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

✅Costs $2,791 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $2,990 MSRP).
✅Delivers 560.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 88.9 vs 13.5 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $2,990 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 205W, a 140W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon Gold 6338.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Gold 6338 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (17,685 vs 40,225).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 48 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6338, which brings 32 cores / 64 threads and 64 PCIe lanes.

Xeon Gold 6338

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +19.1% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (48 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 32 cores / 64 threads, plus 64 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅166.7% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.5 vs 88.9 PassMark/$ ($2,990 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌215.4% higher power demand at 205W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Xeon Gold 6338

2021

Why buy it

✅Costs $2,791 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $2,990 MSRP).
✅Delivers 560.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 88.9 vs 13.5 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $2,990 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 205W, a 140W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon Gold 6338.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +19.1% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (48 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 32 cores / 64 threads, plus 64 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅166.7% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Gold 6338 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (17,685 vs 40,225).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 48 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6338, which brings 32 cores / 64 threads and 64 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.5 vs 88.9 PassMark/$ ($2,990 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌215.4% higher power demand at 205W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon Gold 6338 better than Ryzen 5 3600?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 6338 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, Xeon Gold 6338 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 19.1% 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, Xeon Gold 6338 is the better fit. You are getting 127.5% better PassMark, backed by 32 cores and 64 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (48 MB vs 32 MB).

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

Xeon Gold 6338 is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 3600 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Xeon Gold 6338 is 1402.5% more expensive on MSRP at $2,990 MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and it gives you a 19.1% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 3600 is also 560.6% better value on MSRP (88.9 vs 13.5 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

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

Xeon Gold 6338 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2019), 50% larger total L3 cache (48 MB vs 32 MB), more multi-core headroom with 32 cores / 64 threads instead of 6/12, and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. 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 Gold 6338 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon Gold 6338
1080p
low	200 FPS	186 FPS
medium	161 FPS	149 FPS
high	135 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	106 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	154 FPS	152 FPS
medium	119 FPS	118 FPS
high	96 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	70 FPS	71 FPS
medium	58 FPS	59 FPS
high	46 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	37 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon Gold 6338

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon Gold 6338
1080p
low	442 FPS	233 FPS
medium	404 FPS	208 FPS
high	332 FPS	173 FPS
ultra	295 FPS	139 FPS
1440p
low	420 FPS	199 FPS
medium	359 FPS	181 FPS
high	303 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	263 FPS	119 FPS
4K
low	297 FPS	124 FPS
medium	259 FPS	115 FPS
high	230 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	201 FPS	82 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon Gold 6338

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon Gold 6338
1080p
low	442 FPS	969 FPS
medium	442 FPS	848 FPS
high	442 FPS	802 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	712 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	775 FPS
medium	442 FPS	669 FPS
high	442 FPS	632 FPS
ultra	432 FPS	561 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	498 FPS
medium	361 FPS	393 FPS
high	305 FPS	350 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	285 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon Gold 6338

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon Gold 6338
1080p
low	442 FPS	884 FPS
medium	442 FPS	800 FPS
high	442 FPS	687 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	587 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	691 FPS
medium	442 FPS	606 FPS
high	442 FPS	518 FPS
ultra	442 FPS	440 FPS
4K
low	442 FPS	499 FPS
medium	442 FPS	446 FPS
high	413 FPS	390 FPS
ultra	357 FPS	336 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 3600 Open Xeon Gold 6338

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 3600 and Xeon Gold 6338

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 6338

The Xeon Gold 6338 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It features 32 cores and 64 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 48 MB. Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4189. Thermal design power (TDP): 205 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 40,225 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 3600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6338 offers 32 cores / 64 threads — the Xeon Gold 6338 has 26 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3600 versus 3.2 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6338 — a 27% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 3600 (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Ryzen 5 3600 is built on the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture. In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 3600 scores 17,685 against the Xeon Gold 6338's 40,225 — a 77.8% lead for the Xeon Gold 6338. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 3600 vs 48 MB on the Xeon Gold 6338.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon Gold 6338
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	32 / 64+433%
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz+31%	3.2 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+80%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)	48 MB+50%
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	—
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-30%	10 nm
Architecture	Matisse (2019−2020)	—
PassMark	17,685	40,225+127%
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 6338 uses LGA4189 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 5 3600 versus 3200 on the Xeon Gold 6338 — the Xeon Gold 6338 supports 199.5% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon Gold 6338 supports up to 6144 of RAM compared to 128 GB — 191.8% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Ryzen 5 3600) vs 8 (Xeon Gold 6338). PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 5 3600) vs 64 (Xeon Gold 6338) — the Xeon Gold 6338 offers 40 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD B550,AMD X570,AMD B450,AMD X470 (Ryzen 5 3600) and C621A (Xeon Gold 6338).

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon Gold 6338
Socket	AM4	LGA4189
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	3200+79900%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+2184433%	6144
RAM Channels	2	8+300%
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	24	64+167%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 5 3600 has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Xeon Gold 6338 supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: Yes (Ryzen 5 3600) vs VT-x, VT-d (Xeon Gold 6338). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 3600 targets Gaming/Budget Workstation. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 3600 rivals Core i5-10400; Xeon Gold 6338 rivals EPYC 7543.

Feature	Ryzen 5 3600	Xeon Gold 6338
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	—	None
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	Yes	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	Gaming/Budget Workstation	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 3600 launched at $199 MSRP, while the Xeon Gold 6338 debuted at $2990. On MSRP ($199 vs $2990), the Ryzen 5 3600 is $2791 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 3600 delivers 88.9 pts/$ vs 13.5 pts/$ for the Xeon Gold 6338 — making the Ryzen 5 3600 the 147.4% better value option.