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 5500

2022

Why buy it

✅+13.9% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $170 less on MSRP ($159 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 135.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 121.5 vs 51.5 PassMark/$ ($159 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 105W, a 40W reduction.
✅20% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X across 6 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X.

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.3% higher average FPS across 6 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Prism), unlike Ryzen 5 5500.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,959 vs 19,311).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 51.5 vs 121.5 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
❌61.5% higher power demand at 105W vs 65W.

Ryzen 5 5500

2022

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X

2018

Why buy it

✅+13.9% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $170 less on MSRP ($159 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 135.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 121.5 vs 51.5 PassMark/$ ($159 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 105W, a 40W reduction.
✅20% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.3% higher average FPS across 6 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Prism), unlike Ryzen 5 5500.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X across 6 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,959 vs 19,311).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 51.5 vs 121.5 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
❌61.5% higher power demand at 105W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5500 better than Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X is ahead with a 7.3% average FPS lead across 6 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 5500 pulls ahead with 13.9% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 5500 is the better fit. You are getting 13.9% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 5500 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 5500 is $170 cheaper on MSRP at $159 MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and it gives you 13.9% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 7.3% average FPS lead across 6 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 135.6% better value on MSRP (121.5 vs 51.5 PassMark/$), 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 5 5500 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2018) and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 8/16. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

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 5500 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X
1080p
low	181 FPS	223 FPS
medium	150 FPS	191 FPS
high	120 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	113 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	183 FPS
medium	124 FPS	150 FPS
high	98 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	85 FPS
4K
low	70 FPS	71 FPS
medium	61 FPS	63 FPS
high	48 FPS	49 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	38 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5500 Open Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X
1080p
low	329 FPS	346 FPS
medium	285 FPS	305 FPS
high	254 FPS	270 FPS
ultra	221 FPS	240 FPS
1440p
low	291 FPS	316 FPS
medium	258 FPS	285 FPS
high	233 FPS	250 FPS
ultra	201 FPS	218 FPS
4K
low	229 FPS	232 FPS
medium	206 FPS	213 FPS
high	189 FPS	195 FPS
ultra	162 FPS	170 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5500 Open Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X
1080p
low	483 FPS	424 FPS
medium	483 FPS	424 FPS
high	483 FPS	424 FPS
ultra	406 FPS	424 FPS
1440p
low	483 FPS	424 FPS
medium	411 FPS	424 FPS
high	361 FPS	405 FPS
ultra	300 FPS	340 FPS
4K
low	340 FPS	391 FPS
medium	285 FPS	323 FPS
high	248 FPS	284 FPS
ultra	192 FPS	228 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5500 Open Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X
1080p
low	483 FPS	424 FPS
medium	483 FPS	424 FPS
high	483 FPS	424 FPS
ultra	483 FPS	424 FPS
1440p
low	483 FPS	424 FPS
medium	483 FPS	424 FPS
high	483 FPS	424 FPS
ultra	425 FPS	424 FPS
4K
low	448 FPS	424 FPS
medium	404 FPS	424 FPS
high	360 FPS	413 FPS
ultra	308 FPS	359 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5500 Open Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5500 and Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X

Ryzen 5 5500

The Ryzen 5 5500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 4 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne (2021−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 19,311 points. Launch price was $159.

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X

The Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 19 September 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Zen+ (2018−2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.1 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 16,959 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 5500 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5500 versus 4.1 GHz on the Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X — a 2.4% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5500 (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5500 uses the Cezanne (2021−2025) architecture (7 nm), while the Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X uses Zen+ (2018−2019) (12 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5500 scores 19,311 against the Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X's 16,959 — a 13% lead for the Ryzen 5 5500. L3 cache: 16 MB on the Ryzen 5 5500 vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz+2%	4.1 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz	3.6 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512K (per core)
Process	7 nm-42%	12 nm
Architecture	Cezanne (2021−2025)	Zen+ (2018−2019)
PassMark	19,311+14%	16,959
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	9,500
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,255
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	6,243

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the AM4 socket with PCIe 3.0. Both support up to DDR4-3200 memory speed. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 5 5500) vs 20 (Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X) — the Ryzen 5 5500 offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD 500 series,AMD 400 series (Ryzen 5 5500) and X470,B450,X370,B350,A320 (Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X).

Feature	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X
Socket	AM4	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR4-2933
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	24+20%	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Both support AMD-V virtualization. Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5500 targets Desktop, Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X targets Workstation.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	AMD-V	AMD-V
Target Use	Desktop	Workstation

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 5500 launched at $159 MSRP, while the Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X debuted at $329. On MSRP ($159 vs $329), the Ryzen 5 5500 is $170 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 5500 delivers 121.5 pts/$ vs 51.5 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X — making the Ryzen 5 5500 the 80.8% better value option.