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 7 3700X

2019

Why buy it

✅Draws 65W instead of 105W, a 40W reduction.
✅20% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (22,430 vs 27,992).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 68.2 vs 112.4 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 7 5800XT.

Ryzen 7 5800XT

2024

Why buy it

✅Costs $80 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 64.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.4 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($249 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 7 3700X.

Trade-offs

❌61.5% higher power demand at 105W vs 65W.

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Ryzen 7 5800XT

2024

Why buy it

✅Draws 65W instead of 105W, a 40W reduction.
✅20% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Costs $80 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 64.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.4 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($249 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 7 3700X.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (22,430 vs 27,992).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 68.2 vs 112.4 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 7 5800XT.

Trade-offs

❌61.5% higher power demand at 105W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 5800XT better than Ryzen 7 3700X?

Yes. Ryzen 7 5800XT is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 0.8% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 24.8% 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 7 5800XT is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 0.8% 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 5800XT is the better fit. You are getting 24.8% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 7 5800XT is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 5800XT is $80 cheaper on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and it gives you a 0.8% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 64.9% better value on MSRP (112.4 vs 68.2 PassMark/$), 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 7 5800XT is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2019) and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 8/16. 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 7 3700X Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 5800XT Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 5800XT
1080p
low	200 FPS	256 FPS
medium	163 FPS	233 FPS
high	137 FPS	202 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	174 FPS
1440p
low	156 FPS	222 FPS
medium	121 FPS	182 FPS
high	100 FPS	152 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	135 FPS
4K
low	84 FPS	154 FPS
medium	71 FPS	127 FPS
high	56 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	86 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 7 5800XT

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 5800XT
1080p
low	561 FPS	533 FPS
medium	525 FPS	449 FPS
high	428 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	383 FPS	308 FPS
1440p
low	545 FPS	437 FPS
medium	471 FPS	386 FPS
high	394 FPS	312 FPS
ultra	337 FPS	263 FPS
4K
low	350 FPS	271 FPS
medium	304 FPS	241 FPS
high	274 FPS	213 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	184 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 7 5800XT

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 5800XT
1080p
low	561 FPS	700 FPS
medium	561 FPS	616 FPS
high	561 FPS	537 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	446 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	688 FPS
medium	561 FPS	540 FPS
high	538 FPS	467 FPS
ultra	470 FPS	388 FPS
4K
low	499 FPS	483 FPS
medium	394 FPS	399 FPS
high	343 FPS	354 FPS
ultra	275 FPS	289 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 7 5800XT

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 5800XT
1080p
low	561 FPS	700 FPS
medium	561 FPS	700 FPS
high	561 FPS	700 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	700 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	700 FPS
medium	561 FPS	700 FPS
high	561 FPS	623 FPS
ultra	555 FPS	541 FPS
4K
low	561 FPS	559 FPS
medium	501 FPS	503 FPS
high	447 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	396 FPS	392 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 7 5800XT

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 7 5800XT

Ryzen 7 3700X

The Ryzen 7 3700X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 July 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. 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: 22,430 points. Launch price was $329.

Ryzen 7 5800XT

The Ryzen 7 5800XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 31 July 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 27,992 points. Launch price was $249.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 7 5800XT share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3700X versus 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 7 5800XT — a 8.7% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 5800XT (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.8 GHz). The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Ryzen 7 5800XT uses Vermeer (2020−2025) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 3700X scores 22,430 against the Ryzen 7 5800XT's 27,992 — a 22.1% lead for the Ryzen 7 5800XT. Both processors carry 32 MB of L3 cache.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 5800XT
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	4.8 GHz+9%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz	3.8 GHz+6%
L3 Cache	32 MB	32 MB
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512 kB (per core)
Process	7 nm, 12 nm	7 nm
Architecture	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)	Vermeer (2020−2025)
PassMark	22,430	27,992+25%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	15,036
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,172
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	10,940

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the AM4 socket with PCIe 4.0. Both support up to DDR4-3200 memory speed. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 7 3700X) vs 20 (Ryzen 7 5800XT) — the Ryzen 7 3700X offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD 500 series,AMD 400 series,AMD 300 series (Ryzen 7 3700X) and B450,X470,B550,X570 (Ryzen 7 5800XT).

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 5800XT
Socket	AM4	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	24+20%	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Ryzen 7 3700X) / AMD-V, SVM (Ryzen 7 5800XT). Primary use case: Ryzen 7 5800XT targets Gaming / Content Creation (AM4 Legacy). Direct competitor: Ryzen 7 5800XT rivals Core i7-12700K.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 5800XT
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	AMD-V, SVM
Target Use	—	Gaming / Content Creation (AM4 Legacy)

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 7 3700X launched at $329 MSRP, while the Ryzen 7 5800XT debuted at $249. On MSRP ($329 vs $249), the Ryzen 7 5800XT is $80 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 7 3700X delivers 68.2 pts/$ vs 112.4 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 5800XT — making the Ryzen 7 5800XT the 49% better value option.