AMD Ryzen 5 240 vs AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H Comparison

The Verdict

The data splits this pairing into two clear personalities. The AMD Ryzen 5 240 is the newer, faster single-threaded part with a strong lead in lightly threaded work. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H counters with more cores and wins in heavily threaded integer and floating-point workloads. Pick the Ryzen 5 240 if your daily driver is responsiveness, compile times in short bursts, or any app that leans on one to four threads. Pick the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H if you regularly hammer all cores with encryption, compression, or math-heavy tasks. The Ryzen 5 240 wins 8 of the 15 recorded head-to-head tests; the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H wins 7. That near-even split means the choice comes down to workload, not raw superiority. The Ryzen 5 240 also sits at the 84th percentile of all CPUs in the database, one point above the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H's 83rd. Both are mobile parts with a 45 W TDP, so cooling and chassis matter more than the chip's nominal power draw.

Architecture Differences

The Ryzen 5 240 uses the Zen 4 architecture on a 4 nm process from TSMC, with the Hawk Point codename. The Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H uses the older Zen 3+ architecture on a 6 nm process from TSMC, with the Rembrandt codename. This process gap explains much of the efficiency and clock behavior. The Ryzen 5 240 has 6 cores and 12 threads, while the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H has 8 cores and 16 threads. The newer chip runs a 4.30 GHz base clock and a 5.00 GHz boost clock. The older chip runs a 3.20 GHz base and a 4.70 GHz boost. That 0.30 GHz boost advantage for the Ryzen 5 240, combined with Zen 4's higher IPC, drives its single-core wins.

Cache layouts differ in the L2. The Ryzen 5 240 carries 1 MB of L2 per core, while the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H has 512 KB per core. Both share 16 MB of L3. The Ryzen 5 240 has a die size of 178 mm² and 25,000 million transistors. The Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H has a larger 208 mm² die with no transistor count recorded. Socket compatibility is different: the Ryzen 5 240 uses AMD Socket FP8, the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H uses AMD Socket FP7. Both support DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode, but the Ryzen 5 240 offers higher memory bandwidth at 89.6 GB/s versus 76.8 GB/s. Both run PCIe Gen 4 with 20 CPU lanes. Integrated graphics differ: the Ryzen 5 240 has the Radeon 760M, the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H has the Radeon 680M. Neither supports ECC memory, and neither has an unlocked multiplier.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single-core story is decisive. In Cinebench R15 single-core, the Ryzen 5 240 scores 270 against 205.1 for the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H, a 31.6% lead. Cinebench R23 single-core shows 1742 versus 1480, a 17.7% advantage. PassMark single-thread follows the same pattern: 3675 versus 3305, an 11.2% edge. This is the Ryzen 5 240's home turf. The newer Zen 4 cores simply execute more instructions per clock, and the higher boost clock adds to that.

Multi-core is closer but tilts to the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H in most raw throughput tests. Cinebench R15 multi-core shows 2085.5 versus 2078, a marginal 0.4% win for the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H. Cinebench R23 multi-core flips the other way: the Ryzen 5 240 scores 13013 versus 12393, a 5% lead. That is notable because the Ryzen 5 240 has two fewer cores. The Zen 4 cores plus higher clocks overcome the core deficit in this particular render workload. PassMark multithread favors the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H: 23417 versus 22658, a 3.2% win. PassMark physics shows 1093 versus 1060, a 3% edge for the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H.

The Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H's biggest wins come in integer and data tasks. PassMark integer math scores 86068 versus 73189, a 15% lead. PassMark data encryption scores 18681 versus 15849, a 15.2% lead. PassMark data compression scores 295214 versus 267963, a 9.2% lead. PassMark floating-point math scores 48276 versus 45301, a 6.2% lead. These are workloads where the extra two cores and four threads pull ahead despite the older architecture.

The Ryzen 5 240 wins some surprising tests. PassMark find prime numbers scores 70 versus 59, an 18.6% lead. PassMark extended instructions scores 20201 versus 19654, a 2.8% lead. PassMark random string sorting scores 32385 versus 31170, a 3.9% lead. These results show that the newer architecture handles certain algorithmic patterns far better than the core count would suggest.

