Core i5-10500 vs Ryzen 5 4680U

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 i5-10500

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +4.1% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Ryzen 5 4680U needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $200 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 4680U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.

Ryzen 5 4680U

2021

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-10500 across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (12,959 vs 13,067).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i5-10500 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i5-10500

2020

Ryzen 5 4680U

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +4.1% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Ryzen 5 4680U needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $200 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 4680U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-10500 across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (12,959 vs 13,067).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i5-10500 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-10500 better than Ryzen 5 4680U?

Yes. Core i5-10500 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 4.1% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data and 0.8% better PassMark, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core i5-10500 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 4.1% more average FPS across 2 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-10500 is the better fit. You are getting 0.8% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).

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

Core i5-10500 is the smarter buy today. Core i5-10500 is at an unclear MSRP at $200 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 4.1% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (65.3 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

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

Ryzen 5 4680U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2020). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

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 i5-10500 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 4680U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-10500	Ryzen 5 4680U
1080p
low	193 FPS	171 FPS
medium	154 FPS	140 FPS
high	125 FPS	111 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	89 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	146 FPS
medium	121 FPS	118 FPS
high	99 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	81 FPS	73 FPS
4K
low	86 FPS	69 FPS
medium	73 FPS	60 FPS
high	58 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	46 FPS	37 FPS

Open Core i5-10500 Open Ryzen 5 4680U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-10500	Ryzen 5 4680U
1080p
low	327 FPS	137 FPS
medium	327 FPS	118 FPS
high	323 FPS	107 FPS
ultra	281 FPS	84 FPS
1440p
low	327 FPS	117 FPS
medium	325 FPS	102 FPS
high	296 FPS	95 FPS
ultra	257 FPS	77 FPS
4K
low	327 FPS	100 FPS
medium	274 FPS	90 FPS
high	251 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	211 FPS	63 FPS

Open Core i5-10500 Open Ryzen 5 4680U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-10500	Ryzen 5 4680U
1080p
low	327 FPS	324 FPS
medium	327 FPS	324 FPS
high	327 FPS	324 FPS
ultra	327 FPS	324 FPS
1440p
low	327 FPS	324 FPS
medium	327 FPS	324 FPS
high	327 FPS	324 FPS
ultra	327 FPS	324 FPS
4K
low	327 FPS	324 FPS
medium	327 FPS	324 FPS
high	303 FPS	297 FPS
ultra	238 FPS	238 FPS

Open Core i5-10500 Open Ryzen 5 4680U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-10500	Ryzen 5 4680U
1080p
low	327 FPS	324 FPS
medium	327 FPS	324 FPS
high	327 FPS	324 FPS
ultra	327 FPS	324 FPS
1440p
low	327 FPS	324 FPS
medium	327 FPS	324 FPS
high	327 FPS	324 FPS
ultra	327 FPS	324 FPS
4K
low	327 FPS	324 FPS
medium	327 FPS	324 FPS
high	327 FPS	324 FPS
ultra	327 FPS	282 FPS

Open Core i5-10500 Open Ryzen 5 4680U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-10500 and Ryzen 5 4680U

Core i5-10500

The Core i5-10500 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 30 April 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.1 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 13,067 points. Launch price was $149.

Ryzen 5 4680U

The Ryzen 5 4680U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 13 April 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 4 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: 12,959 points. Launch price was $149.

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Processing Power

Both the Core i5-10500 and Ryzen 5 4680U share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.5 GHz on the Core i5-10500 versus 4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 4680U — a 11.8% clock advantage for the Core i5-10500 (base: 3.1 GHz vs 2.2 GHz). The Core i5-10500 uses the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 4680U uses Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-10500 scores 13,067 against the Ryzen 5 4680U's 12,959 — a 0.8% lead for the Core i5-10500. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-10500 vs 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 4680U.

Feature	Core i5-10500	Ryzen 5 4680U
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.5 GHz+13%	4 GHz
Base Clock	3.1 GHz+41%	2.2 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+50%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512 kB (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Comet Lake (2020−2025)	Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021)
PassMark	13,067	12,959

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Memory & Platform

The Core i5-10500 uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 5 4680U uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-10500	Ryzen 5 4680U
Socket	LGA1200	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-10500) / not specified (Ryzen 5 4680U). The Core i5-10500 includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Ryzen 5 4680U requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-10500 targets Desktop.