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 9 7940HS

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Laptop Integrated), unlike Ryzen 9 8945H.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (17,443 vs 17,500).
❌337.5% higher power demand at 35W vs 8W.

Ryzen 9 8945H

2023

Why buy it

✅+0.3% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅Draws 8W instead of 35W, a 27W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7940HS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 9 7940HS.

Ryzen 9 7940HS

2023

Ryzen 9 8945H

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Laptop Integrated), unlike Ryzen 9 8945H.

Why buy it

✅+0.3% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅Draws 8W instead of 35W, a 27W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (17,443 vs 17,500).
❌337.5% higher power demand at 35W vs 8W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7940HS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 9 7940HS.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 8945H better than Ryzen 9 7940HS?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 9 7940HS is ahead with a 7.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 8945H pulls ahead with 0.3% better Cinebench R23 multi-core.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 8945H is the better fit. You are getting 0.3% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 9 8945H still looks like the safer overall buy. Ryzen 9 8945H is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 0.3% better Cinebench R23 multi-core.

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

Ryzen 9 8945H is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 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 9 7940HS Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 8945H Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 7940HS	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	267 FPS	269 FPS
medium	242 FPS	243 FPS
high	203 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	176 FPS
1440p
low	235 FPS	236 FPS
medium	193 FPS	193 FPS
high	157 FPS	157 FPS
ultra	139 FPS	139 FPS
4K
low	163 FPS	164 FPS
medium	136 FPS	136 FPS
high	105 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	92 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 7940HS Open Ryzen 9 8945H

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 7940HS	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	497 FPS	513 FPS
medium	408 FPS	421 FPS
high	349 FPS	363 FPS
ultra	311 FPS	323 FPS
1440p
low	434 FPS	448 FPS
medium	376 FPS	388 FPS
high	322 FPS	334 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	285 FPS
4K
low	286 FPS	295 FPS
medium	259 FPS	267 FPS
high	243 FPS	253 FPS
ultra	209 FPS	217 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 7940HS Open Ryzen 9 8945H

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 9 7940HS	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	750 FPS	756 FPS
medium	750 FPS	756 FPS
high	730 FPS	647 FPS
ultra	624 FPS	546 FPS
1440p
low	750 FPS	756 FPS
medium	646 FPS	637 FPS
high	545 FPS	541 FPS
ultra	467 FPS	464 FPS
4K
low	544 FPS	541 FPS
medium	475 FPS	473 FPS
high	422 FPS	419 FPS
ultra	357 FPS	355 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 7940HS Open Ryzen 9 8945H

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 9 7940HS	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	750 FPS	756 FPS
medium	750 FPS	756 FPS
high	750 FPS	756 FPS
ultra	750 FPS	754 FPS
1440p
low	750 FPS	756 FPS
medium	750 FPS	756 FPS
high	658 FPS	660 FPS
ultra	573 FPS	573 FPS
4K
low	574 FPS	572 FPS
medium	511 FPS	511 FPS
high	456 FPS	457 FPS
ultra	394 FPS	394 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 7940HS Open Ryzen 9 8945H

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 9 7940HS and Ryzen 9 8945H

Ryzen 9 7940HS

The Ryzen 9 7940HS is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Janeiro 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 4 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 29,986 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 9 8945H

The Ryzen 9 8945H is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 December 2023 (1 year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 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: 30,240 points. Launch price was $499.

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Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 9 7940HS and Ryzen 9 8945H share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 5.2 GHz on the Ryzen 9 7940HS versus 5.2 GHz on the Ryzen 9 8945H — identical boost frequencies (base: 4 GHz vs 4 GHz). The Ryzen 9 7940HS uses the Phoenix-HS (Zen 4) (2023) architecture (4 nm), while the Ryzen 9 8945H uses Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 9 7940HS scores 29,986 against the Ryzen 9 8945H's 30,240 — a 0.8% lead for the Ryzen 9 8945H. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 17,443 vs 17,500 (0.3% advantage for the Ryzen 9 8945H). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,646 vs 2,617, a 1.1% lead for the Ryzen 9 7940HS that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 11,591 vs 12,662 (8.8% advantage for the Ryzen 9 8945H). L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 7940HS vs 16 MB on the Ryzen 9 8945H.

Feature	Ryzen 9 7940HS	Ryzen 9 8945H
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	5.2 GHz	5.2 GHz
Base Clock	4 GHz	4 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)	16 MB
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	8 MB+700%
Process	4 nm	4 nm
Architecture	Phoenix-HS (Zen 4) (2023)	Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024)
PassMark	29,986	30,240
Cinebench R23 Multi	17,443	17,500
Geekbench 6 Single	2,646+1%	2,617
Geekbench 6 Multi	11,591	12,662+9%

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 9 7940HS uses the FP8 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 9 8945H uses FP7/FP7r2/FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-5600 memory speed. Both support up to 256 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 20 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: FP8,FP7 (Ryzen 9 7940HS) and FP7,FP7r2,FP8 (Ryzen 9 8945H).

Feature	Ryzen 9 7940HS	Ryzen 9 8945H
Socket	FP8	FP7/FP7r2/FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5600	DDR5-5600
Max RAM Capacity	256 GB	256 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	20	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 9 7940HS has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Both support AVX-512 instructions, benefiting scientific computing, AI inference, and encryption workloads. Both support AMD-V virtualization. Both include integrated graphics — Radeon 780M (Ryzen 9 7940HS) and Radeon 780M (Ryzen 9 8945H) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 9 7940HS targets Thin-and-light Performance, Ryzen 9 8945H targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Ryzen 9 7940HS rivals Core i9-13900H; Ryzen 9 8945H rivals Core i9-13900H.