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

✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅20% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7940H across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (22,430 vs 29,151).
❌Launch MSRP is still $329 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 7940H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 9 7940H moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Ryzen 9 7940H

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +12.1% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 780M, while Ryzen 7 3700X needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Ryzen 9 7940H

2023

Why buy it

✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅20% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +12.1% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 780M, while Ryzen 7 3700X needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7940H across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (22,430 vs 29,151).
❌Launch MSRP is still $329 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 7940H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 9 7940H moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 7940H better than Ryzen 7 3700X?

Yes. Ryzen 9 7940H is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 12.1% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 30% 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 9 7940H is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 12.1% 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 9 7940H is the better fit. You are getting 30% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 9 7940H is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 7 3700X makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 9 7940H is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and it gives you a 12.1% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 7 3700X is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (68.2 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 7940H is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2019), a healthier platform with FP8 and DDR5 instead of AM4, and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 8/16. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

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 7940H Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 7940H
1080p
low	200 FPS	268 FPS
medium	163 FPS	241 FPS
high	137 FPS	206 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	176 FPS
1440p
low	156 FPS	234 FPS
medium	121 FPS	191 FPS
high	100 FPS	158 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	84 FPS	160 FPS
medium	71 FPS	132 FPS
high	56 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	89 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 9 7940H

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 7940H
1080p
low	561 FPS	502 FPS
medium	525 FPS	417 FPS
high	428 FPS	360 FPS
ultra	383 FPS	319 FPS
1440p
low	545 FPS	439 FPS
medium	471 FPS	385 FPS
high	394 FPS	332 FPS
ultra	337 FPS	282 FPS
4K
low	350 FPS	291 FPS
medium	304 FPS	267 FPS
high	274 FPS	251 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	216 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 9 7940H

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 7940H
1080p
low	561 FPS	729 FPS
medium	561 FPS	729 FPS
high	561 FPS	729 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	650 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	729 FPS
medium	561 FPS	637 FPS
high	538 FPS	548 FPS
ultra	470 FPS	464 FPS
4K
low	499 FPS	534 FPS
medium	394 FPS	460 FPS
high	343 FPS	409 FPS
ultra	275 FPS	344 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 9 7940H

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 7940H
1080p
low	561 FPS	729 FPS
medium	561 FPS	729 FPS
high	561 FPS	729 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	729 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	729 FPS
medium	561 FPS	729 FPS
high	561 FPS	716 FPS
ultra	555 FPS	631 FPS
4K
low	561 FPS	619 FPS
medium	501 FPS	553 FPS
high	447 FPS	496 FPS
ultra	396 FPS	434 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Ryzen 9 7940H

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 9 7940H

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 7940H

The Ryzen 9 7940H is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Janeiro 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Phoenix (2023−2024) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5600. Passmark benchmark score: 29,151 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 9 7940H share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3700X versus 5.2 GHz on the Ryzen 9 7940H — a 16.7% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 7940H (base: 3.6 GHz vs 4 GHz). The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Ryzen 9 7940H uses Phoenix (2023−2024) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 3700X scores 22,430 against the Ryzen 9 7940H's 29,151 — a 26.1% lead for the Ryzen 9 7940H. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 3700X vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 7940H.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 7940H
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	5.2 GHz+18%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz	4 GHz+11%
L3 Cache	32 MB+100%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+100%
Process	7 nm, 12 nm	4 nm-43%
Architecture	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)	Phoenix (2023−2024)
PassMark	22,430	29,151+30%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	17,200
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,646
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	13,495

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 9 7940H uses FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 7 3700X versus DDR5-5600 on the Ryzen 9 7940H — the Ryzen 9 7940H supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Ryzen 9 7940H supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 7 3700X) vs 20 (Ryzen 9 7940H) — 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 FP7,FP7r2,FP8 (Ryzen 9 7940H).

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 9 7940H
Socket	AM4	FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR5-5600+25%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	256 GB+100%
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 9 7940H). The Ryzen 9 7940H includes integrated graphics (Radeon 780M), while the Ryzen 7 3700X requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 9 7940H targets High-performance Gaming Laptop. Direct competitor: Ryzen 9 7940H rivals Core i9-13900H.