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 7600X

2022

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7945HX3D across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (28,325 vs 57,803).
❌Launch MSRP is still $299 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 7945HX3D mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌90.9% higher power demand at 105W vs 55W.

Ryzen 9 7945HX3D

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +16.1% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 55W instead of 105W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Ryzen 5 7600X

2022

Ryzen 9 7945HX3D

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +16.1% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 55W instead of 105W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7945HX3D across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (28,325 vs 57,803).
❌Launch MSRP is still $299 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 7945HX3D mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌90.9% higher power demand at 105W vs 55W.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 7945HX3D better than Ryzen 5 7600X?

Yes. Ryzen 9 7945HX3D is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 16.1% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 104.1% 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 9 7945HX3D is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 16.1% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests. It also has a big cache advantage at 128 MB vs 32 MB.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 7945HX3D is the better fit. You are getting 104.1% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 32 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 300% larger total L3 cache (128 MB vs 32 MB).

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

Ryzen 9 7945HX3D is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 7600X makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 9 7945HX3D is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $299 MSRP, and it gives you a 16.1% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 7600X is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (94.7 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 9 7945HX3D is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2022), 3D V-Cache and a much larger 128 MB L3 cache instead of 32 MB, and more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 32 threads instead of 6/12. That extra cache should hold up really well in CPU-limited games and high-refresh builds.

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 7600X Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 7945HX3D Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 7600X	Ryzen 9 7945HX3D
1080p
low	266 FPS	279 FPS
medium	246 FPS	257 FPS
high	210 FPS	210 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	178 FPS
1440p
low	226 FPS	263 FPS
medium	189 FPS	220 FPS
high	154 FPS	169 FPS
ultra	134 FPS	149 FPS
4K
low	157 FPS	183 FPS
medium	131 FPS	152 FPS
high	101 FPS	116 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	103 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 7600X Open Ryzen 9 7945HX3D

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 7600X	Ryzen 9 7945HX3D
1080p
low	649 FPS	673 FPS
medium	524 FPS	580 FPS
high	436 FPS	432 FPS
ultra	386 FPS	363 FPS
1440p
low	544 FPS	559 FPS
medium	455 FPS	499 FPS
high	388 FPS	385 FPS
ultra	329 FPS	301 FPS
4K
low	341 FPS	314 FPS
medium	290 FPS	284 FPS
high	271 FPS	250 FPS
ultra	232 FPS	211 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 7600X Open Ryzen 9 7945HX3D

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 7600X	Ryzen 9 7945HX3D
1080p
low	708 FPS	1025 FPS
medium	652 FPS	1077 FPS
high	571 FPS	1022 FPS
ultra	484 FPS	875 FPS
1440p
low	708 FPS	884 FPS
medium	554 FPS	805 FPS
high	479 FPS	740 FPS
ultra	409 FPS	647 FPS
4K
low	463 FPS	539 FPS
medium	392 FPS	464 FPS
high	341 FPS	418 FPS
ultra	281 FPS	355 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 7600X Open Ryzen 9 7945HX3D

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 7600X	Ryzen 9 7945HX3D
1080p
low	708 FPS	1051 FPS
medium	708 FPS	951 FPS
high	708 FPS	833 FPS
ultra	708 FPS	745 FPS
1440p
low	708 FPS	831 FPS
medium	708 FPS	736 FPS
high	658 FPS	645 FPS
ultra	571 FPS	555 FPS
4K
low	560 FPS	607 FPS
medium	502 FPS	544 FPS
high	452 FPS	482 FPS
ultra	391 FPS	416 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 7600X Open Ryzen 9 7945HX3D

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 7600X and Ryzen 9 7945HX3D

Ryzen 5 7600X

The Ryzen 5 7600X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 27 September 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 4.7 GHz, with boost up to 5.3 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 6 MB. Built on 5 nm, 6 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5200. Passmark benchmark score: 28,325 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 9 7945HX3D

The Ryzen 9 7945HX3D is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2023-07-27. It is based on the Dragon Range-HX (Zen 4) (2023−2024) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 5.4 GHz. L3 cache: 128 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 5 nm process technology. Socket: FL1. Thermal design power (TDP): 55 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5200. Passmark benchmark score: 57,803 points. Launch price was $800.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 7600X packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D offers 16 cores / 32 threads — the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D has 10 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.3 GHz on the Ryzen 5 7600X versus 5.4 GHz on the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D — a 1.9% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D (base: 4.7 GHz vs 2.3 GHz). The Ryzen 5 7600X uses the Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) architecture (5 nm, 6 nm), while the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D uses Dragon Range-HX (Zen 4) (2023−2024) (5 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 7600X scores 28,325 against the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D's 57,803 — a 68.5% lead for the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 7600X vs 128 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D.

Feature	Ryzen 5 7600X	Ryzen 9 7945HX3D
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	16 / 32+167%
Boost Clock	5.3 GHz	5.4 GHz+2%
Base Clock	4.7 GHz+104%	2.3 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)	128 MB (total)+300%
L2 Cache	6 MB+500%	1 MB (per core)
Process	5 nm, 6 nm	5 nm
Architecture	Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023)	Dragon Range-HX (Zen 4) (2023−2024)
PassMark	28,325	57,803+104%
Cinebench R23 Multi	15,300	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,900	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	13,800	—

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 7600X uses the AM5 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D uses FL1 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-5200 on the Ryzen 5 7600X versus 5200 on the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D — the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D supports 199.6% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 28 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: X670E,X670,B650E,B650,A620 (Ryzen 5 7600X) and FL1 (Ryzen 9 7945HX3D).

Feature	Ryzen 5 7600X	Ryzen 9 7945HX3D
Socket	AM5	FL1
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0	PCIe 5.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5200	5200+103900%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+104857500%	128
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	28	28

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Both support AVX-512 instructions, benefiting scientific computing, AI inference, and encryption workloads. Virtualization support: AMD-V (Ryzen 5 7600X) vs VT-x, VT-d, AMD-V (Ryzen 9 7945HX3D). Both include integrated graphics — AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core) (Ryzen 5 7600X) and AMD Radeon 610M (Ryzen 9 7945HX3D) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 5 7600X targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 7600X rivals Intel Core i5-13600K; Ryzen 9 7945HX3D rivals Core Ultra 9 285HX.

Feature	Ryzen 5 7600X	Ryzen 9 7945HX3D
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)	AMD Radeon 610M
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	Yes	Yes
Virtualization	AMD-V	VT-x, VT-d, AMD-V
Target Use	Gaming	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 7600X launched at $299 MSRP, while the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D debuted at $0. On MSRP ($299 vs $0), the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D is $299 cheaper.