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

✅+1% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅50% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 68.2 vs 83.5 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $266 MSRP).
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 5900HX can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 9 5900HX.

Ryzen 9 5900HX

2021

Why buy it

✅Costs $63 less on MSRP ($266 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 22.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 83.5 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($266 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon RX Vega 8, while Ryzen 7 3700X needs a discrete GPU.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Laptop Integrated), unlike Ryzen 7 3700X.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (22,198 vs 22,430).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Ryzen 9 5900HX

2021

Why buy it

✅+1% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅50% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Costs $63 less on MSRP ($266 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 22.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 83.5 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($266 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon RX Vega 8, while Ryzen 7 3700X needs a discrete GPU.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Laptop Integrated), unlike Ryzen 7 3700X.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 68.2 vs 83.5 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $266 MSRP).
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 5900HX can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 9 5900HX.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (22,198 vs 22,430).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 5900HX better than Ryzen 7 3700X?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 9 5900HX is ahead with a 2.6% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 3700X pulls ahead with 1% better PassMark. Ryzen 7 3700X 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 7 3700X is the better fit. You are getting 1% 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 9 5900HX is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 9 5900HX is $63 cheaper on MSRP at $266 MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and it gives you a 2.6% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Ryzen 7 3700X is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 1% better PassMark. It is also 22.4% better value on MSRP (83.5 vs 68.2 PassMark/$), 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 9 5900HX 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 9 5900HX Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 5900HX
1080p
low	200 FPS	189 FPS
medium	163 FPS	156 FPS
high	137 FPS	127 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	156 FPS	160 FPS
medium	121 FPS	129 FPS
high	100 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	83 FPS
4K
low	84 FPS	88 FPS
medium	71 FPS	77 FPS
high	56 FPS	61 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	47 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 9 5900HX

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 5900HX
1080p
low	561 FPS	555 FPS
medium	525 FPS	466 FPS
high	428 FPS	394 FPS
ultra	383 FPS	343 FPS
1440p
low	545 FPS	497 FPS
medium	471 FPS	417 FPS
high	394 FPS	358 FPS
ultra	337 FPS	301 FPS
4K
low	350 FPS	342 FPS
medium	304 FPS	295 FPS
high	274 FPS	269 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	232 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 9 5900HX

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 5900HX
1080p
low	561 FPS	555 FPS
medium	561 FPS	555 FPS
high	561 FPS	555 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	555 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	555 FPS
medium	561 FPS	546 FPS
high	538 FPS	488 FPS
ultra	470 FPS	431 FPS
4K
low	499 FPS	477 FPS
medium	394 FPS	404 FPS
high	343 FPS	354 FPS
ultra	275 FPS	288 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 9 5900HX

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 5900HX
1080p
low	561 FPS	555 FPS
medium	561 FPS	555 FPS
high	561 FPS	555 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	555 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	555 FPS
medium	561 FPS	555 FPS
high	561 FPS	555 FPS
ultra	555 FPS	488 FPS
4K
low	561 FPS	528 FPS
medium	501 FPS	476 FPS
high	447 FPS	415 FPS
ultra	396 FPS	353 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 9 5900HX

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 9 5900HX

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 5900HX

The Ryzen 9 5900HX is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne-H (Zen 3) (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 22,198 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 9 5900HX share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3700X versus 4.6 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5900HX — a 4.4% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 5900HX (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Ryzen 9 5900HX uses Cezanne-H (Zen 3) (2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 3700X scores 22,430 against the Ryzen 9 5900HX's 22,198 — a 1% lead for the Ryzen 7 3700X. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 3700X vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 5900HX.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 5900HX
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	4.6 GHz+5%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+9%	3.3 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-H (Zen 3) (2021)
PassMark	22,430+1%	22,198
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	13,955
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,845
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	7,587

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 9 5900HX 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 16 (Ryzen 9 5900HX) — the Ryzen 7 3700X offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD 500 series,AMD 400 series,AMD 300 series (Ryzen 7 3700X) and FP6 (Ryzen 9 5900HX).

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 5900HX
Socket	AM4	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR4-3200, LPDDR4-4266
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+100%	64 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	24+50%	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Ryzen 7 3700X) / AMD-V (Ryzen 9 5900HX). The Ryzen 9 5900HX includes integrated graphics (Radeon RX Vega 8), while the Ryzen 7 3700X requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 9 5900HX targets Gaming Laptop / Mobile Workstation. Direct competitor: Ryzen 9 5900HX rivals Core i9-11980HK.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 5900HX
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	—	Radeon RX Vega 8
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Gaming Laptop / Mobile Workstation

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 7 3700X launched at $329 MSRP, while the Ryzen 9 5900HX debuted at $266. On MSRP ($329 vs $266), the Ryzen 9 5900HX is $63 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 7 3700X delivers 68.2 pts/$ vs 83.5 pts/$ for the Ryzen 9 5900HX — making the Ryzen 9 5900HX the 20.1% better value option.