Ryzen 7 3800XT vs Ryzen 7 8840U

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 3800XT

2020

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.
✅+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

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 8840U across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $399 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 8840U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌275% higher power demand at 105W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 7 8840U moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Ryzen 7 8840U

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 28W instead of 105W, a 77W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (23,415 vs 23,441).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).

Ryzen 7 3800XT

2020

Ryzen 7 8840U

2023

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.
✅+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

✅Better for gaming: +10.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 28W instead of 105W, a 77W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 8840U across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $399 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 8840U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌275% higher power demand at 105W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 7 8840U moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (23,415 vs 23,441).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 8840U better than Ryzen 7 3800XT?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 7 8840U is ahead with a 10.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 3800XT pulls ahead with 0.1% better PassMark. Ryzen 7 3800XT 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 7 3800XT is the better fit. You are getting 0.1% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).

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

Ryzen 7 8840U is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 7 3800XT makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 7 8840U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $399 MSRP, and it gives you a 10.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Ryzen 7 3800XT is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.1% better PassMark. Ryzen 7 3800XT is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (58.7 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 8840U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2020) and a healthier platform with FP8 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 7 3800XT Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 8840U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3800XT	Ryzen 7 8840U
1080p
low	172 FPS	255 FPS
medium	145 FPS	235 FPS
high	129 FPS	198 FPS
ultra	106 FPS	170 FPS
1440p
low	147 FPS	227 FPS
medium	119 FPS	189 FPS
high	100 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	157 FPS
medium	72 FPS	133 FPS
high	58 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	91 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3800XT Open Ryzen 7 8840U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3800XT	Ryzen 7 8840U
1080p
low	586 FPS	468 FPS
medium	502 FPS	388 FPS
high	387 FPS	336 FPS
ultra	341 FPS	301 FPS
1440p
low	507 FPS	409 FPS
medium	439 FPS	358 FPS
high	353 FPS	310 FPS
ultra	296 FPS	265 FPS
4K
low	315 FPS	269 FPS
medium	275 FPS	247 FPS
high	240 FPS	234 FPS
ultra	207 FPS	202 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3800XT Open Ryzen 7 8840U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 3800XT	Ryzen 7 8840U
1080p
low	586 FPS	585 FPS
medium	586 FPS	585 FPS
high	554 FPS	585 FPS
ultra	459 FPS	585 FPS
1440p
low	586 FPS	585 FPS
medium	562 FPS	585 FPS
high	485 FPS	525 FPS
ultra	405 FPS	451 FPS
4K
low	504 FPS	521 FPS
medium	414 FPS	458 FPS
high	367 FPS	406 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	345 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3800XT Open Ryzen 7 8840U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 3800XT	Ryzen 7 8840U
1080p
low	586 FPS	585 FPS
medium	586 FPS	585 FPS
high	586 FPS	585 FPS
ultra	586 FPS	585 FPS
1440p
low	586 FPS	585 FPS
medium	586 FPS	585 FPS
high	586 FPS	585 FPS
ultra	547 FPS	548 FPS
4K
low	570 FPS	559 FPS
medium	510 FPS	501 FPS
high	460 FPS	446 FPS
ultra	398 FPS	384 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3800XT Open Ryzen 7 8840U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 3800XT and Ryzen 7 8840U

Ryzen 7 3800XT

The Ryzen 7 3800XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 July 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.7 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 23,441 points. Launch price was $399.

Ryzen 7 8840U

The Ryzen 7 8840U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 December 2023 (1 year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point-U (Zen 4) (2023−2025) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 23,415 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 7 3800XT and Ryzen 7 8840U share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.7 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3800XT versus 5.1 GHz on the Ryzen 7 8840U — a 8.2% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 8840U (base: 3.8 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Ryzen 7 3800XT uses the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Ryzen 7 8840U uses Hawk Point-U (Zen 4) (2023−2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 3800XT scores 23,441 against the Ryzen 7 8840U's 23,415 — a 0.1% lead for the Ryzen 7 3800XT. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 3800XT vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 8840U.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3800XT	Ryzen 7 8840U
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.7 GHz	5.1 GHz+9%
Base Clock	3.8 GHz+15%	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	4 nm-43%
Architecture	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)	Hawk Point-U (Zen 4) (2023−2025)
PassMark	23,441	23,415

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 7 3800XT uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 7 8840U uses FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.