Core 5 120U vs Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U

Core 5 120U vs Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U Performance Spectrum

Core 5 120U

10 / 12

16,225

0.0%

16,245

+0.1%

Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395

Ryzen 9 9950X3D

Ryzen Threadripper 9960X

About PassMark

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.

Core 5 120U vs Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with GeForce RTX 5090 to isolate CPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Core 5 120U vs Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

Core 5 120U

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +17.3% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,225 vs 16,245).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).

Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U

2022

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core 5 120U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U better than Core 5 120U?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Core 5 120U is ahead with a 17.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U pulls ahead with 0.1% better PassMark. Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U also has the bigger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.1% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also has the larger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U still makes the most sense overall. Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you 0.1% better PassMark.

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

Core 5 120U makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2022). That gives you a healthier platform runway for motherboard, RAM, and later CPU upgrades.

Core 5 120U vs Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

Core 5 120U

The Core 5 120U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 8 January 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake-U Refresh (2024) architecture. It features 10 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 1.4 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1744. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5200, DDR4-3200, LPDDR4X-4267. Passmark benchmark score: 16,225 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U

The Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 19 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Rembrandt-U PRO (Zen 3+) (2022) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 6 nm process technology. Socket: FP7. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 16,245 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

The Core 5 120U packs 10 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core 5 120U has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Core 5 120U versus 4.5 GHz on the Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U — a 10.5% clock advantage for the Core 5 120U (base: 1.4 GHz vs 2.9 GHz). The Core 5 120U uses the Raptor Lake-U Refresh (2024) architecture (10 nm), while the Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U uses Rembrandt-U PRO (Zen 3+) (2022) (6 nm). In PassMark, the Core 5 120U scores 16,225 against the Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U's 16,245 — a 0.1% lead for the Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core 5 120U vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U.

Feature	Core 5 120U	Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U
Cores / Threads	10 / 12+67%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	5 GHz+11%	4.5 GHz
Base Clock	1.4 GHz	2.9 GHz+107%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	16 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)	512K (per core)+40860%
Process	10 nm	6 nm-40%
Architecture	Raptor Lake-U Refresh (2024)	Rembrandt-U PRO (Zen 3+) (2022)
PassMark	16,225	16,245

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Memory & Platform

The Core 5 120U uses the FCBGA1744 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U uses FP7 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.