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 5700X

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +12.0% higher average FPS across 44 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+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

❌Launch MSRP is still $299 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 5980HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 5980HX can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 9 5980HX

2021

Why buy it

✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (8CU), while Ryzen 7 5700X needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 5700X across 44 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (23,300 vs 26,609).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).

Ryzen 7 5700X

2022

Ryzen 9 5980HX

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +12.0% higher average FPS across 44 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+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

✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (8CU), while Ryzen 7 5700X needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $299 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 5980HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 5980HX can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 5700X across 44 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (23,300 vs 26,609).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 5700X better than Ryzen 9 5980HX?

Yes. Ryzen 7 5700X is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 12.0% average FPS lead across 44 shared CPU game tests in our data, 14.2% 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 7 5700X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 12.0% more average FPS across 44 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 5700X is the better fit. You are getting 14.2% 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 5700X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 5700X is at an unclear MSRP at $299 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 12.0% average FPS lead across 44 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (89.0 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 5700X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2021), 100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 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 5700X Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 5980HX Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 5700X	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	156 FPS	260 FPS
medium	129 FPS	239 FPS
high	115 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	170 FPS
1440p
low	137 FPS	231 FPS
medium	111 FPS	192 FPS
high	95 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	77 FPS	159 FPS
medium	67 FPS	134 FPS
high	55 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	91 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 5700X Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 5700X	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	649 FPS	428 FPS
medium	549 FPS	356 FPS
high	448 FPS	308 FPS
ultra	404 FPS	273 FPS
1440p
low	552 FPS	357 FPS
medium	484 FPS	312 FPS
high	407 FPS	276 FPS
ultra	350 FPS	236 FPS
4K
low	343 FPS	245 FPS
medium	303 FPS	220 FPS
high	277 FPS	207 FPS
ultra	245 FPS	180 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 5700X Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 5700X	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	665 FPS	582 FPS
medium	557 FPS	582 FPS
high	509 FPS	576 FPS
ultra	439 FPS	472 FPS
1440p
low	554 FPS	582 FPS
medium	458 FPS	532 FPS
high	419 FPS	451 FPS
ultra	358 FPS	372 FPS
4K
low	402 FPS	456 FPS
medium	322 FPS	396 FPS
high	292 FPS	347 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	282 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 5700X Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 5700X	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	665 FPS	582 FPS
medium	665 FPS	582 FPS
high	665 FPS	582 FPS
ultra	665 FPS	582 FPS
1440p
low	665 FPS	582 FPS
medium	665 FPS	582 FPS
high	607 FPS	554 FPS
ultra	533 FPS	475 FPS
4K
low	545 FPS	511 FPS
medium	488 FPS	460 FPS
high	439 FPS	405 FPS
ultra	385 FPS	348 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 5700X Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 5700X and Ryzen 9 5980HX

Ryzen 7 5700X

The Ryzen 7 5700X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 4 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 26,609 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 9 5980HX

The Ryzen 9 5980HX is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 23,300 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 7 5700X and Ryzen 9 5980HX share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Ryzen 7 5700X versus 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5980HX — a 4.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 5980HX (base: 3.4 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Ryzen 7 5700X uses the Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) architecture (7 nm), while the Ryzen 9 5980HX uses Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 5700X scores 26,609 against the Ryzen 9 5980HX's 23,300 — a 13.3% lead for the Ryzen 7 5700X. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 5700X vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 5980HX.

Feature	Ryzen 7 5700X	Ryzen 9 5980HX
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz	4.8 GHz+4%
Base Clock	3.4 GHz+3%	3.3 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+100%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512 kB (per core)
Process	7 nm	7 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)	Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021)
PassMark	26,609+14%	23,300
Cinebench R23 Multi	14,000	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,116	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	9,715	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 7 5700X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 9 5980HX uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-3200 memory speed. The Ryzen 7 5700X 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 5700X) vs 16 (Ryzen 9 5980HX) — the Ryzen 7 5700X offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Ryzen 7 5700X	Ryzen 9 5980HX
Socket	AM4	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	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

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Both support AMD-V virtualization. The Ryzen 9 5980HX includes integrated graphics (Radeon Graphics (8CU)), while the Ryzen 7 5700X requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 7 5700X targets Gaming, Ryzen 9 5980HX targets Mobile High-End. Direct competitor: Ryzen 7 5700X rivals Core i7-11700K.