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

✅+0.6% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅50% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $399 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 5980HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌133.3% higher power demand at 105W vs 45W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 5980HX can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 9 5980HX

2021

Why buy it

✅Draws 45W instead of 105W, a 60W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (8CU), while Ryzen 7 3800XT needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (23,300 vs 23,441).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).

Ryzen 7 3800XT

2020

Ryzen 9 5980HX

2021

Why buy it

✅+0.6% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅50% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Draws 45W instead of 105W, a 60W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (8CU), while Ryzen 7 3800XT needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $399 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 5980HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌133.3% higher power demand at 105W vs 45W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 5980HX can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (23,300 vs 23,441).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 5980HX better than Ryzen 7 3800XT?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 9 5980HX is ahead with 2.1% higher max boost clock. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 3800XT pulls ahead with 0.6% 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 0.6% 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 9 5980HX is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 7 3800XT makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 9 5980HX is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $399 MSRP, and it gives you 2.1% higher max boost clock. The trade-off is that Ryzen 7 3800XT is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.6% better PassMark. Ryzen 7 3800XT is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (58.7 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 9 5980HX is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2020). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

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 9 5980HX Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3800XT	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	172 FPS	260 FPS
medium	145 FPS	239 FPS
high	129 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	106 FPS	170 FPS
1440p
low	147 FPS	231 FPS
medium	119 FPS	192 FPS
high	100 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	159 FPS
medium	72 FPS	134 FPS
high	58 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	91 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3800XT Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3800XT	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	586 FPS	427 FPS
medium	502 FPS	356 FPS
high	387 FPS	308 FPS
ultra	341 FPS	273 FPS
1440p
low	507 FPS	357 FPS
medium	439 FPS	312 FPS
high	353 FPS	276 FPS
ultra	296 FPS	236 FPS
4K
low	315 FPS	245 FPS
medium	275 FPS	220 FPS
high	240 FPS	207 FPS
ultra	207 FPS	180 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3800XT Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 3800XT	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	586 FPS	582 FPS
medium	586 FPS	582 FPS
high	554 FPS	576 FPS
ultra	459 FPS	472 FPS
1440p
low	586 FPS	582 FPS
medium	562 FPS	532 FPS
high	485 FPS	451 FPS
ultra	405 FPS	372 FPS
4K
low	504 FPS	456 FPS
medium	414 FPS	396 FPS
high	367 FPS	347 FPS
ultra	301 FPS	282 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3800XT Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 3800XT	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	586 FPS	582 FPS
medium	586 FPS	582 FPS
high	586 FPS	582 FPS
ultra	586 FPS	582 FPS
1440p
low	586 FPS	582 FPS
medium	586 FPS	582 FPS
high	586 FPS	554 FPS
ultra	547 FPS	475 FPS
4K
low	570 FPS	511 FPS
medium	510 FPS	460 FPS
high	460 FPS	405 FPS
ultra	398 FPS	348 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3800XT Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 3800XT and Ryzen 9 5980HX

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 9 5980HX

The Ryzen 9 5980HX is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 23,300 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 7 3800XT and Ryzen 9 5980HX share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.7 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3800XT versus 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5980HX — a 2.1% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 5980HX (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 9 5980HX uses Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 3800XT scores 23,441 against the Ryzen 9 5980HX's 23,300 — a 0.6% lead for the Ryzen 7 3800XT. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 3800XT vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 5980HX.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3800XT	Ryzen 9 5980HX
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.7 GHz	4.8 GHz+2%
Base Clock	3.8 GHz+15%	3.3 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB+100%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512 kB (per core)
Process	7 nm, 12 nm	7 nm
Architecture	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)	Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021)
PassMark	23,441	23,300

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 7 3800XT uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 9 5980HX uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-3200 memory speed. The Ryzen 7 3800XT supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 7 3800XT) vs 16 (Ryzen 9 5980HX) — the Ryzen 7 3800XT offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3800XT	Ryzen 9 5980HX
Socket	AM4	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	LPDDR4-4266
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+100%	64 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	24+50%	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Both support AMD-V virtualization. The Ryzen 9 5980HX includes integrated graphics (Radeon Graphics (8CU)), while the Ryzen 7 3800XT requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 7 3800XT targets Desktop, Ryzen 9 5980HX targets Mobile High-End.