Specification Differences

| Field | AMD Ryzen 5 240 | AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H |

|---|---|---|

| Cores | 6 | 8 |

| Threads | 12 | 16 |

| Base clock | 4.30 GHz | 3.20 GHz |

| Boost clock | 5.00 GHz | 4.70 GHz |

| Socket | AMD Socket FP8 | AMD Socket FP7 |

| Architecture | Zen 4 | Zen 3+ |

| Codename | Hawk Point | Rembrandt |

| Process node | 4 nm | 6 nm |

| Transistors | 25,000 million | Not recorded |

| Die size | 178 mm² | 208 mm² |

| L2 cache | 1 MB (per core) | 512 KB (per core) |

| L3 cache | 16 MB (shared) | 16 MB (shared) |

| Memory bandwidth | 89.6 GB/s | 76.8 GB/s |

| Integrated graphics | Radeon 760M | Radeon 680M |

| Release date | 2025-01-05 | 2022-04-18 |

Both parts share 64 KB of L1 per core, dual-channel DDR5 memory support, PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes, a 45 W TDP, and the mobile market segment. Neither has ECC support nor an unlocked multiplier. The Ryzen 5 240 is the newer product by nearly three years, which explains its architectural advantage.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has better single-core performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 240 wins every single-core test in the database. Cinebench R15 single-core shows a 31.6% lead, Cinebench R23 single-core shows a 17.7% lead, and PassMark single-thread shows an 11.2% lead.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H win any multi-core benchmarks?

A: Yes. It wins Cinebench R15 multi-core by 0.4%, PassMark multithread by 3.2%, PassMark physics by 3%, PassMark integer math by 15%, PassMark data encryption by 15.2%, PassMark data compression by 9.2%, and PassMark floating-point math by 6.2%.

Q: Which CPU is better for encryption or compression work?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H. It leads in PassMark data encryption by 15.2% and PassMark data compression by 9.2%. The extra two cores and four threads provide a clear advantage in these parallel workloads.

Q: Are these CPUs interchangeable in a laptop?

A: No. The Ryzen 5 240 uses AMD Socket FP8, while the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H uses AMD Socket FP7. They are not drop-in compatible.

Q: Which CPU has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 240. It supports 89.6 GB/s versus 76.8 GB/s for the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H, despite both using dual-channel DDR5.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 240 faster in Cinebench R23 multi-core despite fewer cores?

A: Yes. The Ryzen 5 240 scores 13013 versus 12393 for the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H, a 5% lead. The newer Zen 4 architecture and higher clocks compensate for the two fewer cores.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 5 240 wins in every single-threaded scenario measured. If your workflow involves frequent code compilation with light parallelization, web browsing with heavy JavaScript, or any application that struggles to use more than four threads, the 31.6% Cinebench R15 single-core lead and 11.2% PassMark single-thread lead will be felt immediately. The Ryzen 5 240 also wins in Cinebench R23 multi-core, which is a common render test. That 5% advantage means content creators using this specific renderer get better results from the newer chip. The Ryzen 5 240 also handles prime number calculations and extended instruction workloads better, with leads of 18.6% and 2.8% respectively.

The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H wins in traditional parallel throughput. Its 8 cores and 16 threads dominate integer math with a 15% lead, encryption with a 15.2% lead, and compression with a 9.2% lead. If you zip or unzip large archives, encrypt files, or run simulations that are integer-heavy, the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H is the better choice. Floating-point math also goes its way by 6.2%, which matters for scientific computing and certain physics simulations. The 3.2% lead in PassMark multithread and 3% lead in PassMark physics reinforce that this chip is built for sustained all-core loads.

For gaming, the data does not include GPU-specific tests, but the integrated graphics differ: the Ryzen 5 240 has the Radeon 760M, the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H has the Radeon 680M. The newer Radeon 760M likely benefits from the newer architecture, but no benchmark in the pack confirms that. The Ryzen 5 240's higher memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s could help integrated graphics performance, but again, no direct measurement exists here.

The verdict is workload-dependent. The Ryzen 5 240 is the better daily driver with superior single-core responsiveness and a win in the most common render benchmark. The Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H is the better compute mule for parallel data tasks. Both sit within 0.4% of their nearest rivals in the database, so neither is a class outlier. Choose based on what your applications actually do, not on core counts alone. The Ryzen 5 240's 84th percentile ranking, one point above the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H, reflects its broader strength across mixed workloads.