Core 5 120U vs Ryzen 7 4800U

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 120U

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.1% higher average FPS across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Newer platform on FCBGA1744 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,225 vs 16,427).

Ryzen 7 4800U

2020

Why buy it

✅+1.2% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core 5 120U across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Core 5 120U moves to FCBGA1744 and DDR5.

Core 5 120U

2024

Ryzen 7 4800U

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.1% higher average FPS across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Newer platform on FCBGA1744 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅+1.2% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,225 vs 16,427).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core 5 120U across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Core 5 120U moves to FCBGA1744 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 4800U better than Core 5 120U?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core 5 120U is ahead with a 8.1% average FPS lead across 5 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 4800U pulls ahead with 1.2% better PassMark. Core 5 120U also has the bigger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 4800U is the better fit. You are getting 1.2% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 7 4800U still looks like the safer overall buy. Ryzen 7 4800U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 1.2% better PassMark.

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

Core 5 120U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2020), a healthier platform with FCBGA1744 and DDR5 instead of FP6, and 50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB). 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.

Core 5 120U Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 4800U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core 5 120U	Ryzen 7 4800U
1080p
low	271 FPS	171 FPS
medium	243 FPS	140 FPS
high	205 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	177 FPS	90 FPS
1440p
low	230 FPS	146 FPS
medium	185 FPS	118 FPS
high	151 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	133 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	160 FPS	69 FPS
medium	130 FPS	60 FPS
high	100 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	88 FPS	37 FPS

Open Core 5 120U Open Ryzen 7 4800U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core 5 120U	Ryzen 7 4800U
1080p
low	233 FPS	180 FPS
medium	193 FPS	153 FPS
high	175 FPS	139 FPS
ultra	154 FPS	122 FPS
1440p
low	208 FPS	157 FPS
medium	179 FPS	136 FPS
high	162 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	108 FPS
4K
low	156 FPS	127 FPS
medium	140 FPS	114 FPS
high	134 FPS	107 FPS
ultra	114 FPS	94 FPS

Open Core 5 120U Open Ryzen 7 4800U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core 5 120U	Ryzen 7 4800U
1080p
low	406 FPS	411 FPS
medium	406 FPS	411 FPS
high	406 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	406 FPS	411 FPS
1440p
low	406 FPS	411 FPS
medium	406 FPS	411 FPS
high	406 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	406 FPS	396 FPS
4K
low	406 FPS	411 FPS
medium	406 FPS	372 FPS
high	406 FPS	327 FPS
ultra	341 FPS	267 FPS

Open Core 5 120U Open Ryzen 7 4800U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core 5 120U	Ryzen 7 4800U
1080p
low	406 FPS	411 FPS
medium	406 FPS	411 FPS
high	406 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	406 FPS	411 FPS
1440p
low	406 FPS	411 FPS
medium	406 FPS	411 FPS
high	406 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	406 FPS	390 FPS
4K
low	406 FPS	411 FPS
medium	406 FPS	384 FPS
high	406 FPS	340 FPS
ultra	406 FPS	285 FPS

Open Core 5 120U Open Ryzen 7 4800U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 5 120U and Ryzen 7 4800U

Core 5 120U

The Core 5 120U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 8 January 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake-U Refresh (2024) architecture. It features 10 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 1.4 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1744. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5200, DDR4-3200, LPDDR4X-4267. Passmark benchmark score: 16,225 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 7 4800U

The Ryzen 7 4800U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 1.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 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: 16,427 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core 5 120U packs 10 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 7 4800U offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core 5 120U has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Core 5 120U versus 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 7 4800U — a 17.4% clock advantage for the Core 5 120U (base: 1.4 GHz vs 1.8 GHz). The Core 5 120U uses the Raptor Lake-U Refresh (2024) architecture (10 nm), while the Ryzen 7 4800U uses Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core 5 120U scores 16,225 against the Ryzen 7 4800U's 16,427 — a 1.2% lead for the Ryzen 7 4800U. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core 5 120U vs 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 4800U.

Feature	Core 5 120U	Ryzen 7 4800U
Cores / Threads	10 / 12+25%	8 / 16
Boost Clock	5 GHz+19%	4.2 GHz
Base Clock	1.4 GHz	1.8 GHz+29%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+50%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+150%	512 kB (per core)
Process	10 nm	7 nm-30%
Architecture	Raptor Lake-U Refresh (2024)	Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021)
PassMark	16,225	16,427+1%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core 5 120U uses the FCBGA1744 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 7 4800U uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.