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 7800X3D

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +40.2% higher average FPS across 7 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.
✅75% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $449 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 5980HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌166.7% higher power demand at 120W vs 45W.

Ryzen 9 5980HX

2021

Why buy it

✅Draws 45W instead of 120W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 7800X3D across 7 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (23,300 vs 34,293).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Ryzen 7 7800X3D moves to AM5 and DDR5.

Ryzen 7 7800X3D

2023

Ryzen 9 5980HX

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +40.2% higher average FPS across 7 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.
✅75% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Draws 45W instead of 120W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $449 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 5980HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌166.7% higher power demand at 120W vs 45W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 7800X3D across 7 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (23,300 vs 34,293).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Ryzen 7 7800X3D moves to AM5 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 7800X3D better than Ryzen 9 5980HX?

Yes. Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 40.2% average FPS lead across 7 shared CPU game tests in our data, 47.2% 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 7800X3D is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 40.2% more average FPS across 7 shared CPU game tests. It also has a big cache advantage at 96 MB vs 16 MB.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the better fit. You are getting 47.2% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 500% larger total L3 cache (96 MB vs 16 MB).

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

Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 7800X3D is at an unclear MSRP at $449 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 40.2% average FPS lead across 7 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (76.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 7800X3D is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 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 16 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 7800X3D Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 5980HX Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 7800X3D	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	266 FPS	260 FPS
medium	247 FPS	239 FPS
high	211 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	186 FPS	170 FPS
1440p
low	258 FPS	231 FPS
medium	215 FPS	192 FPS
high	171 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	154 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	179 FPS	159 FPS
medium	149 FPS	134 FPS
high	112 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	91 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 7800X3D Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 7800X3D	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	857 FPS	428 FPS
medium	737 FPS	356 FPS
high	580 FPS	308 FPS
ultra	493 FPS	273 FPS
1440p
low	722 FPS	357 FPS
medium	611 FPS	312 FPS
high	500 FPS	276 FPS
ultra	398 FPS	236 FPS
4K
low	396 FPS	245 FPS
medium	339 FPS	220 FPS
high	315 FPS	207 FPS
ultra	273 FPS	180 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 7800X3D Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 7800X3D	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	857 FPS	582 FPS
medium	857 FPS	582 FPS
high	857 FPS	576 FPS
ultra	857 FPS	472 FPS
1440p
low	857 FPS	582 FPS
medium	851 FPS	532 FPS
high	786 FPS	451 FPS
ultra	656 FPS	372 FPS
4K
low	558 FPS	456 FPS
medium	479 FPS	396 FPS
high	427 FPS	347 FPS
ultra	362 FPS	282 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 7800X3D Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 7800X3D	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	857 FPS	582 FPS
medium	857 FPS	582 FPS
high	857 FPS	582 FPS
ultra	782 FPS	582 FPS
1440p
low	857 FPS	582 FPS
medium	760 FPS	582 FPS
high	669 FPS	554 FPS
ultra	576 FPS	475 FPS
4K
low	618 FPS	511 FPS
medium	556 FPS	460 FPS
high	495 FPS	405 FPS
ultra	428 FPS	348 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 7800X3D Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Ryzen 9 5980HX

Ryzen 7 7800X3D

The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 4 January 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 4.4 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 96 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 5 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 120 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5200. Passmark benchmark score: 34,293 points. Launch price was $449.

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 7800X3D and Ryzen 9 5980HX share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Ryzen 7 7800X3D versus 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5980HX — a 4.1% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 7800X3D (base: 4.4 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Ryzen 7 7800X3D uses the Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) architecture (5 nm), while the Ryzen 9 5980HX uses Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D scores 34,293 against the Ryzen 9 5980HX's 23,300 — a 38.2% lead for the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. L3 cache: 96 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 5980HX.

Feature	Ryzen 7 7800X3D	Ryzen 9 5980HX
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	5 GHz+4%	4.8 GHz
Base Clock	4.4 GHz+33%	3.3 GHz
L3 Cache	96 MB (total)+500%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)+100%	512 kB (per core)
Process	5 nm-29%	7 nm
Architecture	Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023)	Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021)
PassMark	34,293+47%	23,300
Cinebench R23 Multi	18,500	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,700	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	15,000	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 7 7800X3D uses the AM5 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 9 5980HX uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-5200 on the Ryzen 7 7800X3D versus LPDDR4-4266 on the Ryzen 9 5980HX — the Ryzen 7 7800X3D supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 28 (Ryzen 7 7800X3D) vs 16 (Ryzen 9 5980HX) — the Ryzen 7 7800X3D offers 12 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Ryzen 7 7800X3D	Ryzen 9 5980HX
Socket	AM5	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5200+25%	LPDDR4-4266
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+100%	64 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	28+75%	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Only the Ryzen 7 7800X3D supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Both support AMD-V virtualization. Both include integrated graphics — AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core) (Ryzen 7 7800X3D) 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 7800X3D targets Gaming, Ryzen 9 5980HX targets Mobile High-End. Direct competitor: Ryzen 7 7800X3D rivals Intel Core i7-14700K.

Feature	Ryzen 7 7800X3D	Ryzen 9 5980HX
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)	Radeon Graphics (8CU)
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	Yes	No
Virtualization	AMD-V	AMD-V
Target Use	Gaming	Mobile High-End