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: +10.1% higher average FPS across 44 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+60% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 20 MB).
✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon E5-1680 v4.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-1680 v4, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Xeon E5-1680 v4 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon E5-1680 v4

2016

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 44 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,945 vs 17,685).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (20 MB vs 32 MB).
❌115.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Xeon E5-1680 v4

2016

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.1% higher average FPS across 44 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+60% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 20 MB).
✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon E5-1680 v4.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-1680 v4, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Xeon E5-1680 v4 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 44 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,945 vs 17,685).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (20 MB vs 32 MB).
❌115.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 3600 better than Xeon E5-1680 v4?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E5-1680 v4 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 10.1% more average FPS across 44 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 26.8% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 60% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 20 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 $199 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 10.1% average FPS lead across 44 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (88.9 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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?

Ryzen 5 3600 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2019 vs 2016), 60% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 20 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 8/16. 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 E5-1680 v4 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon E5-1680 v4
1080p
low	200 FPS	178 FPS
medium	161 FPS	152 FPS
high	135 FPS	124 FPS
ultra	106 FPS	99 FPS
1440p
low	154 FPS	148 FPS
medium	119 FPS	123 FPS
high	96 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	77 FPS
4K
low	70 FPS	65 FPS
medium	58 FPS	58 FPS
high	46 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	36 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon E5-1680 v4

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon E5-1680 v4
1080p
low	442 FPS	349 FPS
medium	404 FPS	347 FPS
high	332 FPS	296 FPS
ultra	295 FPS	252 FPS
1440p
low	420 FPS	335 FPS
medium	359 FPS	303 FPS
high	303 FPS	259 FPS
ultra	263 FPS	219 FPS
4K
low	297 FPS	216 FPS
medium	259 FPS	195 FPS
high	230 FPS	177 FPS
ultra	201 FPS	145 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon E5-1680 v4

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon E5-1680 v4
1080p
low	442 FPS	349 FPS
medium	442 FPS	349 FPS
high	442 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	349 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	349 FPS
medium	442 FPS	349 FPS
high	442 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	432 FPS	349 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	349 FPS
medium	361 FPS	349 FPS
high	305 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	311 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon E5-1680 v4

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon E5-1680 v4
1080p
low	442 FPS	349 FPS
medium	442 FPS	349 FPS
high	442 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	349 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	349 FPS
medium	442 FPS	349 FPS
high	442 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	349 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	349 FPS
medium	442 FPS	349 FPS
high	413 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	357 FPS	349 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon E5-1680 v4

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 3600 and Xeon E5-1680 v4

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 E5-1680 v4

The Xeon E5-1680 v4 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 20 June 2016 (9 years ago). It is based on the Broadwell-EP (2016) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133, DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 13,945 points. Launch price was $1,723.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 3600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon E5-1680 v4 offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Xeon E5-1680 v4 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3600 versus 4 GHz on the Xeon E5-1680 v4 — a 4.9% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 3600 (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.4 GHz). The Ryzen 5 3600 uses the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon E5-1680 v4 uses Broadwell-EP (2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 3600 scores 17,685 against the Xeon E5-1680 v4's 13,945 — a 23.6% lead for the Ryzen 5 3600. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 3600 vs 20 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-1680 v4.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon E5-1680 v4
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz+5%	4 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+6%	3.4 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+60%	20 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)+100%	256K (per core)
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Matisse (2019−2020)	Broadwell-EP (2016)
PassMark	17,685+27%	13,945
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 E5-1680 v4 uses LGA2011 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon E5-1680 v4
Socket	AM4	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
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 E5-1680 v4). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 3600 targets Gaming/Budget Workstation. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 3600 rivals Core i5-10400.