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 5600

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +29.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+93.9% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 17 MB).
✅Draws 65W instead of 85W, a 20W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Stealth), unlike Xeon D-2166NT.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon D-2166NT, which brings 12 cores / 24 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Xeon D-2166NT mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon D-2166NT

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 12 cores / 24 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (15,105 vs 21,550).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (17 MB vs 32 MB).
❌30.8% higher power demand at 85W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Ryzen 5 5600

2022

Xeon D-2166NT

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +29.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+93.9% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 17 MB).
✅Draws 65W instead of 85W, a 20W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Stealth), unlike Xeon D-2166NT.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 12 cores / 24 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon D-2166NT, which brings 12 cores / 24 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Xeon D-2166NT mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (15,105 vs 21,550).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (17 MB vs 32 MB).
❌30.8% higher power demand at 85W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5600 better than Xeon D-2166NT?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon D-2166NT makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 5 5600 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 5600 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 29.0% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 5600 is the better fit. You are getting 42.7% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 93.9% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 17 MB).

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

Ryzen 5 5600 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 5600 is at an unclear MSRP at $199 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 29.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (108.3 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 5600 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2018), 93.9% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 17 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 12/24. 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 5600 Benchmark Check

Xeon D-2166NT Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon D-2166NT
1080p
low	161 FPS	171 FPS
medium	130 FPS	135 FPS
high	112 FPS	109 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	141 FPS	138 FPS
medium	113 FPS	108 FPS
high	95 FPS	86 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	68 FPS
4K
low	79 FPS	65 FPS
medium	69 FPS	55 FPS
high	55 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	34 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon D-2166NT

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon D-2166NT
1080p
low	508 FPS	141 FPS
medium	419 FPS	125 FPS
high	351 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	310 FPS	90 FPS
1440p
low	447 FPS	125 FPS
medium	375 FPS	113 FPS
high	323 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	81 FPS
4K
low	313 FPS	91 FPS
medium	268 FPS	85 FPS
high	243 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	209 FPS	58 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon D-2166NT

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon D-2166NT
1080p
low	539 FPS	378 FPS
medium	526 FPS	378 FPS
high	483 FPS	378 FPS
ultra	414 FPS	378 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	378 FPS
medium	434 FPS	378 FPS
high	396 FPS	366 FPS
ultra	339 FPS	318 FPS
4K
low	371 FPS	378 FPS
medium	298 FPS	305 FPS
high	255 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	207 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon D-2166NT

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon D-2166NT
1080p
low	539 FPS	378 FPS
medium	539 FPS	378 FPS
high	539 FPS	378 FPS
ultra	539 FPS	378 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	378 FPS
medium	539 FPS	378 FPS
high	539 FPS	378 FPS
ultra	493 FPS	378 FPS
4K
low	501 FPS	378 FPS
medium	448 FPS	378 FPS
high	398 FPS	357 FPS
ultra	349 FPS	306 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon D-2166NT

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5600 and Xeon D-2166NT

Ryzen 5 5600

The Ryzen 5 5600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 20 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 21,550 points. Launch price was $299.

Xeon D-2166NT

The Xeon D-2166NT is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 7 February 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3 GHz. L3 cache: 16.5 MB. L2 cache: 12 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA2518. Thermal design power (TDP): 85 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 15,105 points. Launch price was $1,005.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 5600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon D-2166NT offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the Xeon D-2166NT has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600 versus 3 GHz on the Xeon D-2166NT — a 37.8% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600 (base: 3.5 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5600 uses the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture (7 nm), while the Xeon D-2166NT uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5600 scores 21,550 against the Xeon D-2166NT's 15,105 — a 35.2% lead for the Ryzen 5 5600. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 5600 vs 16.5 MB on the Xeon D-2166NT.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon D-2166NT
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	12 / 24+100%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+47%	3 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+75%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+94%	16.5 MB
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	12 MB+2300%
Process	7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (2020−2025)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	21,550+43%	15,105
Cinebench R23 Multi	11,077	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,052	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	8,600	—

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 5600 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon D-2166NT uses FCBGA2518 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon D-2166NT
Socket	AM4	FCBGA2518
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	24	—