Ryzen 5 5500 vs Ryzen 7 8840U

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 5 5500

2022

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 8840U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (19,311 vs 23,415).
❌Launch MSRP is still $159 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 8840U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 7 8840U moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Ryzen 7 8840U

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +27.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Ryzen 5 5500

2022

Ryzen 7 8840U

2023

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +27.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 8840U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (19,311 vs 23,415).
❌Launch MSRP is still $159 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 8840U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 7 8840U moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 8840U better than Ryzen 5 5500?

Yes. Ryzen 7 8840U is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 27.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 21.3% 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 8840U is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 27.9% 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 8840U is the better fit. You are getting 21.3% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 7 8840U is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 5500 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 7 8840U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $159 MSRP, and it gives you a 27.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 5500 is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (121.5 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 7 8840U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2022), a healthier platform with FP8 and DDR5 instead of AM4, and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 6/12. 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 5 5500 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 8840U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 7 8840U
1080p
low	181 FPS	255 FPS
medium	150 FPS	235 FPS
high	120 FPS	198 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	170 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	227 FPS
medium	124 FPS	189 FPS
high	98 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	70 FPS	157 FPS
medium	61 FPS	133 FPS
high	48 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	91 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5500 Open Ryzen 7 8840U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 7 8840U
1080p
low	329 FPS	469 FPS
medium	285 FPS	388 FPS
high	254 FPS	336 FPS
ultra	221 FPS	301 FPS
1440p
low	291 FPS	410 FPS
medium	258 FPS	358 FPS
high	233 FPS	310 FPS
ultra	201 FPS	265 FPS
4K
low	229 FPS	270 FPS
medium	206 FPS	247 FPS
high	189 FPS	234 FPS
ultra	162 FPS	202 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5500 Open Ryzen 7 8840U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 7 8840U
1080p
low	483 FPS	585 FPS
medium	483 FPS	585 FPS
high	483 FPS	585 FPS
ultra	406 FPS	585 FPS
1440p
low	483 FPS	585 FPS
medium	411 FPS	585 FPS
high	361 FPS	525 FPS
ultra	300 FPS	451 FPS
4K
low	340 FPS	521 FPS
medium	285 FPS	458 FPS
high	248 FPS	406 FPS
ultra	192 FPS	345 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5500 Open Ryzen 7 8840U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 7 8840U
1080p
low	483 FPS	585 FPS
medium	483 FPS	585 FPS
high	483 FPS	585 FPS
ultra	483 FPS	585 FPS
1440p
low	483 FPS	585 FPS
medium	483 FPS	585 FPS
high	483 FPS	585 FPS
ultra	425 FPS	548 FPS
4K
low	448 FPS	559 FPS
medium	404 FPS	501 FPS
high	360 FPS	446 FPS
ultra	308 FPS	384 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5500 Open Ryzen 7 8840U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5500 and Ryzen 7 8840U

Ryzen 5 5500

The Ryzen 5 5500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 4 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne (2021−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB. 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: 19,311 points. Launch price was $159.

Ryzen 7 8840U

The Ryzen 7 8840U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 December 2023 (1 year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point-U (Zen 4) (2023−2025) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 23,415 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 5500 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 7 8840U offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 7 8840U has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5500 versus 5.1 GHz on the Ryzen 7 8840U — a 19.4% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 8840U (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5500 uses the Cezanne (2021−2025) architecture (7 nm), while the Ryzen 7 8840U uses Hawk Point-U (Zen 4) (2023−2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5500 scores 19,311 against the Ryzen 7 8840U's 23,415 — a 19.2% lead for the Ryzen 7 8840U. L3 cache: 16 MB on the Ryzen 5 5500 vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 8840U.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5500	Ryzen 7 8840U
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz	5.1 GHz+21%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+9%	3.3 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+100%
Process	7 nm	4 nm-43%
Architecture	Cezanne (2021−2025)	Hawk Point-U (Zen 4) (2023−2025)
PassMark	19,311	23,415+21%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 5500 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 7 8840U uses FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.