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 4600G

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 65W instead of 105W, a 40W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Vega 7, while Xeon E5-2660 v4 needs a discrete GPU.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon E5-2660 v4.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 35 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-2660 v4, which brings 14 cores / 28 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $154 MSRP, while Xeon E5-2660 v4 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon E5-2660 v4

2016

Why buy it

✅+337.5% larger total L3 cache (35 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 14 cores / 28 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 4600G across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (15,650 vs 15,985).
❌61.5% higher power demand at 105W vs 65W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 4600G can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 4600G.

Ryzen 5 4600G

2020

Xeon E5-2660 v4

2016

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 65W instead of 105W, a 40W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Vega 7, while Xeon E5-2660 v4 needs a discrete GPU.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Xeon E5-2660 v4.

Why buy it

✅+337.5% larger total L3 cache (35 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 14 cores / 28 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 35 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-2660 v4, which brings 14 cores / 28 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $154 MSRP, while Xeon E5-2660 v4 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 4600G across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (15,650 vs 15,985).
❌61.5% higher power demand at 105W vs 65W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 4600G can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 4600G.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 4600G better than Xeon E5-2660 v4?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E5-2660 v4 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 5 4600G 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 4600G is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 8.9% 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 4600G is the better fit. You are getting 2.1% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 4600G is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 4600G is at an unclear MSRP at $154 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 8.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (103.8 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 4600G is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2016) and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 14/28. 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 4600G Benchmark Check

Xeon E5-2660 v4 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 4600G	Xeon E5-2660 v4
1080p
low	214 FPS	175 FPS
medium	171 FPS	151 FPS
high	136 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	95 FPS
1440p
low	183 FPS	147 FPS
medium	145 FPS	123 FPS
high	113 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	74 FPS	68 FPS
medium	63 FPS	61 FPS
high	49 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	38 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 4600G Open Xeon E5-2660 v4

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 4600G	Xeon E5-2660 v4
1080p
low	308 FPS	210 FPS
medium	263 FPS	191 FPS
high	232 FPS	162 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	131 FPS
1440p
low	268 FPS	180 FPS
medium	234 FPS	164 FPS
high	211 FPS	142 FPS
ultra	180 FPS	110 FPS
4K
low	231 FPS	114 FPS
medium	207 FPS	105 FPS
high	184 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	157 FPS	73 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 4600G Open Xeon E5-2660 v4

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 4600G	Xeon E5-2660 v4
1080p
low	400 FPS	391 FPS
medium	400 FPS	391 FPS
high	400 FPS	391 FPS
ultra	400 FPS	391 FPS
1440p
low	400 FPS	391 FPS
medium	400 FPS	391 FPS
high	400 FPS	391 FPS
ultra	372 FPS	391 FPS
4K
low	400 FPS	391 FPS
medium	341 FPS	378 FPS
high	293 FPS	344 FPS
ultra	232 FPS	288 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 4600G Open Xeon E5-2660 v4

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 4600G	Xeon E5-2660 v4
1080p
low	400 FPS	391 FPS
medium	400 FPS	391 FPS
high	400 FPS	391 FPS
ultra	400 FPS	391 FPS
1440p
low	400 FPS	391 FPS
medium	400 FPS	391 FPS
high	400 FPS	391 FPS
ultra	400 FPS	391 FPS
4K
low	400 FPS	391 FPS
medium	400 FPS	391 FPS
high	400 FPS	391 FPS
ultra	338 FPS	361 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 4600G Open Xeon E5-2660 v4

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 4600G and Xeon E5-2660 v4

Ryzen 5 4600G

The Ryzen 5 4600G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 21 July 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Renoir (2020−2023) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 15,985 points. Launch price was $154.

Xeon E5-2660 v4

The Xeon E5-2660 v4 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 20 June 2016 (9 years ago). It is based on the Broadwell (2015−2019) architecture. It features 14 cores and 28 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 35 MB. L2 cache: 3.5 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133, DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 15,650 points. Launch price was $1,445.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 4600G packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon E5-2660 v4 offers 14 cores / 28 threads — the Xeon E5-2660 v4 has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 4600G versus 3.2 GHz on the Xeon E5-2660 v4 — a 27% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 4600G (base: 3.7 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Ryzen 5 4600G uses the Renoir (2020−2023) architecture (7 nm), while the Xeon E5-2660 v4 uses Broadwell (2015−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 4600G scores 15,985 against the Xeon E5-2660 v4's 15,650 — a 2.1% lead for the Ryzen 5 4600G. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 4600G vs 35 MB on the Xeon E5-2660 v4.

Feature	Ryzen 5 4600G	Xeon E5-2660 v4
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	14 / 28+133%
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz+31%	3.2 GHz
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+85%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)	35 MB+338%
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	3.5 MB+600%
Process	7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Renoir (2020−2023)	Broadwell (2015−2019)
PassMark	15,985+2%	15,650
Cinebench R23 Multi	9,348	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,578	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	6,619	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 4600G uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon E5-2660 v4 uses LGA2011 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 4600G	Xeon E5-2660 v4
Socket	AM4	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	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: AMD-V (Ryzen 5 4600G) / not specified (Xeon E5-2660 v4). The Ryzen 5 4600G includes integrated graphics (Radeon Vega 7), while the Xeon E5-2660 v4 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 5 4600G targets Entry Gaming. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 4600G rivals Core i5-10400.