AMD Ryzen 3 8440U vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data presents a striking pattern: the older desktop chip dominates nearly every recorded workload, while the newer mobile part claims only the single-thread Passmark tests. Across 17 shared benchmarks, the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 wins 15, with the AMD Ryzen 3 8440U taking just 2.

The most dramatic gap appears in Passmark's find prime numbers test. Here the Ryzen 5 3600 scores 108 against 43 for the Ryzen 3 8440U, a 151.2% advantage. This is the largest delta in the entire comparison, and it points to a workload where the desktop chip's extra cores and threads deliver an outsized benefit. Integer math tells a similar story, though less extreme: 48607 versus 37468, a 29.7% lead for the Ryzen 5 3600.

Data encryption shows a 74.2% advantage for the Ryzen 5 3600, with scores of 13953 against 8012. Physics follows at 68.2% ahead, 1152 versus 685. These are substantial margins that suggest the Ryzen 5 3600 handles compute-heavy tasks with considerably more headroom. Data compression also favors the desktop part by 50.2%, scoring 219774 compared to 146273.

The Cinebench suite is remarkably consistent. Across R15, R20, and R23, the Ryzen 5 3600 leads by 38.2% or 38.3% in every single-core and multi-core variant. R23 multi-core shows 15045 versus 10884, while R23 single-core shows 2124 versus 1536. The near-uniform delta across all six Cinebench tests suggests a fixed performance ratio between the two chips, likely driven by core count and thread count rather than architectural efficiency.

Passmark's floating point math and extended instructions tests show narrower wins for the Ryzen 5 3600: 24.3% and 30.6% respectively. Random string sorting lands at 33.7% ahead. These are still clear victories, but the margins shrink as workloads become less dependent on raw thread parallelism.

The Ryzen 3 8440U's only wins come in Passmark single-thread tests, where it scores 3648 against 2562, a 29.8% advantage. This is the reverse of every other result in the dataset. It indicates that in purely single-threaded scenarios, the newer Zen 4 architecture with its higher boost clock can outperform the older Zen 2 design despite having fewer cores. The fact that this advantage does not translate to Cinebench single-core results, where the Ryzen 5 3600 leads by 38.3%, is curious. The recorded data shows Cinebench R23 single-core at 2124 for the desktop chip versus 1536 for the mobile chip, which contradicts the Passmark single-thread outcome. This divergence likely reflects different workload characteristics within the two test suites.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different architectural generations and target different market segments. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a desktop part from the 3000 series, built on Zen 2 architecture with the codename Matisse. It uses a 7 nm process node from TSMC and fits the AMD Socket AM4. The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U belongs to the 8000 series, uses Zen 4 architecture with the codename Hawk Point, and is built on a 4 nm TSMC process. It uses AMD Socket FP7 and targets the mobile segment.

Core counts differ substantially. The Ryzen 5 3600 offers 6 cores and 12 threads, while the Ryzen 3 8440U provides 4 cores and 8 threads. This 50% core advantage and 50% thread advantage for the desktop chip explains much of its multi-threaded benchmark dominance. The base clock of the Ryzen 5 3600 is 3.60 GHz versus 3.00 GHz for the Ryzen 3 8440U, but the boost clock reverses: 4.20 GHz for the desktop part versus 4.70 GHz for the mobile part. That higher boost clock, combined with the newer architecture, likely drives the Ryzen 3 8440U's Passmark single-thread win.

Cache configurations also diverge. Both share 64 KB of L1 cache per core. The L2 cache is 512 KB per core on the Ryzen 5 3600 but doubles to 1 MB per core on the Ryzen 3 8440U. L3 cache tells the opposite story: 32 MB shared on the desktop chip versus 8 MB shared on the mobile chip. The transistor counts reflect the different process nodes and integrated components. The Ryzen 5 3600 packs 3,800 million transistors on a 74 mm² die, while the Ryzen 3 8440U contains 20,900 million transistors on a 137 mm² die, largely due to its integrated Radeon 740M graphics.

Memory support differs by generation. The Ryzen 5 3600 uses DDR4 with dual-channel memory and a recorded bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The Ryzen 3 8440U uses DDR5 with dual-channel memory and a recorded bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. The mobile chip's memory bandwidth advantage is significant, yet it does not translate into benchmark wins in the recorded tests. PCIe lanes also differ: the desktop part offers Gen 4 with 16 lanes, while the mobile part offers Gen 4 with 14 lanes.

Power characteristics are notably different. The Ryzen 5 3600 has a TDP of 65 watts, while the Ryzen 3 8440U draws 28 watts. This 37-watt gap means the mobile chip operates at less than half the power envelope of the desktop part, which is expected given their respective market segments. The Ryzen 5 3600 has an unlocked multiplier, whereas the Ryzen 3 8440U does not, reflecting the desktop part's overclocking potential and the mobile part's fixed configuration.

