AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5655G vs AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5655G represent two distinct design philosophies within AMD's PRO lineup. The 6850U is a mobile-first processor built on the 6 nm node with 8 cores, while the 5655G is a desktop part on the 7 nm node with 6 cores. The recorded benchmark data reveals a complex performance landscape, with each processor claiming victories in different workloads. The 6850U wins 8 of the 15 head-to-head tests, while the 5655G takes 7, but the margins tell a more nuanced story than the raw win count suggests.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result in the database is the Cinebench R23 multi-core test. The Ryzen 5 PRO 5655G scores 17249 against the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U's 10047, a delta of 41.8% in favor of the desktop chip. This is a massive gap, especially considering the 6850U has two more cores. The 5655G's higher base clock of 3.90 GHz and boost of 4.40 GHz, combined with its 65 W TDP, appear to allow sustained performance that the 15 W mobile chip cannot match. The single-core R23 result follows a similar pattern: the 5655G scores 2435 versus 1501, a 38.4% advantage. These two tests alone suggest that for heavily threaded and lightly threaded rendering workloads, the 5655G is the clear choice.

However, the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U fights back in other areas. In PassMark physics, the 6850U scores 989 against 686, a 44.2% lead. This is the largest win for the mobile chip. Integer math also favors the 6850U heavily: 79479 versus 67561, a 17.6% delta. Floating point math shows an 11.3% advantage (42999 vs 38649), and the 6850U leads in find prime numbers by 14.3% (56 vs 49). These results indicate that the 6850U's Zen 3+ architecture, despite its lower power envelope, excels in certain computational tasks that are not purely clock-bound.

The multithreaded PassMark test gives the 6850U an 8.3% win (20716 vs 19129), and random string sorting goes to the 6850U by 5.8% (26716 vs 25253). Data encryption is closer, with the 6850U ahead by 4.9% (15995 vs 15253). The Cinebench R15 multi-core test is nearly a tie: the 6850U scores 1766, the 5655G 1738, a 1.6% edge for the mobile part. In single-threaded tests, the 5655G wins by slim margins: Cinebench R15 single-core is 245 vs 238 (2.9% delta), and PassMark single-thread is 3241 vs 3234 (0.2% delta). The 5655G also leads in extended instructions by 10.5% (17944 vs 16054) and data compression by 2.3% (255608 vs 249799).

What does this mean? The 5655G dominates in Cinebench R23, which is a modern, heavily optimized renderer that scales with clock speed and sustained power. The 6850U, on the other hand, wins in PassMark's physics and math tests, which may rely more on memory bandwidth or specific instruction efficiency. The 6850U's DDR5 support and 76.8 GB/s bandwidth could explain its edge in integer and floating point math, while the 5655G's DDR4 and 51.2 GB/s bandwidth might bottleneck those workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the larger multi-core performance gap in Cinebench R23?

A: The Ryzen 5 PRO 5655G leads by 41.8% in Cinebench R23 multi-core, scoring 17249 versus the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U's 10047.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U win any multi-core tests?

A: Yes, the 6850U wins PassMark multithread by 8.3% (20716 vs 19129) and Cinebench R15 multi-core by 1.6% (1766 vs 1738), despite losing R23 by a wide margin.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth between the two?

A: The Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U supports DDR5 with 76.8 GB/s bandwidth, while the Ryzen 5 PRO 5655G supports DDR4 with 51.2 GB/s. The 6850U has a 25.6 GB/s advantage.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U boosts to 4.70 GHz, while the Ryzen 5 PRO 5655G boosts to 4.40 GHz. The 6850U is 0.30 GHz higher.

Q: Do both processors support ECC memory?

A: No. The Ryzen 5 PRO 5655G supports ECC memory, while the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U does not.

Q: How do the average benchmark scores compare?

A: The Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U has an average benchmark score of 28379, and the Ryzen 5 PRO 5655G has 28032. The 6850U is 347 points higher, a 1.2% difference.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on different architectures and process nodes. The Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U uses Zen 3+ architecture, codenamed Rembrandt, on a 6 nm TSMC process. The Ryzen 5 PRO 5655G uses Zen 3, codenamed Cezanne, on a 7 nm TSMC process. The 6 nm node is a refinement of 7 nm, but the database does not specify the exact transistor count for the 6850U, while the 5655G lists 10,700 million transistors. The die sizes differ: the 6850U is 208 mm², and the 5655G is 180 mm².

The 6850U has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the 5655G has 6 cores and 12 threads. Both have 64 KB L1 and 512 KB L2 per core, and 16 MB of L3 cache. The 6850U's L3 is marked as shared, while the 5655G's is not, but the capacity is identical. The 6850U supports DDR5 memory, while the 5655G supports DDR4. The 6850U has PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes, while the 5655G has PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes. The integrated graphics differ: the 6850U has Radeon 680M, and the 5655G has Radeon Vega 7.

