AMD Ryzen 5 8600G vs AMD Ryzen 7 8840U Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 5 8600G and AMD Ryzen 7 8840U are both Zen 4 parts from the 8000 series, yet they target fundamentally different segments: the former is a desktop chip on AMD Socket AM5, while the latter is a mobile part on AMD Socket FP8. Despite the Ryzen 7’s higher core count, the benchmark data shows the desktop 8600G dominating the head-to-head comparison, winning 21 of 23 tests. However, the two losses are revealing, and the overall average scores are remarkably close.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking disparity appears in Cinebench R23, where the 8600G posts a multicore score of 21503 against the 8840U’s 12972, a 65.8% advantage. The single-core gap is even more pronounced in that test: 3035 versus 1703, a 78.2% delta. These are the largest margins in the entire comparison, and they dwarf the core-count difference—the 8840U has 8 cores and 16 threads versus 6 cores and 12 threads for the 8600G.

The Geekbench results reinforce this pattern, albeit with narrower gaps. The 8600G scores 10850 multicore and 2433 single-core, beating the 8840U’s 9610 and 1970 by 12.9% and 23.5%, respectively. In 3DMark, the 8600G leads across every thread count: 6199 versus 5691 for 16 threads (8.9%), 5187 versus 4896 for 8 threads (5.9%), and 3510 versus 3289 for 4 threads (6.7%). Even at 2 threads, the desktop part edges ahead, 1869 to 1863, though the 0.3% margin is negligible.

PassMark tells a more nuanced story. The 8600G wins the multithread test 25294 to 23346 (8.3%) and the single-thread test 3878 to 3543 (9.5%). It also takes data compression (293306 versus 267525, 9.6%), data encryption (17181 versus 16072, 6.9%), extended instructions (22610 versus 18654, 21.2%), find prime numbers (96 versus 78, 23.1%), physics (1450 versus 1176, 23.3%), and random string sorting (35067 versus 32158, 9%).

The 8840U’s only wins come in two PassMark math workloads. It scores 48820 in floating-point math, a 1.8% edge over the 8600G’s 47919, and 85740 in integer math versus 77042, a 10.1% advantage. These are meaningful results, but they are isolated. The 8600G’s average benchmark score of 24089 is just 0.4% higher than the 8840U’s 23982, placing both chips at the 76th percentile of all CPUs. In the nearest-rival data, the 8600G trails the AMD Ryzen 5 7540U by 0.4% and the Intel Core i5-13400 by 0.8%, while leading the Intel Core i7-1360P by 1%. The 8840U, for its part, is 0.7% behind the Intel Xeon 6333P and 1.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-11500.

Where Each One Wins

The 8600G is the clear winner for compute-heavy desktop workloads. Its Cinebench R23 multicore lead of 65.8% suggests that sustained rendering or compilation tasks will finish far faster on the desktop chip. The single-core dominance in the same test (78.2%) and in Geekbench (23.5%) indicates better responsiveness for lightly threaded applications. The 8600G also excels at data compression and encryption, which are common in file archiving and security software. Its 21.2% advantage in extended instructions points to superior performance in workloads that leverage newer CPU instruction sets, such as AVX-512.

The 8840U’s strengths are narrower but real. Its 10.1% lead in PassMark integer math means it handles general arithmetic-heavy code—think integer sorting or basic database operations—better than the 8600G. The floating-point win, though small at 1.8%, shows the mobile chip can keep pace in scientific or financial simulations that rely heavily on FPU throughput. However, these wins do not offset the broader pattern. The 8840U’s lower TDP of 28 watts, versus 65 watts for the 8600G, explains part of the performance gap; the desktop part simply has more thermal headroom to sustain high clocks.

For users prioritizing portability, the 8840U’s mobile segment and FP8 socket make it the only choice between these two, but the benchmark data does not favor it on raw speed. The 8600G wins on multithreaded PassMark by 8.3%, on 3DMark max threads by 8.5%, and on physics by 23.3%. Those are not trivial margins. The only scenario where the 8840U appears preferable, from a pure performance standpoint, is integer math, where its 8 cores help it outrun the 6-core 8600G by a substantial 10.1%.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G is the faster processor in nearly every measurable way. Its 21 wins out of 23 head-to-head tests include major victories in Cinebench R23, Geekbench, and most PassMark workloads. The 65.8% multicore and 78.2% single-core leads in Cinebench R23 are decisive, and the 23.5% Geekbench single-core advantage confirms that the 8600G offers better per-thread performance. For a desktop user building on AMD Socket AM5, the 8600G provides a higher benchmark percentile (76th, same as the 8840U) with a higher average score (24089 versus 23982) and a $229 launch MSRP.

The 8840U is not without merit. It wins integer and floating-point math, and its 8-core, 16-thread configuration gives it a theoretical advantage in highly parallel integer workloads. But those wins are the exception, not the rule. The 8840U’s mobile design, with a 28-watt TDP and FP8 socket, makes it unsuitable for a desktop build, and its benchmark scores do not justify choosing it over the 8600G in any fixed scenario. The 8600G is the pick for anyone who wants the best performance from these two parts; the 8840U is only relevant if the requirement is a low-power mobile chip, and even then, the data shows it will be slower in most tasks.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 8600G has an average benchmark score of 24089, which is 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U’s 23982.

Q: How large is the 8600G’s lead in Cinebench R23 multicore?

A: The 8600G scores 21503 versus the 8840U’s 12972, a 65.8% advantage.

Q: Are there any benchmarks where the 8840U wins?

A: Yes, the 8840U wins two PassMark tests: floating-point math (48820 versus 47919, a 1.8% lead) and integer math (85740 versus 77042, a 10.1% lead).

Q: What is the core and thread count for each processor?

A: The 8600G has 6 cores and 12 threads, while the 8840U has 8 cores and 16 threads.

Q: Do both CPUs use the same architecture and process node?

A: Yes, both use Zen 4 architecture on a 4 nm TSMC process node, with 25,000 million transistors and a 178 mm² die size.

Q: What is the 8600G’s launch MSRP?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 8600G has a launch MSRP of $229.

Architecture Differences

Both chips are built on Zen 4 architecture using TSMC’s 4 nm process, and they share identical transistor counts (25,000 million) and die sizes (178 mm²). The cache layouts are also the same: 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 16 MB of shared L3. Neither supports 3D V-Cache, and both lack ECC memory support.

The key differences lie elsewhere. The 8600G is a desktop part with a 65-watt TDP, a base clock of 4.30 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It uses AMD Socket AM5 and has an unlocked multiplier, making it overclockable. The 8840U is a mobile chip with a 28-watt TDP, a base clock of 3.30 GHz, and a higher boost clock of 5.10 GHz. It uses AMD Socket FP8 and has a locked multiplier.

Memory bandwidth differs slightly: the 8600G supports 83.2 GB/s, while the 8840U supports 89.6 GB/s, though both use dual-channel DDR5. Both have PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes from the CPU. The integrated graphics also differ: the 8600G features a Radeon 760M, while the 8840U has a Radeon 780M. The 8600G was released on 2024-01-07, and the 8840U on 2023-12-05. Both are listed as Active in production, with the 8600G in the desktop market segment and the 8840U in the mobile segment.