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

✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Stealth), unlike Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U across 9 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (21,550 vs 22,373).
❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U moves to FP7 and DDR5.

Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +15.7% higher average FPS across 9 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Ryzen 5 5600

2022

Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U

2024

Why buy it

✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Stealth), unlike Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +15.7% higher average FPS across 9 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U across 9 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (21,550 vs 22,373).
❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U moves to FP7 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U better than Ryzen 5 5600?

Yes. Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 15.7% average FPS lead across 9 shared CPU game tests in our data, 3.8% 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 PRO 8640U is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 15.7% more average FPS across 9 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U is the better fit. You are getting 3.8% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 5600 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and it gives you a 15.7% average FPS lead across 9 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 5600 is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (108.3 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 5 PRO 8640U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2022), a healthier platform with FP7 and DDR5 instead of AM4, and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 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 5600 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U
1080p
low	161 FPS	262 FPS
medium	130 FPS	238 FPS
high	112 FPS	203 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	173 FPS
1440p
low	141 FPS	230 FPS
medium	113 FPS	189 FPS
high	95 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	79 FPS	156 FPS
medium	69 FPS	130 FPS
high	55 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	88 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U
1080p
low	508 FPS	374 FPS
medium	419 FPS	314 FPS
high	351 FPS	278 FPS
ultra	310 FPS	240 FPS
1440p
low	447 FPS	316 FPS
medium	375 FPS	276 FPS
high	323 FPS	251 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	212 FPS
4K
low	313 FPS	237 FPS
medium	268 FPS	211 FPS
high	243 FPS	197 FPS
ultra	209 FPS	164 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U
1080p
low	539 FPS	559 FPS
medium	526 FPS	559 FPS
high	483 FPS	559 FPS
ultra	414 FPS	559 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	559 FPS
medium	434 FPS	559 FPS
high	396 FPS	511 FPS
ultra	339 FPS	437 FPS
4K
low	371 FPS	482 FPS
medium	298 FPS	415 FPS
high	255 FPS	355 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	293 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U
1080p
low	539 FPS	559 FPS
medium	539 FPS	559 FPS
high	539 FPS	559 FPS
ultra	539 FPS	559 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	559 FPS
medium	539 FPS	559 FPS
high	539 FPS	559 FPS
ultra	493 FPS	559 FPS
4K
low	501 FPS	559 FPS
medium	448 FPS	531 FPS
high	398 FPS	473 FPS
ultra	349 FPS	411 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5600 and Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U

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 8640U

The Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 16 April 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point (2024−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP7. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 22,373 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 5 5600 and Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600 versus 4.9 GHz on the Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U — a 10.8% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U (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 8640U uses Hawk Point (2024−2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5600 scores 21,550 against the Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U's 22,373 — a 3.7% lead for the Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 5600 vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	4.9 GHz+11%
Base Clock	3.5 GHz	3.5 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+100%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+100%
Process	7 nm	4 nm-43%
Architecture	Vermeer (2020−2025)	Hawk Point (2024−2025)
PassMark	21,550	22,373+4%
Cinebench R23 Multi	11,077	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,052	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	8,600	—

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 5600 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U uses FP7 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.