Ryzen 5 3600 vs Xeon D-1746TER

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 3600

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +32.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+113.3% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 15 MB).
✅Draws 65W instead of 67W, a 2W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon D-1746TER.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon D-1746TER, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Xeon D-1746TER mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon D-1746TER

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (15,660 vs 17,685).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (15 MB vs 32 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Xeon D-1746TER

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +32.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+113.3% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 15 MB).
✅Draws 65W instead of 67W, a 2W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon D-1746TER.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon D-1746TER, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Xeon D-1746TER mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (15,660 vs 17,685).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (15 MB vs 32 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 3600 better than Xeon D-1746TER?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon D-1746TER makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 5 3600 is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 5 3600 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 32.3% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 3600 is the better fit. You are getting 12.9% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 113.3% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 15 MB).

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

Ryzen 5 3600 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 3600 is at an unclear MSRP at $199 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 32.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (88.9 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Xeon D-1746TER is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2019). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

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 3600 Benchmark Check

Xeon D-1746TER Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon D-1746TER
1080p
low	200 FPS	173 FPS
medium	161 FPS	141 FPS
high	135 FPS	114 FPS
ultra	106 FPS	92 FPS
1440p
low	154 FPS	143 FPS
medium	119 FPS	114 FPS
high	96 FPS	89 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	71 FPS
4K
low	70 FPS	67 FPS
medium	58 FPS	57 FPS
high	46 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	36 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon D-1746TER

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon D-1746TER
1080p
low	442 FPS	154 FPS
medium	404 FPS	135 FPS
high	332 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	295 FPS	95 FPS
1440p
low	420 FPS	135 FPS
medium	359 FPS	122 FPS
high	303 FPS	109 FPS
ultra	263 FPS	87 FPS
4K
low	297 FPS	98 FPS
medium	259 FPS	91 FPS
high	230 FPS	81 FPS
ultra	201 FPS	63 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon D-1746TER

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon D-1746TER
1080p
low	442 FPS	392 FPS
medium	442 FPS	392 FPS
high	442 FPS	392 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	392 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	392 FPS
medium	442 FPS	392 FPS
high	442 FPS	392 FPS
ultra	432 FPS	344 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	392 FPS
medium	361 FPS	327 FPS
high	305 FPS	278 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	223 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon D-1746TER

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon D-1746TER
1080p
low	442 FPS	392 FPS
medium	442 FPS	392 FPS
high	442 FPS	392 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	392 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	392 FPS
medium	442 FPS	392 FPS
high	442 FPS	392 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	392 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	392 FPS
medium	442 FPS	392 FPS
high	413 FPS	358 FPS
ultra	357 FPS	309 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon D-1746TER

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 3600 and Xeon D-1746TER

Ryzen 5 3600

The Ryzen 5 3600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 July 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 17,685 points. Launch price was $199.

Xeon D-1746TER

The Xeon D-1746TER is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 February 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Ice Lake-D (2022−2023) architecture. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3.1 GHz. L3 cache: 15 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA2227. Thermal design power (TDP): 67 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 15,660 points. Launch price was $1,069.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 3600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon D-1746TER offers 10 cores / 20 threads — the Xeon D-1746TER has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3600 versus 3.1 GHz on the Xeon D-1746TER — a 30.1% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 3600 (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Ryzen 5 3600 uses the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon D-1746TER uses Ice Lake-D (2022−2023) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 3600 scores 17,685 against the Xeon D-1746TER's 15,660 — a 12.1% lead for the Ryzen 5 3600. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 3600 vs 15 MB (total) on the Xeon D-1746TER.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon D-1746TER
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	10 / 20+67%
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz+35%	3.1 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+80%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+113%	15 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)+150%
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-30%	10 nm
Architecture	Matisse (2019−2020)	Ice Lake-D (2022−2023)
PassMark	17,685+13%	15,660
Cinebench R23 Multi	9,500	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,295	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,898	—

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 3600 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon D-1746TER uses FCBGA2227 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon D-1746TER
Socket	AM4	FCBGA2227
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	24	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: Yes (Ryzen 5 3600) / not specified (Xeon D-1746TER). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 3600 targets Gaming/Budget Workstation. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 3600 rivals Core i5-10400.