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 4980U

2021

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 120W, a 105W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 9800X3D across 45 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (17,469 vs 39,966).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Ryzen 7 9800X3D moves to AM5 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 7 9800X3D can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 7 9800X3D

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +50.7% higher average FPS across 45 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics, while Ryzen 7 4980U needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $479 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 4980U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌700% higher power demand at 120W vs 15W.

Ryzen 7 4980U

2021

Ryzen 7 9800X3D

2024

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 120W, a 105W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +50.7% higher average FPS across 45 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics, while Ryzen 7 4980U needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 9800X3D across 45 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (17,469 vs 39,966).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Ryzen 7 9800X3D moves to AM5 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 7 9800X3D can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $479 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 4980U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌700% higher power demand at 120W vs 15W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 9800X3D better than Ryzen 7 4980U?

Yes. Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 50.7% average FPS lead across 45 shared CPU game tests in our data, 128.8% better PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 50.7% more average FPS across 45 shared CPU game tests. It also has a big cache advantage at 96 MB vs 8 MB.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the better fit. You are getting 128.8% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 1100% larger total L3 cache (96 MB vs 8 MB).

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

Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 9800X3D is at an unclear MSRP at $479 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 50.7% average FPS lead across 45 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (83.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

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

Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2021), a healthier platform with AM5 and DDR5 instead of FP6, 3D V-Cache and a much larger 96 MB L3 cache instead of 8 MB, and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 8/16. 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 4980U Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 9800X3D Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 4980U	Ryzen 7 9800X3D
1080p
low	171 FPS	276 FPS
medium	142 FPS	257 FPS
high	113 FPS	219 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	192 FPS
1440p
low	147 FPS	260 FPS
medium	120 FPS	217 FPS
high	96 FPS	172 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	155 FPS
4K
low	83 FPS	179 FPS
medium	73 FPS	149 FPS
high	57 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	100 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 4980U Open Ryzen 7 9800X3D

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 4980U	Ryzen 7 9800X3D
1080p
low	198 FPS	880 FPS
medium	164 FPS	713 FPS
high	150 FPS	561 FPS
ultra	131 FPS	474 FPS
1440p
low	172 FPS	697 FPS
medium	146 FPS	591 FPS
high	136 FPS	483 FPS
ultra	115 FPS	383 FPS
4K
low	138 FPS	383 FPS
medium	122 FPS	328 FPS
high	115 FPS	305 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	263 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 4980U Open Ryzen 7 9800X3D

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 4980U	Ryzen 7 9800X3D
1080p
low	437 FPS	944 FPS
medium	437 FPS	772 FPS
high	437 FPS	698 FPS
ultra	437 FPS	604 FPS
1440p
low	437 FPS	731 FPS
medium	437 FPS	598 FPS
high	437 FPS	529 FPS
ultra	420 FPS	452 FPS
4K
low	437 FPS	506 FPS
medium	388 FPS	419 FPS
high	340 FPS	377 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	316 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 4980U Open Ryzen 7 9800X3D

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 4980U	Ryzen 7 9800X3D
1080p
low	437 FPS	999 FPS
medium	437 FPS	999 FPS
high	437 FPS	907 FPS
ultra	437 FPS	811 FPS
1440p
low	437 FPS	885 FPS
medium	437 FPS	778 FPS
high	437 FPS	685 FPS
ultra	430 FPS	592 FPS
4K
low	437 FPS	639 FPS
medium	415 FPS	568 FPS
high	363 FPS	507 FPS
ultra	309 FPS	437 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 4980U Open Ryzen 7 9800X3D

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 4980U and Ryzen 7 9800X3D

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.

Ryzen 7 9800X3D

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 November 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Granite Ridge (2024−2025) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 4.7 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 GHz. L3 cache: 96 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 120 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 39,966 points. Launch price was $479.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 7 4980U and Ryzen 7 9800X3D share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 4980U versus 5.2 GHz on the Ryzen 7 9800X3D — a 16.7% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 9800X3D (base: 2 GHz vs 4.7 GHz). The Ryzen 7 4980U uses the Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) architecture (7 nm), while the Ryzen 7 9800X3D uses Granite Ridge (2024−2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 4980U scores 17,469 against the Ryzen 7 9800X3D's 39,966 — a 78.3% lead for the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 4980U vs 96 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

Feature	Ryzen 7 4980U	Ryzen 7 9800X3D
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	5.2 GHz+18%
Base Clock	2 GHz	4.7 GHz+135%
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)	96 MB (total)+1100%
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	1 MB (per core)+100%
Process	7 nm	4 nm-43%
Architecture	Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021)	Granite Ridge (2024−2025)
PassMark	17,469	39,966+129%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	23,277
Geekbench 6 Single	—	3,450
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	18,500

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 7 4980U uses the FP6 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 7 9800X3D uses AM5 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 7 4980U	Ryzen 7 9800X3D
Socket	FP6	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR5-5600
Max RAM Capacity	—	192 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	Yes
PCIe Lanes	—	28

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Ryzen 7 4980U) / AMD-V, AMD-Vi (Ryzen 7 9800X3D). The Ryzen 7 9800X3D includes integrated graphics (Radeon Graphics), while the Ryzen 7 4980U requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 7 9800X3D targets Extreme Gaming. Direct competitor: Ryzen 7 9800X3D rivals Core i9-14900K.