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: +6.0% higher average FPS across 45 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+29.3% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 MB).
✅Costs $3,159 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $3,358 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1028.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 88.9 vs 7.9 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $3,358 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 165W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (17,685 vs 26,447).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6150, which brings 18 cores / 36 threads.

Xeon Gold 6150

2017

Why buy it

✅+49.5% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 18 cores / 36 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 45 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (25 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 7.9 vs 88.9 PassMark/$ ($3,358 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌153.8% higher power demand at 165W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Xeon Gold 6150

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.0% higher average FPS across 45 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+29.3% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 MB).
✅Costs $3,159 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $3,358 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1028.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 88.9 vs 7.9 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $3,358 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 165W, a 100W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+49.5% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 18 cores / 36 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (17,685 vs 26,447).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6150, which brings 18 cores / 36 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 45 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (25 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 7.9 vs 88.9 PassMark/$ ($3,358 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌153.8% higher power demand at 165W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 3600 better than Xeon Gold 6150?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 6150 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 streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 6150 is the better fit. You are getting 49.5% better PassMark, backed by 18 cores and 36 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 3600 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 3600 is $3,159 cheaper on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $3,358 MSRP, and it gives you a 6.0% average FPS lead across 45 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon Gold 6150 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 49.5% better PassMark. It is also 1028.4% better value on MSRP (88.9 vs 7.9 PassMark/$), 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 2017) and 29.3% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 MB). 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 Gold 6150 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon Gold 6150
1080p
low	200 FPS	182 FPS
medium	161 FPS	146 FPS
high	135 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	106 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	154 FPS	144 FPS
medium	119 FPS	114 FPS
high	96 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	70 FPS	67 FPS
medium	58 FPS	56 FPS
high	46 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	35 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon Gold 6150

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon Gold 6150
1080p
low	442 FPS	400 FPS
medium	404 FPS	346 FPS
high	332 FPS	291 FPS
ultra	295 FPS	244 FPS
1440p
low	420 FPS	346 FPS
medium	359 FPS	307 FPS
high	303 FPS	259 FPS
ultra	263 FPS	216 FPS
4K
low	297 FPS	225 FPS
medium	259 FPS	200 FPS
high	230 FPS	180 FPS
ultra	201 FPS	148 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon Gold 6150

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon Gold 6150
1080p
low	442 FPS	661 FPS
medium	442 FPS	661 FPS
high	442 FPS	661 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	655 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	661 FPS
medium	442 FPS	612 FPS
high	442 FPS	580 FPS
ultra	432 FPS	512 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	462 FPS
medium	361 FPS	361 FPS
high	305 FPS	322 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	261 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon Gold 6150

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon Gold 6150
1080p
low	442 FPS	661 FPS
medium	442 FPS	661 FPS
high	442 FPS	661 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	577 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	661 FPS
medium	442 FPS	598 FPS
high	442 FPS	516 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	443 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	469 FPS
medium	442 FPS	421 FPS
high	413 FPS	377 FPS
ultra	357 FPS	327 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon Gold 6150

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 3600 and Xeon Gold 6150

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 Gold 6150

The Xeon Gold 6150 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 25 April 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 18 cores and 36 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 24.75 MB. L2 cache: 18 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 165 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 26,447 points. Launch price was $3,358.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 3600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6150 offers 18 cores / 36 threads — the Xeon Gold 6150 has 12 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3600 versus 3.7 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6150 — a 12.7% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 3600 (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.7 GHz). The Ryzen 5 3600 uses the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6150 uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 3600 scores 17,685 against the Xeon Gold 6150's 26,447 — a 39.7% lead for the Xeon Gold 6150. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 3600 vs 24.75 MB on the Xeon Gold 6150.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon Gold 6150
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	18 / 36+200%
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz+14%	3.7 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+33%	2.7 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+29%	24.75 MB
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	18 MB+3500%
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Matisse (2019−2020)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	17,685	26,447+50%
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 Gold 6150 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon Gold 6150
Socket	AM4	LGA3647
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 Gold 6150). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 3600 targets Gaming/Budget Workstation. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 3600 rivals Core i5-10400.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon Gold 6150
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 Gold 6150 debuted at $3358. On MSRP ($199 vs $3358), the Ryzen 5 3600 is $3159 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 3600 delivers 88.9 pts/$ vs 7.9 pts/$ for the Xeon Gold 6150 — making the Ryzen 5 3600 the 167.4% better value option.