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.

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +22.4% higher average FPS across 39 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+300% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 8 MB).
✅50% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 88.9 vs 124.4 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $129 MSRP).

Ryzen 5 4500

2022

Why buy it

✅Costs $70 less on MSRP ($129 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Delivers 40.0% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 124.4 vs 88.9 PassMark/$ ($129 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 39 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (8,433 vs 9,500).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 32 MB).

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Ryzen 5 4500

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +22.4% higher average FPS across 39 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+300% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 8 MB).
✅50% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Costs $70 less on MSRP ($129 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Delivers 40.0% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 124.4 vs 88.9 PassMark/$ ($129 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 88.9 vs 124.4 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $129 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 39 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (8,433 vs 9,500).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 32 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 3600 better than Ryzen 5 4500?

Yes. Ryzen 5 3600 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 22.4% average FPS lead across 39 shared CPU game tests in our data, 12.7% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, and 10.2% higher PassMark, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 5 3600 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 22.4% more average FPS across 39 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 3600 is the better fit. You are getting 12.7% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 300% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 8 MB).

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

Ryzen 5 3600 is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 4500 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 5 3600 is 54.3% more expensive on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $129 MSRP, and it gives you a 22.4% average FPS lead across 39 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 4500 is also 40.0% better value on MSRP (124.4 vs 88.9 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

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

Ryzen 5 4500 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2019). 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.

Ryzen 5 3600 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 4500 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 5 4500
1080p
low	200 FPS	178 FPS
medium	161 FPS	142 FPS
high	135 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	106 FPS	90 FPS
1440p
low	154 FPS	152 FPS
medium	119 FPS	120 FPS
high	96 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	70 FPS	70 FPS
medium	58 FPS	59 FPS
high	46 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	37 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Ryzen 5 4500

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 5 4500
1080p
low	442 FPS	304 FPS
medium	404 FPS	261 FPS
high	332 FPS	230 FPS
ultra	295 FPS	198 FPS
1440p
low	420 FPS	266 FPS
medium	359 FPS	232 FPS
high	303 FPS	209 FPS
ultra	263 FPS	179 FPS
4K
low	297 FPS	229 FPS
medium	259 FPS	205 FPS
high	230 FPS	183 FPS
ultra	201 FPS	155 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Ryzen 5 4500

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 5 4500
1080p
low	442 FPS	401 FPS
medium	442 FPS	401 FPS
high	442 FPS	401 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	401 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	401 FPS
medium	442 FPS	401 FPS
high	442 FPS	401 FPS
ultra	432 FPS	368 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	399 FPS
medium	361 FPS	337 FPS
high	305 FPS	290 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	230 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Ryzen 5 4500

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 5 4500
1080p
low	442 FPS	401 FPS
medium	442 FPS	401 FPS
high	442 FPS	401 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	401 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	401 FPS
medium	442 FPS	401 FPS
high	442 FPS	401 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	401 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	401 FPS
medium	442 FPS	401 FPS
high	413 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	357 FPS	311 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Ryzen 5 4500

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 5 4500

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.

Ryzen 5 4500

The Ryzen 5 4500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 4 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Renoir (2020−2023) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.1 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 16,049 points. Launch price was $129.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 5 4500 share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3600 versus 4.1 GHz on the Ryzen 5 4500 — a 2.4% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 3600 (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Ryzen 5 3600 uses the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Ryzen 5 4500 uses Renoir (2020−2023) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 3600 scores 17,685 against the Ryzen 5 4500's 16,049 — a 9.7% lead for the Ryzen 5 3600. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 9,500 vs 8,433 (11.9% advantage for the Ryzen 5 3600). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,295 vs 1,560, a 18.6% lead for the Ryzen 5 4500 that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 1,898 vs 6,235 (106.7% advantage for the Ryzen 5 4500). L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 3600 vs 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 4500.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 5 4500
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz+2%	4.1 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz	3.6 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+300%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512 kB (per core)
Process	7 nm, 12 nm	7 nm
Architecture	Matisse (2019−2020)	Renoir (2020−2023)
PassMark	17,685+10%	16,049
Cinebench R23 Multi	9,500+13%	8,433
Geekbench 6 Single	1,295	1,560+20%
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,898	6,235+229%

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the AM4 socket with PCIe 4.0. Both support up to DDR4-3200 memory speed. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 5 3600) vs 16 (Ryzen 5 4500) — the Ryzen 5 3600 offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD B550,AMD X570,AMD B450,AMD X470 (Ryzen 5 3600) and A320,B450,X570,B550 (Ryzen 5 4500).

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 5 4500
Socket	AM4	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	24+50%	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Virtualization support: Yes (Ryzen 5 3600) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 5 4500). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 3600 targets Gaming/Budget Workstation, Ryzen 5 4500 targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 3600 rivals Core i5-10400; Ryzen 5 4500 rivals Core i5-10400F.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 5 4500
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	Yes	AMD-V
Target Use	Gaming/Budget Workstation	Gaming

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 3600 launched at $199 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 4500 debuted at $129. On MSRP ($199 vs $129), the Ryzen 5 4500 is $70 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 3600 delivers 88.9 pts/$ vs 124.4 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 4500 — making the Ryzen 5 4500 the 33.3% better value option.