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 7840S

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 8W instead of 45W, a 37W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7/FP7r2/FP8 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.
✅25% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (23,290 vs 23,300).

Ryzen 9 5980HX

2021

Why buy it

✅+0% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 7840S across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌462.5% higher power demand at 45W vs 8W.
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Ryzen 7 7840S moves to FP7/FP7r2/FP8 and DDR5.

Ryzen 7 7840S

2023

Ryzen 9 5980HX

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 8W instead of 45W, a 37W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7/FP7r2/FP8 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.
✅25% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅+0% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (23,290 vs 23,300).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 7840S across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌462.5% higher power demand at 45W vs 8W.
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Ryzen 7 7840S moves to FP7/FP7r2/FP8 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 7840S better than Ryzen 9 5980HX?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 7 7840S is ahead with a 8.6% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 5980HX pulls ahead with 0% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 5980HX is the better fit. You are getting 0% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 7 7840S still looks like the safer overall buy. Ryzen 7 7840S is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 8.6% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data.

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

Ryzen 7 7840S is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2021) and a healthier platform with FP7/FP7r2/FP8 and DDR5 instead of FP6. 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 7840S Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 5980HX Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 7840S	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	269 FPS	260 FPS
medium	243 FPS	239 FPS
high	204 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	170 FPS
1440p
low	236 FPS	231 FPS
medium	193 FPS	192 FPS
high	157 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	139 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	164 FPS	159 FPS
medium	136 FPS	134 FPS
high	105 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	91 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 7840S Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 7840S	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	509 FPS	427 FPS
medium	419 FPS	356 FPS
high	361 FPS	308 FPS
ultra	322 FPS	273 FPS
1440p
low	445 FPS	357 FPS
medium	386 FPS	312 FPS
high	332 FPS	276 FPS
ultra	283 FPS	236 FPS
4K
low	293 FPS	245 FPS
medium	266 FPS	220 FPS
high	251 FPS	207 FPS
ultra	216 FPS	180 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 7840S Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 7840S	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	582 FPS	582 FPS
medium	582 FPS	582 FPS
high	582 FPS	576 FPS
ultra	546 FPS	472 FPS
1440p
low	582 FPS	582 FPS
medium	582 FPS	532 FPS
high	541 FPS	451 FPS
ultra	464 FPS	372 FPS
4K
low	541 FPS	456 FPS
medium	473 FPS	396 FPS
high	419 FPS	347 FPS
ultra	355 FPS	282 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 7840S Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 7840S	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	582 FPS	582 FPS
medium	582 FPS	582 FPS
high	582 FPS	582 FPS
ultra	582 FPS	582 FPS
1440p
low	582 FPS	582 FPS
medium	582 FPS	582 FPS
high	582 FPS	554 FPS
ultra	573 FPS	475 FPS
4K
low	572 FPS	511 FPS
medium	511 FPS	460 FPS
high	457 FPS	405 FPS
ultra	394 FPS	348 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 7840S Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 7840S and Ryzen 9 5980HX

Ryzen 7 7840S

The Ryzen 7 7840S is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 January 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Phoenix-HS (Zen 4) (2023) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.8 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB. L2 cache: 8 MB. Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP7/FP7r2/FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 8 MB + 16 MB. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 23,290 points. Launch price was $299.

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.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 7 7840S and Ryzen 9 5980HX share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 5.1 GHz on the Ryzen 7 7840S versus 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5980HX — a 6.1% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 7840S (base: 3.8 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Ryzen 7 7840S uses the Phoenix-HS (Zen 4) (2023) architecture (4 nm), while the Ryzen 9 5980HX uses Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 7840S scores 23,290 against the Ryzen 9 5980HX's 23,300 — a 0% lead for the Ryzen 9 5980HX. L3 cache: 16 MB on the Ryzen 7 7840S vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 5980HX.

Feature	Ryzen 7 7840S	Ryzen 9 5980HX
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	5.1 GHz+6%	4.8 GHz
Base Clock	3.8 GHz+15%	3.3 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	8 MB+1500%	512 kB (per core)
Process	4 nm-43%	7 nm
Architecture	Phoenix-HS (Zen 4) (2023)	Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021)
PassMark	23,290	23,300
Cinebench R23 Multi	13,500	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,570	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	13,535	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 7 7840S uses the FP7/FP7r2/FP8 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 9 5980HX uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-5600, LPDDR5x-7500 on the Ryzen 7 7840S versus LPDDR4-4266 on the Ryzen 9 5980HX — the Ryzen 7 7840S supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Ryzen 7 7840S supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Ryzen 7 7840S) vs 16 (Ryzen 9 5980HX) — the Ryzen 7 7840S offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Ryzen 7 7840S	Ryzen 9 5980HX
Socket	FP7/FP7r2/FP8	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5600, LPDDR5x-7500+25%	LPDDR4-4266
Max RAM Capacity	256 GB+300%	64 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	20+25%	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 9 5980HX has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Ryzen 7 7840S supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: AMD-V (SVM) (Ryzen 7 7840S) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 9 5980HX). Both include integrated graphics — Radeon 780M (Ryzen 7 7840S) and Radeon Graphics (8CU) (Ryzen 9 5980HX) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 7 7840S targets Gaming, Ryzen 9 5980HX targets Mobile High-End. Direct competitor: Ryzen 7 7840S rivals Core i7-1360P.