Pentium 997 vs Ryzen 5 5600

Pentium 997

2 Cores2 Thrd17 WWMax: 1.6 GHz2012

Ryzen 5 5600

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.4 GHz2022

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium 997

2 / 2

1,215

0.0%

21,550

+1673.7%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5975WX

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. The Pentium 997 is positioned at rank #1104 in our cost-efficiency ranking, representing a Lower cost-benefit for your build. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Pentium 997

#1092

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3235%

#1093

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3187%

#1094

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

2926%

#1095

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

2913%

#1096

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2886%

#1098

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2787%

#1099

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2673%

#1100

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2668%

#1101

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2596%

#1104

Pentium 997

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

100%

#1105

Pentium A1018

MSRP: $132|Avg: $15

99%

#1106

Core i5-2430M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

99%

#1108

Pentium Dual Core T4500

MSRP: $150|Avg: $30

98%

#1109

Celeron B820

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

98%

#1110

Pentium B980

MSRP: $125|Avg: $35

97%

#1111

Celeron 867

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

97%

#1112

Pentium B970

MSRP: $125|Avg: $39

96%

#1113

Core i5-2410M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

96%

#1114

Pentium T2370

MSRP: $86|Avg: $10

95%

#1115

Pentium N3710

MSRP: $161|Avg: $50

95%

#1116

Core m3-7Y30

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

#1117

Pentium 977

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

94%

#1118

Core i7-2715QE

MSRP: $378|Avg: $50

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Ryzen 5 5600

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

135%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

123%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

123%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

121%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

118%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

116%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

116%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

115%

#16

Core Ultra 5 225F

MSRP: $231|Avg: $150

112%

#17

Core Ultra 7 265K

MSRP: $309|Avg: $285

110%

#18

Ryzen 9 3900

MSRP: $499|Avg: $150

109%

#19

Ryzen 5 3600X

MSRP: $249|Avg: $90

108%

#20

Core i7-14700KF

MSRP: $384|Avg: $260

107%

#21

Core i7-14700K

MSRP: $409|Avg: $270

103%

#22

Ryzen 5 4500

MSRP: $129|Avg: $85

101%

#23

Ryzen 5 5600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $115

100%

#24

Celeron G5925

MSRP: $62|Avg: $15

100%

#25

Ryzen 5 7500F

MSRP: $179|Avg: $145

98%

#26

Core Ultra 5 245

MSRP: $319|Avg: $220

97%

#27

Ryzen 7 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $86

97%

#28

Core Ultra 7 265KF

MSRP: $379|Avg: $323

97%

#29

Core Ultra 7 265F

MSRP: $369|Avg: $276

95%

#30

Core i5-12400F

MSRP: $174|Avg: $110

95%

#31

Ryzen 3 PRO 5355G

MSRP: $130|Avg: $80

94%

#32

Ryzen 7 2700X

MSRP: $329|Avg: $100

93%

#33

Core i3-10100F

MSRP: $88|Avg: $50

93%

#34

Ryzen 5 7400F

MSRP: $150|Avg: $147

93%

#35

Ryzen 5 9600X

MSRP: $279|Avg: $178

90%

#36

Ryzen 7 3800X

MSRP: $399|Avg: $140

88%

#37

Ryzen 3 5300G

MSRP: $130|Avg: $80

87%

#38

Ryzen 9 7900X

MSRP: $549|Avg: $316

87%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Generational Difference: This comparison involves processors from different technological eras. The Ryzen 5 5600 (2022) utilizes 7 nm technology and DDR4-3200, providing a fundamental performance advantage.

Insight	Pentium 997	Ryzen 5 5600
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($10)	⚠️ Higher cost ($115)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)	✨ Modern (Vermeer (2020−2025) / 7 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Pentium 997 (2012) relies on 32 nm technology and DDR3, placing it in a different performance category relative to modern standards.

Insight	Pentium 997	Ryzen 5 5600
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+54%)
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($10)	⚠️ Higher cost ($115)

Performance Check

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.

Pentium 997 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 5600 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium 997 and Ryzen 5 5600

Pentium 997

The Pentium 997 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.6 GHz, with boost up to 1.6 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1023. Thermal design power (TDP): 17 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,215 points. Launch price was $134.

Ryzen 5 5600

The Ryzen 5 5600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 20 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 21,550 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Pentium 997 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Ryzen 5 5600 offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Ryzen 5 5600 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 1.6 GHz on the Pentium 997 versus 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600 — a 93.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600 (base: 1.6 GHz vs 3.5 GHz). The Pentium 997 uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Ryzen 5 5600 uses Vermeer (2020−2025) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium 997 scores 1,215 against the Ryzen 5 5600's 21,550 — a 178.7% lead for the Ryzen 5 5600. L3 cache: 2 MB (total) on the Pentium 997 vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	Pentium 997	Ryzen 5 5600
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	6 / 12+200%
Boost Clock	1.6 GHz	4.4 GHz+175%
Base Clock	1.6 GHz	3.5 GHz+119%
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	32 MB (total)+1500%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512K (per core)+100%
Process	32 nm	7 nm-78%
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Vermeer (2020−2025)
PassMark	1,215	21,550+1674%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	11,077
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,052
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	8,600

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium 997 uses the BGA1023 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Ryzen 5 5600 uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium 997	Ryzen 5 5600
Socket	BGA1023	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 4.0+100%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	—	128 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	✅
PCIe Lanes	—	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Pentium 997) / AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600 targets Desktop.

Feature	Pentium 997	Ryzen 5 5600
Integrated GPU	—	No
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

The Pentium 997 launched at $134 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 5600 debuted at $199. At current prices ($10 vs $115), the Pentium 997 is $105 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Pentium 997 delivers 121.5 pts/$ vs 187.4 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 5600 — making the Ryzen 5 5600 the 42.7% better value option.