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: +162.9% higher average FPS across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+300% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Costs $74 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $273 MSRP).
✅Delivers 352.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 88.9 vs 19.6 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $273 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 80W, a 15W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Xeon E3-1240

2011

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (5,361 vs 17,685).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 19.6 vs 88.9 PassMark/$ ($273 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌23.1% higher power demand at 80W vs 65W.

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Xeon E3-1240

2011

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +162.9% higher average FPS across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+300% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Costs $74 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $273 MSRP).
✅Delivers 352.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 88.9 vs 19.6 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $273 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 80W, a 15W reduction.

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (5,361 vs 17,685).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 19.6 vs 88.9 PassMark/$ ($273 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌23.1% higher power demand at 80W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 3600 better than Xeon E3-1240?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E3-1240 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 162.9% more average FPS across 5 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 229.9% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 300% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 8 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 $74 cheaper on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $273 MSRP, and it gives you a 162.9% average FPS lead across 5 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 352.6% better value on MSRP (88.9 vs 19.6 PassMark/$), 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?

Ryzen 5 3600 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2019 vs 2011), 300% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 8 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 4/8. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

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 E3-1240 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon E3-1240
1080p
low	200 FPS	134 FPS
medium	161 FPS	134 FPS
high	135 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	106 FPS	89 FPS
1440p
low	154 FPS	134 FPS
medium	119 FPS	115 FPS
high	96 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	73 FPS
4K
low	70 FPS	63 FPS
medium	58 FPS	56 FPS
high	46 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	35 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon E3-1240

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon E3-1240
1080p
low	442 FPS	134 FPS
medium	404 FPS	134 FPS
high	332 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	295 FPS	122 FPS
1440p
low	420 FPS	134 FPS
medium	359 FPS	134 FPS
high	303 FPS	133 FPS
ultra	263 FPS	109 FPS
4K
low	297 FPS	129 FPS
medium	259 FPS	114 FPS
high	230 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	201 FPS	67 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon E3-1240

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon E3-1240
1080p
low	442 FPS	134 FPS
medium	442 FPS	134 FPS
high	442 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	134 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	134 FPS
medium	442 FPS	134 FPS
high	442 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	432 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	134 FPS
medium	361 FPS	134 FPS
high	305 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	134 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon E3-1240

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon E3-1240
1080p
low	442 FPS	134 FPS
medium	442 FPS	134 FPS
high	442 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	134 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	134 FPS
medium	442 FPS	134 FPS
high	442 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	134 FPS
medium	442 FPS	134 FPS
high	413 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	357 FPS	134 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon E3-1240

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 3600 and Xeon E3-1240

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 E3-1240

The Xeon E3-1240 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 April 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1155. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 5,361 points. Launch price was $209.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 3600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon E3-1240 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Ryzen 5 3600 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3600 versus 3.7 GHz on the Xeon E3-1240 — a 12.7% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 3600 (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Ryzen 5 3600 uses the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon E3-1240 uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 3600 scores 17,685 against the Xeon E3-1240's 5,361 — a 107% lead for the Ryzen 5 3600. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 3600 vs 8 MB (total) on the Xeon E3-1240.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon E3-1240
Cores / Threads	6 / 12+50%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz+14%	3.7 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+9%	3.3 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+300%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)+100%	256 kB (per core)
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-78%	32 nm
Architecture	Matisse (2019−2020)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
PassMark	17,685+230%	5,361
Cinebench R23 Multi	9,500	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,295	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,898	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 3600 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon E3-1240 uses LGA1155 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon E3-1240
Socket	AM4	LGA1155
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+100%	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	24	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: Yes (Ryzen 5 3600) / not specified (Xeon E3-1240). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 3600 targets Gaming/Budget Workstation. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 3600 rivals Core i5-10400.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon E3-1240
Integrated GPU	No	—
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	Yes	—
Target Use	Gaming/Budget Workstation	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 3600 launched at $199 MSRP, while the Xeon E3-1240 debuted at $273. On MSRP ($199 vs $273), the Ryzen 5 3600 is $74 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 3600 delivers 88.9 pts/$ vs 19.6 pts/$ for the Xeon E3-1240 — making the Ryzen 5 3600 the 127.6% better value option.