Pentium N4200 vs Ryzen 5 3600

Pentium N4200

4 Cores4 Thrd2 WWMax: 2.5 GHz2016

Ryzen 5 3600

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.2 GHz2019

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium N4200

4 / 4

2,158

0.0%

17,685

+719.5%

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 N4200 is positioned at rank #1012 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 N4200

#1000

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

2190%

#1001

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

2157%

#1002

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1981%

#1003

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1972%

#1004

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1954%

#1006

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1887%

#1007

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1809%

#1008

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1806%

#1009

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1757%

#1012

Pentium N4200

MSRP: $161|Avg: $30.89

100%

#1013

Pentium J2900

MSRP: $94|Avg: $20

100%

#1014

Celeron T1700

MSRP: $80|Avg: $5

99%

#1015

Celeron T3500

MSRP: $80|Avg: $10

98%

#1016

A12-9720P

MSRP: $200|Avg: $25

98%

#1017

Core i5-4300M

MSRP: $227|Avg: N/A

97%

#1018

Celeron 1005M

MSRP: $86|Avg: N/A

97%

#1019

Athlon 64 X2 TK-42

MSRP: $60|Avg: $10

96%

#1020

Athlon Neo MV-40

MSRP: $100|Avg: $5

95%

#1021

Core i7-4860EQ

MSRP: $434|Avg: $80

95%

#1022

Pentium SU2700

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

95%

#1023

A4-1250

MSRP: $100|Avg: $30

94%

#1025

Core i5-4200M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

93%

#1026

Celeron 1000M

MSRP: $86|Avg: N/A

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Ryzen 5 3600

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

1410%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

1332%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

967%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

291%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

231%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

202%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

116%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

114%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

104%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

104%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

103%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

100%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

99%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

98%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

97%

#16

Core Ultra 5 225F

MSRP: $231|Avg: $150

95%

#17

Core Ultra 7 265K

MSRP: $309|Avg: $285

93%

#18

Ryzen 9 3900

MSRP: $499|Avg: $150

92%

#19

Ryzen 5 3600X

MSRP: $249|Avg: $90

91%

#20

Core i7-14700KF

MSRP: $384|Avg: $260

91%

#21

Core i7-14700K

MSRP: $409|Avg: $270

88%

#22

Ryzen 5 4500

MSRP: $129|Avg: $85

85%

#23

Ryzen 5 5600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $115

85%

#24

Celeron G5925

MSRP: $62|Avg: $15

85%

#25

Ryzen 5 7500F

MSRP: $179|Avg: $145

83%

#26

Core Ultra 5 245

MSRP: $319|Avg: $220

83%

#27

Ryzen 7 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $86

82%

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 3600 (2019) utilizes 7 nm, 12 nm technology and **DDR4 Dual-channel**, providing a fundamental performance advantage.

Insight	Pentium N4200	Ryzen 5 3600
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($30.89)	⚠️ Higher cost ($80)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Apollo Lake (2014−2016) / 14 nm)	✨ Modern (Matisse (2019−2020) / 7 nm, 12 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Pentium N4200 (2016) relies on 14 nm technology and DDR3, DDR3, DDR4, placing it in a different performance category relative to modern standards.

Insight	Pentium N4200	Ryzen 5 3600
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+216%)
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($30.89)	⚠️ Higher cost ($80)

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 N4200 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 3600 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium N4200 and Ryzen 5 3600

Pentium N4200

The Pentium N4200 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2016 (9 years ago). It is based on the Apollo Lake (2014−2016) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.1 GHz, with boost up to 2.5 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB L2 Cache. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1296. Thermal design power (TDP): 6 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 2,158 points. Launch price was $161.

Ryzen 5 3600

The Ryzen 5 3600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 July 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 17,685 points. Launch price was $199.

⚡

Processing Power

The Pentium N4200 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Ryzen 5 3600 offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Ryzen 5 3600 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.5 GHz on the Pentium N4200 versus 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3600 — a 50.7% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 3600 (base: 1.1 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Pentium N4200 uses the Apollo Lake (2014−2016) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 3600 uses Matisse (2019−2020) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium N4200 scores 2,158 against the Ryzen 5 3600's 17,685 — a 156.5% lead for the Ryzen 5 3600. L3 cache: 2 MB L2 Cache on the Pentium N4200 vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 3600.

Feature	Pentium N4200	Ryzen 5 3600
Cores / Threads	4 / 4	6 / 12+50%
Boost Clock	2.5 GHz	4.2 GHz+68%
Base Clock	1.1 GHz	3.6 GHz+227%
L3 Cache	2 MB L2 Cache	32 MB (total)+1500%
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	512K (per core)
Process	14 nm	7 nm, 12 nm-50%
Architecture	Apollo Lake (2014−2016)	Matisse (2019−2020)
PassMark	2,158	17,685+720%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	9,500
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,295
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,898

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium N4200 uses the FCBGA1296 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 5 3600 uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium N4200	Ryzen 5 3600
Socket	FCBGA1296	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	—	128 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Pentium N4200) / Yes (Ryzen 5 3600). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 3600 targets Gaming/Budget Workstation. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 3600 rivals Core i5-10400.

Feature	Pentium N4200	Ryzen 5 3600
Integrated GPU	—	No
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	Yes
Target Use	—	Gaming/Budget Workstation

💰

Value Analysis

The Pentium N4200 launched at $161 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 3600 debuted at $199. At current prices ($30.89 vs $80), the Pentium N4200 is $49 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Pentium N4200 delivers 69.9 pts/$ vs 221.1 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 3600 — making the Ryzen 5 3600 the 103.9% better value option.