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: +23.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅200% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 8) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $329 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U

2021

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 (16,830 vs 22,430).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +23.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅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

❌Launch MSRP is still $329 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U 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 (16,830 vs 22,430).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 3700X better than Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U?

Yes. Ryzen 7 3700X is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 23.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data and 33.3% 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 23.9% 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 33.3% 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 at an unclear MSRP at $329 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 23.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (68.2 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 7 PRO 5850U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 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 PRO 5850U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U
1080p
low	200 FPS	174 FPS
medium	163 FPS	150 FPS
high	137 FPS	121 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	102 FPS
1440p
low	156 FPS	148 FPS
medium	121 FPS	125 FPS
high	100 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	85 FPS
4K
low	84 FPS	83 FPS
medium	71 FPS	76 FPS
high	56 FPS	61 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	47 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U
1080p
low	561 FPS	237 FPS
medium	525 FPS	199 FPS
high	428 FPS	178 FPS
ultra	383 FPS	157 FPS
1440p
low	545 FPS	208 FPS
medium	471 FPS	181 FPS
high	394 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	337 FPS	140 FPS
4K
low	350 FPS	148 FPS
medium	304 FPS	133 FPS
high	274 FPS	127 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	110 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U
1080p
low	561 FPS	421 FPS
medium	561 FPS	421 FPS
high	561 FPS	421 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	421 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	421 FPS
medium	561 FPS	421 FPS
high	538 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	470 FPS	346 FPS
4K
low	499 FPS	391 FPS
medium	394 FPS	333 FPS
high	343 FPS	292 FPS
ultra	275 FPS	232 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U
1080p
low	561 FPS	421 FPS
medium	561 FPS	421 FPS
high	561 FPS	421 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	421 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	421 FPS
medium	561 FPS	421 FPS
high	561 FPS	421 FPS
ultra	555 FPS	417 FPS
4K
low	561 FPS	421 FPS
medium	501 FPS	398 FPS
high	447 FPS	350 FPS
ultra	396 FPS	303 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U

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 PRO 5850U

The Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 16 March 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne-U PRO (Zen 3) (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 1.9 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 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. Passmark benchmark score: 16,830 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3700X versus 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U — identical boost frequencies (base: 3.6 GHz vs 1.9 GHz). The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U uses Cezanne-U PRO (Zen 3) (2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 3700X scores 22,430 against the Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U's 16,830 — a 28.5% lead for the Ryzen 7 3700X. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 3700X vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	4.4 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+89%	1.9 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)	Cezanne-U PRO (Zen 3) (2021)
PassMark	22,430+33%	16,830
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	11,203
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,478

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U 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 32 GB — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 7 3700X) vs 8 (Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U) — 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 Socket FP6 (Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U).

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U
Socket	AM4	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+300%	32 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	24+200%	8

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Ryzen 7 3700X) / AMD-V (Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U). The Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U includes integrated graphics (Radeon Vega 8), while the Ryzen 7 3700X requires a dedicated GPU.