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.

Core i5-14600

2024

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen AI Max 385 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (24 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $255 MSRP, while Ryzen AI Max 385 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌18.2% higher power demand at 65W vs 55W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen AI Max 385.

Ryzen AI Max 385

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.3% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 24 MB).
✅Draws 55W instead of 65W, a 10W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Laptop Integrated), unlike Core i5-14600.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (32,274 vs 32,319).

Core i5-14600

2024

Ryzen AI Max 385

2025

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.3% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 24 MB).
✅Draws 55W instead of 65W, a 10W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Laptop Integrated), unlike Core i5-14600.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen AI Max 385 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (24 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $255 MSRP, while Ryzen AI Max 385 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌18.2% higher power demand at 65W vs 55W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen AI Max 385.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (32,274 vs 32,319).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen AI Max 385 better than Core i5-14600?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen AI Max 385 is ahead with a 7.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-14600 pulls ahead with 0.1% better PassMark. Ryzen AI Max 385 also has the bigger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 24 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-14600 is the better fit. You are getting 0.1% better PassMark, backed by 14 cores and 20 threads.

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

Ryzen AI Max 385 is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-14600 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen AI Max 385 is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $255 MSRP, and it gives you a 7.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Core i5-14600 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.1% better PassMark. Core i5-14600 is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (126.7 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 AI Max 385 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2024) and 33.3% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 24 MB). 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.

Core i5-14600 Benchmark Check

Ryzen AI Max 385 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-14600	Ryzen AI Max 385
1080p
low	259 FPS	257 FPS
medium	249 FPS	234 FPS
high	207 FPS	203 FPS
ultra	177 FPS	174 FPS
1440p
low	221 FPS	222 FPS
medium	190 FPS	183 FPS
high	151 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	132 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	152 FPS	154 FPS
medium	130 FPS	127 FPS
high	99 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	88 FPS	86 FPS

Open Core i5-14600 Open Ryzen AI Max 385

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-14600	Ryzen AI Max 385
1080p
low	616 FPS	592 FPS
medium	522 FPS	500 FPS
high	444 FPS	391 FPS
ultra	406 FPS	346 FPS
1440p
low	533 FPS	508 FPS
medium	467 FPS	452 FPS
high	398 FPS	359 FPS
ultra	343 FPS	299 FPS
4K
low	313 FPS	303 FPS
medium	280 FPS	273 FPS
high	267 FPS	243 FPS
ultra	234 FPS	209 FPS

Open Core i5-14600 Open Ryzen AI Max 385

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-14600	Ryzen AI Max 385
1080p
low	647 FPS	780 FPS
medium	530 FPS	611 FPS
high	466 FPS	534 FPS
ultra	404 FPS	447 FPS
1440p
low	590 FPS	676 FPS
medium	490 FPS	534 FPS
high	426 FPS	463 FPS
ultra	370 FPS	389 FPS
4K
low	433 FPS	476 FPS
medium	374 FPS	394 FPS
high	339 FPS	350 FPS
ultra	290 FPS	288 FPS

Open Core i5-14600 Open Ryzen AI Max 385

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-14600	Ryzen AI Max 385
1080p
low	808 FPS	807 FPS
medium	808 FPS	807 FPS
high	726 FPS	779 FPS
ultra	652 FPS	700 FPS
1440p
low	788 FPS	796 FPS
medium	703 FPS	706 FPS
high	608 FPS	619 FPS
ultra	536 FPS	536 FPS
4K
low	539 FPS	554 FPS
medium	490 FPS	499 FPS
high	438 FPS	448 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	389 FPS

Open Core i5-14600 Open Ryzen AI Max 385

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-14600 and Ryzen AI Max 385

Core i5-14600

The Core i5-14600 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 8 January 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025) architecture. It features 14 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 GHz. L3 cache: 24 MB (total). L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5600, DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 32,319 points. Launch price was $255.

Ryzen AI Max 385

The Ryzen AI Max 385 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Strix Halo (2025) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP11. Thermal design power (TDP): 55 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 32,274 points. Launch price was $499.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-14600 packs 14 cores / 20 threads, while the Ryzen AI Max 385 offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core i5-14600 has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.2 GHz on the Core i5-14600 versus 5 GHz on the Ryzen AI Max 385 — a 3.9% clock advantage for the Core i5-14600 (base: 2.7 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Core i5-14600 uses the Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Ryzen AI Max 385 uses Strix Halo (2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-14600 scores 32,319 against the Ryzen AI Max 385's 32,274 — a 0.1% lead for the Core i5-14600. L3 cache: 24 MB (total) on the Core i5-14600 vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen AI Max 385.

Feature	Core i5-14600	Ryzen AI Max 385
Cores / Threads	14 / 20+75%	8 / 16
Boost Clock	5.2 GHz+4%	5 GHz
Base Clock	2.7 GHz	3.6 GHz+33%
L3 Cache	24 MB (total)	32 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	2 MB (per core)+100%	1 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm	4 nm-43%
Architecture	Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025)	Strix Halo (2025)
PassMark	32,319	32,274
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	16,500
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,800
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	14,000

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-14600 uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen AI Max 385 uses FP11 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-5600 memory speed. The Core i5-14600 supports up to 192 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 40% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i5-14600) vs 4 (Ryzen AI Max 385). Both provide 20 PCIe lanes.

Feature	Core i5-14600	Ryzen AI Max 385
Socket	LGA1700	FP11
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5600	LPDDR5x-8000
Max RAM Capacity	192 GB+50%	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	4+100%
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	20	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen AI Max 385 has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Ryzen AI Max 385 supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-14600) vs AMD-V (Ryzen AI Max 385). Both include integrated graphics — UHD Graphics 770 (Core i5-14600) and Radeon 8050S (Ryzen AI Max 385) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-14600 targets Desktop, Ryzen AI Max 385 targets High-performance AI / Gaming Laptop. Direct competitor: Ryzen AI Max 385 rivals Core Ultra 9 285H.

Feature	Core i5-14600	Ryzen AI Max 385
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 770	Radeon 8050S
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V
Target Use	Desktop	High-performance AI / Gaming Laptop

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-14600 launched at $255 MSRP, while the Ryzen AI Max 385 debuted at $0. On MSRP ($255 vs $0), the Ryzen AI Max 385 is $255 cheaper.