The Verdict

The recorded data paints a clear picture: the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 wins 15 of 17 head-to-head benchmarks, often by wide margins. Its average benchmark score of 17035 places it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U averages 16663, sitting in the 70th percentile. These overall averages are close, differing by only 372 points, yet the workload-by-workload breakdown shows the Ryzen 5 3600 is consistently stronger in multi-threaded and compute-intensive tasks.

The Ryzen 3 8440U's single-thread Passmark victory is real but isolated. A 29.8% lead in that specific test does not offset losses of 38.2% across Cinebench multi-core, 50.2% in data compression, or 74.2% in data encryption. For users who prioritize single-thread responsiveness in lightweight applications, the mobile chip holds an edge. For anyone running rendering, encoding, scientific computing, or other parallel workloads, the Ryzen 5 3600 is the clear choice based on the data.

The nearest rivals for each chip in the database further contextualize their positions. The Ryzen 5 3600 sits within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-1260P, Intel Core i5-11400, AMD EPYC 7573X, and AMD EPYC 7742 in average score. The Ryzen 3 8440U sits within 1.1% of the Intel Core Ultra 5 115U, Intel Core i5-1235U, AMD Ryzen 3 7335U, and Intel Core i3-12100E. Both chips are competitive within their respective neighborhoods, though the desktop part's nearest rivals include server-class EPYC processors, which is notable.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several recorded specifications. Core count: 6 versus 4. Thread count: 12 versus 8. Base clock: 3.60 GHz versus 3.00 GHz. Boost clock: 4.20 GHz versus 4.70 GHz. TDP: 65 watts versus 28 watts. Socket: AMD Socket AM4 versus AMD Socket FP7. Architecture: Zen 2 versus Zen 4. Codename: Matisse versus Hawk Point. Process node: 7 nm versus 4 nm. Transistor count: 3,800 million versus 20,900 million. Die size: 74 mm² versus 137 mm². L2 cache: 512 KB per core versus 1 MB per core. L3 cache: 32 MB shared versus 8 MB shared. Memory support: DDR4 versus DDR5. Memory bandwidth: 51.2 GB/s versus 89.6 GB/s. PCIe: Gen 4 with 16 lanes versus Gen 4 with 14 lanes. Integrated graphics: none versus Radeon 740M. Market segment: Desktop versus Mobile. Multiplier unlocked: yes versus no. Release date: 2019-07-06 versus 2023-12-05. The Ryzen 5 3600 has a launch MSRP of $199; the Ryzen 3 8440U has no recorded launch MSRP.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins more head-to-head benchmarks?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 wins 15 of the 17 recorded head-to-head benchmarks. The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U wins only 2, both in Passmark single-thread tests.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two?

A: The largest gap is in Passmark find prime numbers, where the Ryzen 5 3600 leads by 151.2%, scoring 108 against 43 for the Ryzen 3 8440U.

Q: Does the Ryzen 3 8440U win any multi-threaded tests?

A: No. The Ryzen 5 3600 wins every multi-threaded test in the head-to-head dataset, including all Cinebench multi-core tests and Passmark multithread.

Q: How much faster is the Ryzen 3 8440U in the Passmark single-thread test?

A: The Ryzen 3 8440U scores 3648 versus 2562 for the Ryzen 5 3600, a 29.8% advantage. This is the only category where the mobile chip leads.

Q: What are the core and thread counts for each?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600 has 6 cores and 12 threads. The Ryzen 3 8440U has 4 cores and 8 threads.

Q: Which chip has a higher boost clock?

A: The Ryzen 3 8440U has a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, while the Ryzen 5 3600 boosts to 4.20 GHz. Despite this, the Ryzen 5 3600 wins most single-core Cinebench tests.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 wins across the vast majority of recorded workloads. Its most decisive victories come in Passmark find prime numbers (151.2% ahead), data encryption (74.2% ahead), and physics (68.2% ahead). It also leads by roughly 38% across all Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 tests, both single-core and multi-core. Data compression shows a 50.2% edge, extended instructions 30.6%, integer math 29.7%, random string sorting 33.7%, floating point math 24.3%, and Passmark multithread 38.2%. These results make it the preferred processor for multi-threaded rendering, data processing, encryption workloads, and any task that scales with core count.

The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U wins exclusively in Passmark single-thread performance, leading by 29.8% with a score of 3648 against 2562. This suggests it handles lightweight, single-threaded applications with better responsiveness. Its 28-watt TDP, DDR5 memory support, and integrated Radeon 740M graphics also distinguish it as a mobile-focused part, though the recorded benchmarks do not include graphics or power efficiency tests. The higher boost clock of 4.70 GHz and larger L2 cache per core may contribute to its single-thread advantage, but the data does not confirm this directly. For users working primarily in single-threaded environments, the Ryzen 3 8440U holds a measurable edge. For everything else in the recorded dataset, the Ryzen 5 3600 is the dominant performer.