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 5600

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +44.4% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Delivers 125.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 47.9 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $189 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Stealth), unlike Ryzen 5 PRO 1500.

Trade-offs

❌
5.3% HIGHER MSRP
$199 MSRPvs$189 MSRP

Ryzen 5 PRO 1500

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $10 less on MSRP ($189 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (9,062 vs 21,550).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 47.9 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($189 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Ryzen 5 5600

2022

Ryzen 5 PRO 1500

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +44.4% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Delivers 125.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 47.9 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $189 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Stealth), unlike Ryzen 5 PRO 1500.

Why buy it

✅Costs $10 less on MSRP ($189 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌
5.3% HIGHER MSRP
$199 MSRPvs$189 MSRP

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (9,062 vs 21,550).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 47.9 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($189 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5600 better than Ryzen 5 PRO 1500?

Yes. Ryzen 5 5600 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 44.4% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 137.8% better 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 5 5600 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 44.4% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 5600 is the better fit. You are getting 137.8% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).

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

Ryzen 5 5600 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 5600 is 5.3% more expensive on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $189 MSRP, and it gives you a 44.4% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 125.9% better value on MSRP (108.3 vs 47.9 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

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

Ryzen 5 5600 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2017), 100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 4/8. 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 5600 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Ryzen 5 PRO 1500
1080p
low	161 FPS	182 FPS
medium	130 FPS	156 FPS
high	112 FPS	127 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	99 FPS
1440p
low	141 FPS	151 FPS
medium	113 FPS	125 FPS
high	95 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	79 FPS	67 FPS
medium	69 FPS	59 FPS
high	55 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	36 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Ryzen 5 PRO 1500

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Ryzen 5 PRO 1500
1080p
low	508 FPS	225 FPS
medium	419 FPS	194 FPS
high	351 FPS	178 FPS
ultra	310 FPS	138 FPS
1440p
low	447 FPS	197 FPS
medium	375 FPS	172 FPS
high	323 FPS	155 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	124 FPS
4K
low	313 FPS	141 FPS
medium	268 FPS	125 FPS
high	243 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	209 FPS	76 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Ryzen 5 PRO 1500

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Ryzen 5 PRO 1500
1080p
low	539 FPS	227 FPS
medium	526 FPS	227 FPS
high	483 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	414 FPS	227 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	227 FPS
medium	434 FPS	227 FPS
high	396 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	339 FPS	227 FPS
4K
low	371 FPS	227 FPS
medium	298 FPS	227 FPS
high	255 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	189 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Ryzen 5 PRO 1500

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Ryzen 5 PRO 1500
1080p
low	539 FPS	227 FPS
medium	539 FPS	227 FPS
high	539 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	539 FPS	227 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	227 FPS
medium	539 FPS	227 FPS
high	539 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	493 FPS	227 FPS
4K
low	501 FPS	227 FPS
medium	448 FPS	227 FPS
high	398 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	349 FPS	227 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Ryzen 5 PRO 1500

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5600 and Ryzen 5 PRO 1500

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.

Ryzen 5 PRO 1500

The Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 29 June 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Zen (2017−2020) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 9,062 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 5600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Ryzen 5 5600 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600 versus 3.7 GHz on the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 — a 17.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600 (base: 3.5 GHz vs 3.5 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5600 uses the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture (7 nm), while the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 uses Zen (2017−2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5600 scores 21,550 against the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500's 9,062 — a 81.6% lead for the Ryzen 5 5600. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 5600 vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Ryzen 5 PRO 1500
Cores / Threads	6 / 12+50%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+19%	3.7 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz	3.5 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+100%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512K (per core)
Process	7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (2020−2025)	Zen (2017−2020)
PassMark	21,550+138%	9,062
Cinebench R23 Multi	11,077	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,052	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	8,600	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the AM4 socket with PCIe 4.0.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Ryzen 5 PRO 1500
Socket	AM4	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	24	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600) / not specified (Ryzen 5 PRO 1500). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600 targets Desktop.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Ryzen 5 PRO 1500
Integrated GPU	No	—
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	AMD-V	—
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 5600 launched at $199 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 debuted at $189. On MSRP ($199 vs $189), the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 is $10 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 5600 delivers 108.3 pts/$ vs 47.9 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 — making the Ryzen 5 5600 the 77.2% better value option.