Ryzen 5 4680U vs Ryzen 5 5500U

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 4680U

2021

Why buy it

✅+1.8% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5500U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 5500U can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 5 5500U

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.5% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (12 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon Graphics (Vega 7), while Ryzen 5 4680U needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (12,736 vs 12,959).

Ryzen 5 4680U

2021

Ryzen 5 5500U

2021

Why buy it

✅+1.8% higher PassMark.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.5% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (12 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon Graphics (Vega 7), while Ryzen 5 4680U needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5500U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 5500U can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (12,736 vs 12,959).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 4680U better than Ryzen 5 5500U?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 5 5500U is ahead with a 8.5% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 4680U pulls ahead with 1.8% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 4680U is the better fit. You are getting 1.8% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 4680U still looks like the safer overall buy. Ryzen 5 4680U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 1.8% better PassMark.

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 more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 6/12. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

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 4680U Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 5500U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 4680U	Ryzen 5 5500U
1080p
low	171 FPS	179 FPS
medium	140 FPS	146 FPS
high	111 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	146 FPS	151 FPS
medium	118 FPS	122 FPS
high	92 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	73 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	69 FPS	71 FPS
medium	60 FPS	61 FPS
high	47 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	38 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 4680U Open Ryzen 5 5500U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 4680U	Ryzen 5 5500U
1080p
low	137 FPS	160 FPS
medium	118 FPS	137 FPS
high	107 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	84 FPS	99 FPS
1440p
low	117 FPS	137 FPS
medium	102 FPS	119 FPS
high	95 FPS	111 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	91 FPS
4K
low	100 FPS	118 FPS
medium	90 FPS	106 FPS
high	82 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	75 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 4680U Open Ryzen 5 5500U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 4680U	Ryzen 5 5500U
1080p
low	324 FPS	318 FPS
medium	324 FPS	318 FPS
high	324 FPS	318 FPS
ultra	324 FPS	318 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	318 FPS
medium	324 FPS	318 FPS
high	324 FPS	318 FPS
ultra	324 FPS	318 FPS
4K
low	324 FPS	318 FPS
medium	324 FPS	318 FPS
high	297 FPS	300 FPS
ultra	238 FPS	240 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 4680U Open Ryzen 5 5500U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 4680U	Ryzen 5 5500U
1080p
low	324 FPS	318 FPS
medium	324 FPS	318 FPS
high	324 FPS	318 FPS
ultra	324 FPS	318 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	318 FPS
medium	324 FPS	318 FPS
high	324 FPS	318 FPS
ultra	324 FPS	318 FPS
4K
low	324 FPS	318 FPS
medium	324 FPS	318 FPS
high	324 FPS	318 FPS
ultra	282 FPS	284 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 4680U Open Ryzen 5 5500U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 4680U and Ryzen 5 5500U

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.

Ryzen 5 5500U

The Ryzen 5 5500U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Lucienne-U (Zen 2) (2021) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 25 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 12,736 points. Launch price was $149.

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Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 5 4680U and Ryzen 5 5500U share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 4680U versus 4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5500U — identical boost frequencies (base: 2.2 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Ryzen 5 4680U uses the Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) architecture (7 nm), while the Ryzen 5 5500U uses Lucienne-U (Zen 2) (2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 4680U scores 12,959 against the Ryzen 5 5500U's 12,736 — a 1.7% lead for the Ryzen 5 4680U. Both processors carry 8 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Ryzen 5 4680U	Ryzen 5 5500U
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4 GHz	4 GHz
Base Clock	2.2 GHz+5%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	512K (per core)
Process	7 nm	7 nm
Architecture	Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021)	Lucienne-U (Zen 2) (2021)
PassMark	12,959+2%	12,736
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	6,900
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,100
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	5,200

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Memory & Platform

Both processors use the FP6 socket with PCIe 3.0.

Feature	Ryzen 5 4680U	Ryzen 5 5500U
Socket	FP6	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4 3200 MHz
Max RAM Capacity	—	64 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	No
PCIe Lanes	—	12

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Ryzen 5 4680U) / true (Ryzen 5 5500U). The Ryzen 5 5500U includes integrated graphics (AMD Radeon Graphics (Vega 7)), while the Ryzen 5 4680U requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5500U targets Mobile.