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 9600X

2024

Why buy it

✅+1.7% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅40% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 8945HS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $279 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 8945HS mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 9 8945HS.

Ryzen 9 8945HS

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Laptop Integrated), unlike Ryzen 5 9600X.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (17,200 vs 17,500).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).

Ryzen 5 9600X

2024

Ryzen 9 8945HS

2023

Why buy it

✅+1.7% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅40% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Laptop Integrated), unlike Ryzen 5 9600X.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 8945HS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $279 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 8945HS mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 9 8945HS.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (17,200 vs 17,500).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 9600X better than Ryzen 9 8945HS?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 9 8945HS is ahead with a 11.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 9600X pulls ahead with 1.7% better Cinebench R23 multi-core. Ryzen 5 9600X also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 9600X is the better fit. You are getting 1.7% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, 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 9600X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 9600X is at an unclear MSRP at $279 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 1.7% better Cinebench R23 multi-core. The trade-off is that Ryzen 9 8945HS is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 11.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (107.5 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 9600X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2023), 100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 8/16. 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 9600X Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 8945HS Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 9600X	Ryzen 9 8945HS
1080p
low	264 FPS	265 FPS
medium	243 FPS	240 FPS
high	207 FPS	202 FPS
ultra	177 FPS	174 FPS
1440p
low	225 FPS	234 FPS
medium	188 FPS	192 FPS
high	153 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	134 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	156 FPS	162 FPS
medium	131 FPS	135 FPS
high	101 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	91 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 9600X Open Ryzen 9 8945HS

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 9600X	Ryzen 9 8945HS
1080p
low	546 FPS	488 FPS
medium	451 FPS	401 FPS
high	379 FPS	343 FPS
ultra	339 FPS	305 FPS
1440p
low	469 FPS	427 FPS
medium	401 FPS	369 FPS
high	342 FPS	316 FPS
ultra	294 FPS	269 FPS
4K
low	294 FPS	281 FPS
medium	256 FPS	255 FPS
high	239 FPS	239 FPS
ultra	207 FPS	205 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 9600X Open Ryzen 9 8945HS

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 9600X	Ryzen 9 8945HS
1080p
low	750 FPS	740 FPS
medium	724 FPS	740 FPS
high	641 FPS	729 FPS
ultra	551 FPS	623 FPS
1440p
low	724 FPS	740 FPS
medium	565 FPS	644 FPS
high	486 FPS	544 FPS
ultra	414 FPS	467 FPS
4K
low	471 FPS	540 FPS
medium	397 FPS	474 FPS
high	346 FPS	421 FPS
ultra	285 FPS	357 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 9600X Open Ryzen 9 8945HS

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 9600X	Ryzen 9 8945HS
1080p
low	750 FPS	740 FPS
medium	750 FPS	740 FPS
high	750 FPS	740 FPS
ultra	750 FPS	740 FPS
1440p
low	750 FPS	740 FPS
medium	750 FPS	740 FPS
high	676 FPS	657 FPS
ultra	583 FPS	572 FPS
4K
low	577 FPS	574 FPS
medium	512 FPS	511 FPS
high	462 FPS	455 FPS
ultra	399 FPS	393 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 9600X Open Ryzen 9 8945HS

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 9 8945HS

Ryzen 5 9600X

The Ryzen 5 9600X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 8 August 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Granite Ridge (2024−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.9 GHz, with boost up to 5.4 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 30,003 points. Launch price was $279.

Ryzen 9 8945HS

The Ryzen 9 8945HS is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 December 2023 (1 year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 29,584 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 9600X packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 9 8945HS offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 9 8945HS has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 9600X versus 5.2 GHz on the Ryzen 9 8945HS — a 3.8% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 9600X (base: 3.9 GHz vs 4 GHz). The Ryzen 5 9600X uses the Granite Ridge (2024−2025) architecture (4 nm), while the Ryzen 9 8945HS uses Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 9600X scores 30,003 against the Ryzen 9 8945HS's 29,584 — a 1.4% lead for the Ryzen 5 9600X. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 17,500 vs 17,200 (1.7% advantage for the Ryzen 5 9600X). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 3,300 vs 2,686, a 20.5% lead for the Ryzen 5 9600X that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 15,000 vs 13,283 (12.1% advantage for the Ryzen 5 9600X). L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 9600X vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 8945HS.

Feature	Ryzen 5 9600X	Ryzen 9 8945HS
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	5.4 GHz+4%	5.2 GHz
Base Clock	3.9 GHz	4 GHz+3%
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+100%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	1 MB (per core)
Process	4 nm	4 nm
Architecture	Granite Ridge (2024−2025)	Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024)
PassMark	30,003+1%	29,584
Cinebench R23 Multi	17,500+2%	17,200
Geekbench 6 Single	3,300+23%	2,686
Geekbench 6 Multi	15,000+13%	13,283

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 9600X uses the AM5 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 9 8945HS uses FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-5600 memory speed. The Ryzen 9 8945HS supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 192 GB — 28.6% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 28 (Ryzen 5 9600X) vs 20 (Ryzen 9 8945HS) — the Ryzen 5 9600X offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: X870E,X870,X670E,X670,B650E,B650 (Ryzen 5 9600X) and FP7,FP8 (Ryzen 9 8945HS).

Feature	Ryzen 5 9600X	Ryzen 9 8945HS
Socket	AM5	FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5600	LPDDR5x-7500, DDR5-5600
Max RAM Capacity	192 GB	256 GB+33%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	28+40%	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Both support AVX-512 instructions, benefiting scientific computing, AI inference, and encryption workloads. Both support AMD-V virtualization. Both include integrated graphics — AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core) (Ryzen 5 9600X) and Radeon 780M (Ryzen 9 8945HS) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 5 9600X targets Gaming, Ryzen 9 8945HS targets Premium Performance Laptop. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 9600X rivals Intel Core i5-14600K; Ryzen 9 8945HS rivals Core Ultra 9 185H.

Feature	Ryzen 5 9600X	Ryzen 9 8945HS
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)	Radeon 780M
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	Yes	Yes
Virtualization	AMD-V	AMD-V
Target Use	Gaming	Premium Performance Laptop