Core 5 120U vs Ryzen 7 4800U

Core 5 120U vs Ryzen 7 4800U Performance Spectrum

Core 5 120U

10 / 12

16,225

0.0%

16,427

+1.2%

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 7 4800U 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 7 4800U: 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: +17.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Newer platform on FCBGA1744 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,225 vs 16,427).

Ryzen 7 4800U

2020

Why buy it

✅+1.2% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core 5 120U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Core 5 120U moves to FCBGA1744 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 4800U better than Core 5 120U?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Core 5 120U is ahead with a 17.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 4800U pulls ahead with 1.2% better PassMark. Core 5 120U also has the bigger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 4800U is the stronger fit. You are getting 1.2% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 7 4800U still makes the most sense overall. Ryzen 7 4800U comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you 1.2% 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 2020), a healthier platform with FCBGA1744 and DDR5 instead of FP6, and 50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB). That gives you a healthier platform runway for motherboard, RAM, and later CPU upgrades.

Core 5 120U vs Ryzen 7 4800U 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 7 4800U

The Ryzen 7 4800U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 1.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 16,427 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

The Core 5 120U packs 10 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 7 4800U offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core 5 120U has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Core 5 120U versus 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 7 4800U — a 17.4% clock advantage for the Core 5 120U (base: 1.4 GHz vs 1.8 GHz). The Core 5 120U uses the Raptor Lake-U Refresh (2024) architecture (10 nm), while the Ryzen 7 4800U uses Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core 5 120U scores 16,225 against the Ryzen 7 4800U's 16,427 — a 1.2% lead for the Ryzen 7 4800U. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core 5 120U vs 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 4800U.

Feature	Core 5 120U	Ryzen 7 4800U
Cores / Threads	10 / 12+25%	8 / 16
Boost Clock	5 GHz+19%	4.2 GHz
Base Clock	1.4 GHz	1.8 GHz+29%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+50%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+150%	512 kB (per core)
Process	10 nm	7 nm-30%
Architecture	Raptor Lake-U Refresh (2024)	Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021)
PassMark	16,225	16,427+1%

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Memory & Platform

The Core 5 120U uses the FCBGA1744 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 7 4800U uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.