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 5 5600X

2020

Why buy it

✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Costs $101 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 19.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 73.1 vs 61.4 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 7840U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (21,845 vs 24,547).
❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 7 7840U moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Ryzen 7 7840U

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +24.5% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 61.4 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($400 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Ryzen 5 5600X

2020

Ryzen 7 7840U

2023

Why buy it

✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Costs $101 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 19.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 73.1 vs 61.4 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +24.5% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 7840U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (21,845 vs 24,547).
❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 7 7840U moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 61.4 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($400 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 7840U better than Ryzen 5 5600X?

Yes. Ryzen 7 7840U is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 24.5% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 12.4% 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 7840U is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 24.5% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 7840U is the better fit. You are getting 12.4% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 7 7840U is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 5600X makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 7 7840U is 33.8% more expensive on MSRP at $400 MSRP versus $299 MSRP, and it gives you a 24.5% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 5600X is also 19.1% better value on MSRP (73.1 vs 61.4 PassMark/$), 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 7840U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2020), a healthier platform with FP8 and DDR5 instead of AM4, and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 6/12. 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 5 5600X Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 7840U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Ryzen 7 7840U
1080p
low	203 FPS	257 FPS
medium	174 FPS	237 FPS
high	140 FPS	200 FPS
ultra	107 FPS	173 FPS
1440p
low	169 FPS	228 FPS
medium	141 FPS	191 FPS
high	113 FPS	155 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	85 FPS	159 FPS
medium	76 FPS	134 FPS
high	60 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	47 FPS	92 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Ryzen 7 7840U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Ryzen 7 7840U
1080p
low	464 FPS	477 FPS
medium	387 FPS	395 FPS
high	324 FPS	342 FPS
ultra	291 FPS	306 FPS
1440p
low	397 FPS	417 FPS
medium	334 FPS	364 FPS
high	290 FPS	315 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	270 FPS
4K
low	263 FPS	275 FPS
medium	226 FPS	251 FPS
high	205 FPS	238 FPS
ultra	171 FPS	206 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Ryzen 7 7840U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Ryzen 7 7840U
1080p
low	546 FPS	614 FPS
medium	473 FPS	614 FPS
high	432 FPS	614 FPS
ultra	358 FPS	595 FPS
1440p
low	508 FPS	614 FPS
medium	413 FPS	614 FPS
high	375 FPS	526 FPS
ultra	312 FPS	452 FPS
4K
low	348 FPS	525 FPS
medium	292 FPS	459 FPS
high	255 FPS	407 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	345 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Ryzen 7 7840U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Ryzen 7 7840U
1080p
low	546 FPS	614 FPS
medium	546 FPS	614 FPS
high	546 FPS	614 FPS
ultra	546 FPS	614 FPS
1440p
low	546 FPS	614 FPS
medium	546 FPS	614 FPS
high	546 FPS	614 FPS
ultra	524 FPS	549 FPS
4K
low	529 FPS	560 FPS
medium	484 FPS	502 FPS
high	435 FPS	447 FPS
ultra	379 FPS	384 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Ryzen 7 7840U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5600X and Ryzen 7 7840U

Ryzen 5 5600X

The Ryzen 5 5600X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 November 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 21,845 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 7 7840U

The Ryzen 7 7840U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Maio 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Phoenix-U (Zen 4) (2023) 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: DDR5-5600. Passmark benchmark score: 24,547 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 5600X packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 7 7840U offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 7 7840U has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600X versus 5.1 GHz on the Ryzen 7 7840U — a 10.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 7840U (base: 3.7 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5600X uses the Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Ryzen 7 7840U uses Phoenix-U (Zen 4) (2023) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5600X scores 21,845 against the Ryzen 7 7840U's 24,547 — a 11.6% lead for the Ryzen 7 7840U. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 5 5600X vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 7840U.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Ryzen 7 7840U
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz	5.1 GHz+11%
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+12%	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	Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)	Phoenix-U (Zen 4) (2023)
PassMark	21,845	24,547+12%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 5600X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 7 7840U uses FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Ryzen 7 7840U
Socket	AM4	FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	24	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600X) / not specified (Ryzen 7 7840U). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600X targets Desktop.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Ryzen 7 7840U
Integrated GPU	No	—
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	AMD-V	—
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 5600X launched at $299 MSRP, while the Ryzen 7 7840U debuted at $400. On MSRP ($299 vs $400), the Ryzen 5 5600X is $101 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 5600X delivers 73.1 pts/$ vs 61.4 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 7840U — making the Ryzen 5 5600X the 17.4% better value option.