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

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 8745HX across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (9,500 vs 18,000).
❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 8745HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌18.2% higher power demand at 65W vs 55W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 7 8745HX moves to FL1 and DDR5.

Ryzen 7 8745HX

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +47.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 55W instead of 65W, a 10W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FL1 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.
✅16.7% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 610M, while Ryzen 5 3600 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Ryzen 7 8745HX

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +47.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 55W instead of 65W, a 10W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FL1 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.
✅16.7% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 610M, while Ryzen 5 3600 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 8745HX across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (9,500 vs 18,000).
❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 8745HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌18.2% higher power demand at 65W vs 55W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 7 8745HX moves to FL1 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 8745HX better than Ryzen 5 3600?

Yes. Ryzen 7 8745HX is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 47.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 89.5% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, 84.5% higher PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 7 8745HX is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 47.4% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 8745HX is the better fit. You are getting 89.5% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 7 8745HX is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 3600 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 7 8745HX is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and it gives you a 47.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 3600 is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (88.9 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 7 8745HX is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2019), a healthier platform with FL1 and DDR5 instead of AM4, and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 6/12. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

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 7 8745HX Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 7 8745HX
1080p
low	200 FPS	254 FPS
medium	161 FPS	236 FPS
high	135 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	106 FPS	175 FPS
1440p
low	154 FPS	218 FPS
medium	119 FPS	183 FPS
high	96 FPS	152 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	133 FPS
4K
low	70 FPS	152 FPS
medium	58 FPS	127 FPS
high	46 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	86 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Ryzen 7 8745HX

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 7 8745HX
1080p
low	442 FPS	620 FPS
medium	404 FPS	518 FPS
high	332 FPS	428 FPS
ultra	295 FPS	387 FPS
1440p
low	420 FPS	529 FPS
medium	359 FPS	463 FPS
high	303 FPS	388 FPS
ultra	263 FPS	332 FPS
4K
low	297 FPS	310 FPS
medium	259 FPS	277 FPS
high	230 FPS	261 FPS
ultra	201 FPS	229 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Ryzen 7 8745HX

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 7 8745HX
1080p
low	442 FPS	816 FPS
medium	442 FPS	735 FPS
high	442 FPS	653 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	560 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	701 FPS
medium	442 FPS	564 FPS
high	442 FPS	490 FPS
ultra	432 FPS	415 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	486 FPS
medium	361 FPS	405 FPS
high	305 FPS	364 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	304 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Ryzen 7 8745HX

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 7 8745HX
1080p
low	442 FPS	816 FPS
medium	442 FPS	816 FPS
high	442 FPS	816 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	772 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	816 FPS
medium	442 FPS	755 FPS
high	442 FPS	663 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	579 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	568 FPS
medium	442 FPS	509 FPS
high	413 FPS	459 FPS
ultra	357 FPS	399 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Ryzen 7 8745HX

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 7 8745HX

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 7 8745HX

The Ryzen 7 8745HX is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 23 April 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Dragon Range (2025) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 5 nm process technology. Socket: FL1. Thermal design power (TDP): 55 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 32,620 points. Launch price was $499.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 3600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 7 8745HX offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 7 8745HX has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3600 versus 5.1 GHz on the Ryzen 7 8745HX — a 19.4% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 8745HX (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 7 8745HX uses Dragon Range (2025) (5 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 3600 scores 17,685 against the Ryzen 7 8745HX's 32,620 — a 59.4% lead for the Ryzen 7 8745HX. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 9,500 vs 18,000 (61.8% advantage for the Ryzen 7 8745HX). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,295 vs 2,700, a 70.3% lead for the Ryzen 7 8745HX that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 1,898 vs 13,500 (150.7% advantage for the Ryzen 7 8745HX). Both processors carry 32 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 7 8745HX
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz	5.1 GHz+21%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz	3.6 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)	32 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+100%
Process	7 nm, 12 nm	5 nm-29%
Architecture	Matisse (2019−2020)	Dragon Range (2025)
PassMark	17,685	32,620+84%
Cinebench R23 Multi	9,500	18,000+89%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,295	2,700+108%
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,898	13,500+611%

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 3600 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 7 8745HX uses FL1 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 5 3600 versus DDR5-5200 on the Ryzen 7 8745HX — the Ryzen 7 8745HX supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Ryzen 5 3600 supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 5 3600) vs 28 (Ryzen 7 8745HX) — the Ryzen 7 8745HX offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD B550,AMD X570,AMD B450,AMD X470 (Ryzen 5 3600) and FL1 (Ryzen 7 8745HX).

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Ryzen 7 8745HX
Socket	AM4	FL1
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR5-5200+25%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+100%	64 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	24	28+17%

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Only the Ryzen 7 8745HX supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: Yes (Ryzen 5 3600) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 7 8745HX). The Ryzen 7 8745HX includes integrated graphics (Radeon 610M), while the Ryzen 5 3600 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 5 3600 targets Gaming/Budget Workstation, Ryzen 7 8745HX targets High-end Gaming Laptop. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 3600 rivals Core i5-10400; Ryzen 7 8745HX rivals Core i7-14700HX.