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: +4.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $170 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 11.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 68.2 vs 61.3 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (22,430 vs 30,588).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 64 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 9 3900.

Ryzen 9 3900

2019

Why buy it

✅+36.4% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Prism), unlike Ryzen 7 3700X.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 61.3 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($499 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Ryzen 9 3900

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +4.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $170 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 11.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 68.2 vs 61.3 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Why buy it

✅+36.4% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Prism), unlike Ryzen 7 3700X.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (22,430 vs 30,588).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 64 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 9 3900.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 61.3 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($499 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 3900 better than Ryzen 7 3700X?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 7 3700X is ahead with a 4.6% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 3900 pulls ahead with 36.4% better PassMark. Ryzen 9 3900 also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 3900 is the better fit. You are getting 36.4% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 24 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).

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

Ryzen 9 3900 is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 7 3700X makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 9 3900 is 51.7% more expensive on MSRP at $499 MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and it gives you 36.4% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Ryzen 7 3700X is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 4.6% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 7 3700X is also 11.2% better value on MSRP (68.2 vs 61.3 PassMark/$), 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 9 3900 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB) and more multi-core headroom with 12 cores / 24 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 9 3900 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 3900
1080p
low	200 FPS	159 FPS
medium	163 FPS	130 FPS
high	137 FPS	111 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	92 FPS
1440p
low	156 FPS	144 FPS
medium	121 FPS	115 FPS
high	100 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	78 FPS
4K
low	84 FPS	78 FPS
medium	71 FPS	67 FPS
high	56 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	43 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 9 3900

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 3900
1080p
low	561 FPS	534 FPS
medium	525 FPS	470 FPS
high	428 FPS	384 FPS
ultra	383 FPS	342 FPS
1440p
low	545 FPS	460 FPS
medium	471 FPS	411 FPS
high	394 FPS	347 FPS
ultra	337 FPS	289 FPS
4K
low	350 FPS	288 FPS
medium	304 FPS	261 FPS
high	274 FPS	238 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	213 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 9 3900

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 3900
1080p
low	561 FPS	709 FPS
medium	561 FPS	589 FPS
high	561 FPS	536 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	472 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	541 FPS
medium	561 FPS	448 FPS
high	538 FPS	401 FPS
ultra	470 FPS	347 FPS
4K
low	499 FPS	394 FPS
medium	394 FPS	315 FPS
high	343 FPS	279 FPS
ultra	275 FPS	224 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 9 3900

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 3900
1080p
low	561 FPS	765 FPS
medium	561 FPS	765 FPS
high	561 FPS	711 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	638 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	725 FPS
medium	561 FPS	644 FPS
high	561 FPS	553 FPS
ultra	555 FPS	486 FPS
4K
low	561 FPS	516 FPS
medium	501 FPS	469 FPS
high	447 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	396 FPS	360 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 9 3900

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 9 3900

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 9 3900

The Ryzen 9 3900 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 24 September 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.1 GHz, with boost up to 4.3 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 30,588 points. Launch price was $499.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 7 3700X packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Ryzen 9 3900 offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the Ryzen 9 3900 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3700X versus 4.3 GHz on the Ryzen 9 3900 — a 2.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 3700X (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.1 GHz). Both are built on the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture using a 7 nm, 12 nm process. In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 3700X scores 22,430 against the Ryzen 9 3900's 30,588 — a 30.8% lead for the Ryzen 9 3900. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 3700X vs 64 MB on the Ryzen 9 3900.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 3900
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	12 / 24+50%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+2%	4.3 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+16%	3.1 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB	64 MB+100%
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512 kB (per core)
Process	7 nm, 12 nm	7 nm, 12 nm
Architecture	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)
PassMark	22,430	30,588+36%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	17,700
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,713
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	10,983

🧠

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. Both provide 24 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: AMD 500 series,AMD 400 series,AMD 300 series (Ryzen 7 3700X) and X570,B550,X470,B450 (Ryzen 9 3900).

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 3900
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	No
PCIe Lanes	24	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Ryzen 7 3700X) / AMD-V (Ryzen 9 3900). Primary use case: Ryzen 9 3900 targets Workstation Desktop (low power). Direct competitor: Ryzen 9 3900 rivals Core i9-9900.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 3900
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Workstation Desktop (low power)

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 7 3700X launched at $329 MSRP, while the Ryzen 9 3900 debuted at $499. On MSRP ($329 vs $499), the Ryzen 7 3700X is $170 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 7 3700X delivers 68.2 pts/$ vs 61.3 pts/$ for the Ryzen 9 3900 — making the Ryzen 7 3700X the 10.6% better value option.