The market segments are distinct: the 6850U is mobile, and the 5655G is desktop. The 6850U uses AMD Socket FP7, while the 5655G uses AMD Socket AM4. The 6850U was released on 2022-04-18, and the 5655G on 2024-05-06. The 6850U's TDP is 15 W, while the 5655G's is 65 W, a 50 W difference that explains the power and thermal design targets.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the two processors, based on the recorded data:

• Cores: 8 (6850U) vs 6 (5655G)
• Threads: 16 vs 12
• Base Clock: 2.70 GHz vs 3.90 GHz
• Boost Clock: 4.70 GHz vs 4.40 GHz
• TDP: 15 W vs 65 W
• Socket: AMD Socket FP7 vs AMD Socket AM4
• Architecture: Zen 3+ vs Zen 3
• Codename: Rembrandt vs Cezanne
• Process Node: 6 nm vs 7 nm
• Die Size: 208 mm² vs 180 mm²
• Transistors: Not listed vs 10,700 million
• Memory Support: DDR5 vs DDR4
• Memory Bandwidth: 76.8 GB/s vs 51.2 GB/s
• ECC Memory: No vs Yes
• PCIe: Gen 4, 20 Lanes vs Gen 3, 16 Lanes
• Integrated Graphics: Radeon 680M vs Radeon Vega 7
• Market Segment: Mobile vs Desktop
• Release Date: 2022-04-18 vs 2024-05-06
• Part Number: 100-000000538100-000000550 vs 100-000001513

Where Each One Wins

The Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U wins in 8 of the 15 head-to-head tests. Its victories are concentrated in PassMark's computational workloads: physics (44.2% lead), integer math (17.6%), floating point math (11.3%), find prime numbers (14.3%), multithread (8.3%), random string sorting (5.8%), and data encryption (4.9%). It also edges out the 5655G in Cinebench R15 multi-core by 1.6%. These wins suggest the 6850U is strong in tasks that benefit from its 8 cores, DDR5 bandwidth, and possibly the Zen 3+ architecture's efficiency. The physics test, in particular, shows a massive advantage that could translate to simulation or gaming physics workloads.

The Ryzen 5 PRO 5655G wins in 7 tests, but its victories include the two most significant multi-core and single-core rendering benchmarks. The Cinebench R23 multi-core win by 41.8% is the largest margin in the entire comparison. The R23 single-core win by 38.4% is also substantial. The 5655G also leads in extended instructions (10.5%), data compression (2.3%), Cinebench R15 single-core (2.9%), and PassMark single-thread (0.2%). These results point to a processor that excels in modern rendering engines and instruction-heavy workloads, likely due to its higher base clock and 65 W power budget allowing sustained boost behavior.

The split is clear: the 6850U is better for math-heavy, parallel, and memory-sensitive tasks, while the 5655G is better for rendering and single-threaded performance. The 5655G's wins in R23 are so large that they dominate the average benchmark score comparison, but the 6850U's wins in PassMark are more numerous.

The Verdict

The data suggests two different use cases. The Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U is a mobile processor with a 15 W TDP, designed for power-constrained environments. It wins in physics, integer math, floating point math, and multithreaded PassMark tests, making it a strong choice for scientific computing, data analysis, or any workload that leverages its 8 cores and DDR5 bandwidth. Its 76.8 GB/s memory bandwidth is a clear advantage over the 5655G's 51.2 GB/s, and this likely explains its wins in memory-intensive tests.

The Ryzen 5 PRO 5655G is a desktop processor with a 65 W TDP, and it dominates in Cinebench R23, both multi-core and single-core. This makes it the better option for 3D rendering, video encoding, or any application that uses Cinebench-like rendering engines. Its higher base clock of 3.90 GHz and boost of 4.40 GHz, combined with ECC memory support, also make it suitable for workstation tasks where data integrity is critical. The 5655G's 7 nm node and 10,700 million transistors are older than the 6850U's 6 nm process, but the higher power envelope allows it to outperform in sustained workloads.

Who should pick which? If the priority is a low-power, mobile platform with strong math and physics performance, the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U is the clear choice. If the priority is desktop rendering performance, especially in Cinebench R23, and ECC memory support is required, the Ryzen 5 PRO 5655G is the better fit. The 6850U's 8 cores and 16 threads give it a theoretical advantage in parallel tasks, but the 5655G's higher clocks and power budget win in practice for rendering. The database shows no single winner; the choice depends entirely on the workload and platform constraints.