% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Ryzen 5 8500G is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 16.2% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 8500G is also 88.6% better value on MSRP (120.0 vs 63.6 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper. That said, if you already own a compatible AM5 + DDR5 setup, Ryzen 5 8500G is still an elite gaming CPU and a very strong platform-matched choice because it avoids a motherboard and RAM swap while remaining one of the strongest gaming chips you can buy.

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

Core 5 120 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2024) and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 6/12. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

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 5 120 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 8500G Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core 5 120	Ryzen 5 8500G
1080p
low	170 FPS	267 FPS
medium	147 FPS	238 FPS
high	118 FPS	203 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	173 FPS
1440p
low	145 FPS	231 FPS
medium	123 FPS	186 FPS
high	99 FPS	155 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	135 FPS
4K
low	79 FPS	159 FPS
medium	72 FPS	130 FPS
high	57 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	87 FPS

Open Core 5 120 Open Ryzen 5 8500G

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core 5 120	Ryzen 5 8500G
1080p
low	471 FPS	455 FPS
medium	401 FPS	371 FPS
high	338 FPS	321 FPS
ultra	298 FPS	279 FPS
1440p
low	409 FPS	394 FPS
medium	355 FPS	338 FPS
high	309 FPS	294 FPS
ultra	264 FPS	248 FPS
4K
low	274 FPS	287 FPS
medium	243 FPS	251 FPS
high	223 FPS	230 FPS
ultra	191 FPS	193 FPS

Open Core 5 120 Open Ryzen 5 8500G

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core 5 120	Ryzen 5 8500G
1080p
low	541 FPS	537 FPS
medium	541 FPS	537 FPS
high	541 FPS	537 FPS
ultra	496 FPS	537 FPS
1440p
low	541 FPS	537 FPS
medium	491 FPS	537 FPS
high	445 FPS	517 FPS
ultra	388 FPS	441 FPS
4K
low	411 FPS	497 FPS
medium	347 FPS	418 FPS
high	303 FPS	357 FPS
ultra	244 FPS	293 FPS

Open Core 5 120 Open Ryzen 5 8500G

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core 5 120	Ryzen 5 8500G
1080p
low	541 FPS	537 FPS
medium	541 FPS	537 FPS
high	541 FPS	537 FPS
ultra	541 FPS	537 FPS
1440p
low	541 FPS	537 FPS
medium	541 FPS	537 FPS
high	541 FPS	537 FPS
ultra	534 FPS	537 FPS
4K
low	541 FPS	537 FPS
medium	499 FPS	519 FPS
high	440 FPS	462 FPS
ultra	376 FPS	393 FPS

Open Core 5 120 Open Ryzen 5 8500G

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 5 120 and Ryzen 5 8500G

Core 5 120

The Core 5 120 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 31 July 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 18 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 21,629 points. Launch price was $211.

Ryzen 5 8500G

The Ryzen 5 8500G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 8 January 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Phoenix2 (2024) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 21,481 points. Launch price was $229.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core 5 120 and Ryzen 5 8500G share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.5 GHz on the Core 5 120 versus 5 GHz on the Ryzen 5 8500G — a 10.5% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 8500G (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.5 GHz). The Core 5 120 uses the Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025) architecture (10 nm), while the Ryzen 5 8500G uses Phoenix2 (2024) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core 5 120 scores 21,629 against the Ryzen 5 8500G's 21,481 — a 0.7% lead for the Core 5 120. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core 5 120 vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 8500G.

Feature	Core 5 120	Ryzen 5 8500G
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.5 GHz	5 GHz+11%
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.5 GHz+40%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)+13%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+25%	1 MB (per core)
Process	10 nm	4 nm-60%
Architecture	Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025)	Phoenix2 (2024)
PassMark	21,629	21,481
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	9,310
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,500
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	10,000

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core 5 120 uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 5 8500G uses AM5 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core 5 120	Ryzen 5 8500G
Socket	LGA1700	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR5-5200
Max RAM Capacity	—	256 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	Yes
PCIe Lanes	—	14

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core 5 120) / AMD-V (Ryzen 5 8500G). The Ryzen 5 8500G includes integrated graphics (Radeon 740M), while the Core 5 120 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 5 8500G targets General Use. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 8500G rivals Core i5-13400.

Feature	Core 5 120	Ryzen 5 8500G
Integrated GPU	—	Yes
IGPU Model	—	Radeon 740M
Unlocked	—	Yes
Virtualization	—	AMD-V
Target Use	—	General Use

💰

Value Analysis

The Core 5 120 launched at $340 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 8500G debuted at $179. On MSRP ($340 vs $179), the Ryzen 5 8500G is $161 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core 5 120 delivers 63.6 pts/$ vs 120.0 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 8500G — making the Ryzen 5 8500G the 61.4% better value option.