Ryzen 7 2700X vs Ryzen 7 4980U

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 7 2700X

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +16.5% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (17,450 vs 17,469).
❌Launch MSRP is still $329 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 4980U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌600% higher power demand at 105W vs 15W.

Ryzen 7 4980U

2021

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 15W instead of 105W, a 90W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 2700X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 16 MB).

Ryzen 7 2700X

2018

Ryzen 7 4980U

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +16.5% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 15W instead of 105W, a 90W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (17,450 vs 17,469).
❌Launch MSRP is still $329 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 4980U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌600% higher power demand at 105W vs 15W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 2700X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 16 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 4980U better than Ryzen 7 2700X?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 7 2700X is ahead with a 16.5% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 4980U pulls ahead with 0.1% better PassMark. Ryzen 7 2700X also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 4980U is the better fit. You are getting 0.1% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 7 4980U is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 7 2700X makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 7 4980U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and it gives you 0.1% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Ryzen 7 2700X is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 16.5% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 7 2700X is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (53.0 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 7 4980U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2018) and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 8/16. 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.

Ryzen 7 2700X Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 4980U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 2700X	Ryzen 7 4980U
1080p
low	223 FPS	171 FPS
medium	191 FPS	142 FPS
high	157 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	116 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	184 FPS	147 FPS
medium	151 FPS	120 FPS
high	121 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	79 FPS
4K
low	83 FPS	83 FPS
medium	73 FPS	73 FPS
high	58 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	45 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 2700X Open Ryzen 7 4980U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 2700X	Ryzen 7 4980U
1080p
low	349 FPS	198 FPS
medium	306 FPS	164 FPS
high	270 FPS	150 FPS
ultra	240 FPS	131 FPS
1440p
low	318 FPS	172 FPS
medium	286 FPS	146 FPS
high	251 FPS	136 FPS
ultra	218 FPS	115 FPS
4K
low	233 FPS	138 FPS
medium	214 FPS	122 FPS
high	196 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	99 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 2700X Open Ryzen 7 4980U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 2700X	Ryzen 7 4980U
1080p
low	436 FPS	437 FPS
medium	436 FPS	437 FPS
high	436 FPS	437 FPS
ultra	436 FPS	437 FPS
1440p
low	436 FPS	437 FPS
medium	436 FPS	437 FPS
high	408 FPS	437 FPS
ultra	342 FPS	420 FPS
4K
low	392 FPS	437 FPS
medium	324 FPS	388 FPS
high	285 FPS	340 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	277 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 2700X Open Ryzen 7 4980U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 2700X	Ryzen 7 4980U
1080p
low	436 FPS	437 FPS
medium	436 FPS	437 FPS
high	436 FPS	437 FPS
ultra	436 FPS	437 FPS
1440p
low	436 FPS	437 FPS
medium	436 FPS	437 FPS
high	436 FPS	437 FPS
ultra	436 FPS	430 FPS
4K
low	436 FPS	437 FPS
medium	436 FPS	415 FPS
high	429 FPS	363 FPS
ultra	379 FPS	309 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 2700X Open Ryzen 7 4980U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 2700X and Ryzen 7 4980U

Ryzen 7 2700X

The Ryzen 7 2700X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 19 April 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Zen+ (2018−2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.35 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 17,450 points. Launch price was $329.

Ryzen 7 4980U

The Ryzen 7 4980U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 13 April 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 17,469 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 7 2700X and Ryzen 7 4980U share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.35 GHz on the Ryzen 7 2700X versus 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 4980U — a 1.1% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 4980U (base: 3.7 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Ryzen 7 2700X uses the Zen+ (2018−2019) architecture (12 nm), while the Ryzen 7 4980U uses Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 2700X scores 17,450 against the Ryzen 7 4980U's 17,469 — a 0.1% lead for the Ryzen 7 4980U. L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 2700X vs 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 4980U.

Feature	Ryzen 7 2700X	Ryzen 7 4980U
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.35 GHz	4.4 GHz+1%
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+85%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)+100%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512 kB (per core)
Process	12 nm	7 nm-42%
Architecture	Zen+ (2018−2019)	Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021)
PassMark	17,450	17,469

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 7 2700X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 7 4980U uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.