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

✅Better for gaming: +26.8% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Costs $71 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 87.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 68.2 vs 36.4 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅200% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 8) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 7 5825C can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 7 5825C

2022

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Vega 8, while Ryzen 7 3700X needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,561 vs 22,430).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 36.4 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($400 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Ryzen 7 5825C

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +26.8% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Costs $71 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 87.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 68.2 vs 36.4 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅200% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 8) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Vega 8, while Ryzen 7 3700X needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 7 5825C can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,561 vs 22,430).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 36.4 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($400 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 3700X better than Ryzen 7 5825C?

Yes. Ryzen 7 3700X is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 26.8% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data and 54% better PassMark, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 7 3700X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 26.8% 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 7 3700X is the better fit. You are getting 54% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 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 7 3700X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 3700X is $71 cheaper on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $400 MSRP, and it gives you a 26.8% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 87.3% better value on MSRP (68.2 vs 36.4 PassMark/$), 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 5825C is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2019). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

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 5825C Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 5825C
1080p
low	200 FPS	173 FPS
medium	163 FPS	149 FPS
high	137 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	101 FPS
1440p
low	156 FPS	148 FPS
medium	121 FPS	125 FPS
high	100 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	84 FPS
4K
low	84 FPS	82 FPS
medium	71 FPS	74 FPS
high	56 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	46 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 7 5825C

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 5825C
1080p
low	561 FPS	236 FPS
medium	525 FPS	201 FPS
high	428 FPS	176 FPS
ultra	383 FPS	156 FPS
1440p
low	545 FPS	203 FPS
medium	471 FPS	179 FPS
high	394 FPS	161 FPS
ultra	337 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	350 FPS	140 FPS
medium	304 FPS	127 FPS
high	274 FPS	121 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	106 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 7 5825C

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 5825C
1080p
low	561 FPS	364 FPS
medium	561 FPS	364 FPS
high	561 FPS	364 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	364 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	364 FPS
medium	561 FPS	364 FPS
high	538 FPS	364 FPS
ultra	470 FPS	324 FPS
4K
low	499 FPS	364 FPS
medium	394 FPS	316 FPS
high	343 FPS	278 FPS
ultra	275 FPS	219 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 7 5825C

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 5825C
1080p
low	561 FPS	364 FPS
medium	561 FPS	364 FPS
high	561 FPS	364 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	364 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	364 FPS
medium	561 FPS	364 FPS
high	561 FPS	364 FPS
ultra	555 FPS	364 FPS
4K
low	561 FPS	364 FPS
medium	501 FPS	364 FPS
high	447 FPS	364 FPS
ultra	396 FPS	345 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 7 5825C

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 7 5825C

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 5825C

The Ryzen 7 5825C is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 May 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Barcelo (Zen 3) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 14,561 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 7 5825C share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3700X versus 4.5 GHz on the Ryzen 7 5825C — a 2.2% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 5825C (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Ryzen 7 5825C uses Barcelo (Zen 3) (2022−2023) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 3700X scores 22,430 against the Ryzen 7 5825C's 14,561 — a 42.5% lead for the Ryzen 7 3700X. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 3700X vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 5825C.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 5825C
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	4.5 GHz+2%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+80%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB+100%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512K (per core)
Process	7 nm, 12 nm	7 nm
Architecture	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)	Barcelo (Zen 3) (2022−2023)
PassMark	22,430+54%	14,561
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	9,551
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,961
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	7,145

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 7 5825C uses FP6 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-3200 memory speed. The Ryzen 7 3700X supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 7 3700X) vs 8 (Ryzen 7 5825C) — the Ryzen 7 3700X offers 16 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD 500 series,AMD 400 series,AMD 300 series (Ryzen 7 3700X) and SoC (Ryzen 7 5825C).

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 5825C
Socket	AM4	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+100%	64 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	24+200%	8

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Ryzen 7 3700X) / Yes (Ryzen 7 5825C). The Ryzen 7 5825C includes integrated graphics (Radeon Vega 8), while the Ryzen 7 3700X requires a dedicated GPU.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 5825C
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	—	Radeon Vega 8
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	Yes

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 7 3700X launched at $329 MSRP, while the Ryzen 7 5825C debuted at $400. On MSRP ($329 vs $400), the Ryzen 7 3700X is $71 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 7 3700X delivers 68.2 pts/$ vs 36.4 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 5825C — making the Ryzen 7 3700X the 60.8% better value option.