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: +24.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+28% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 MB).
✅Costs $1,524 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $1,723 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1405.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 7.2 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $1,723 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 130W, a 65W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-1680 v2, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads and 40 PCIe lanes.

Xeon E5-1680 v2

2013

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads, plus 40 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅66.7% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (8,579 vs 11,077).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (25 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 7.2 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($1,723 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌100% higher power demand at 130W vs 65W.

Ryzen 5 5600

2022

Xeon E5-1680 v2

2013

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +24.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+28% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 MB).
✅Costs $1,524 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $1,723 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1405.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 7.2 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $1,723 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 130W, a 65W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads, plus 40 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅66.7% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-1680 v2, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads and 40 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (8,579 vs 11,077).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (25 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 7.2 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($1,723 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌100% higher power demand at 130W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5600 better than Xeon E5-1680 v2?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E5-1680 v2 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 24.2% 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 5600 is the better fit. You are getting 29.1% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 28% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 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 $1,524 cheaper on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $1,723 MSRP, and it gives you a 24.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 1405.2% better value on MSRP (108.3 vs 7.2 PassMark/$), 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 2013), 28% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 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 5600 Benchmark Check

Xeon E5-1680 v2 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon E5-1680 v2
1080p
low	161 FPS	167 FPS
medium	130 FPS	145 FPS
high	112 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	98 FPS
1440p
low	141 FPS	140 FPS
medium	113 FPS	118 FPS
high	95 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	79 FPS	64 FPS
medium	69 FPS	57 FPS
high	55 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	36 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon E5-1680 v2

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon E5-1680 v2
1080p
low	508 FPS	310 FPS
medium	419 FPS	310 FPS
high	351 FPS	297 FPS
ultra	310 FPS	254 FPS
1440p
low	447 FPS	310 FPS
medium	375 FPS	302 FPS
high	323 FPS	261 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	220 FPS
4K
low	313 FPS	217 FPS
medium	268 FPS	196 FPS
high	243 FPS	179 FPS
ultra	209 FPS	147 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon E5-1680 v2

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon E5-1680 v2
1080p
low	539 FPS	310 FPS
medium	526 FPS	310 FPS
high	483 FPS	310 FPS
ultra	414 FPS	310 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	310 FPS
medium	434 FPS	310 FPS
high	396 FPS	310 FPS
ultra	339 FPS	310 FPS
4K
low	371 FPS	310 FPS
medium	298 FPS	310 FPS
high	255 FPS	310 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	275 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon E5-1680 v2

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon E5-1680 v2
1080p
low	539 FPS	310 FPS
medium	539 FPS	310 FPS
high	539 FPS	310 FPS
ultra	539 FPS	310 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	310 FPS
medium	539 FPS	310 FPS
high	539 FPS	310 FPS
ultra	493 FPS	310 FPS
4K
low	501 FPS	310 FPS
medium	448 FPS	310 FPS
high	398 FPS	310 FPS
ultra	349 FPS	310 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon E5-1680 v2

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5600 and Xeon E5-1680 v2

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 E5-1680 v2

The Xeon E5-1680 v2 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Ivy Bridge-EP (2013) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 25 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR3-800, DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600, DDR3-1866. Passmark benchmark score: 12,396 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 5600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon E5-1680 v2 offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Xeon E5-1680 v2 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600 versus 3.9 GHz on the Xeon E5-1680 v2 — a 12% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600 (base: 3.5 GHz vs 3 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5600 uses the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture (7 nm), while the Xeon E5-1680 v2 uses Ivy Bridge-EP (2013) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5600 scores 21,550 against the Xeon E5-1680 v2's 12,396 — a 53.9% lead for the Ryzen 5 5600. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 11,077 vs 8,579 (25.4% advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,052 vs 750, a 92.9% lead for the Ryzen 5 5600 that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 8,600 vs 4,500 (62.6% advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600). L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 5600 vs 25 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-1680 v2.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon E5-1680 v2
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+13%	3.9 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+17%	3 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+28%	25 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)+100%	256K (per core)
Process	7 nm-68%	22 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (2020−2025)	Ivy Bridge-EP (2013)
PassMark	21,550+74%	12,396
Cinebench R23 Multi	11,077+29%	8,579
Geekbench 6 Single	2,052+174%	750
Geekbench 6 Multi	8,600+91%	4,500

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 5600 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon E5-1680 v2 uses LGA2011 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 5 5600 versus DDR3-1866 on the Xeon E5-1680 v2 — the Ryzen 5 5600 supports 28.6% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon E5-1680 v2 supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Ryzen 5 5600) vs 4 (Xeon E5-1680 v2). PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 5 5600) vs 40 (Xeon E5-1680 v2) — the Xeon E5-1680 v2 offers 16 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: B550,X570,B450,X470,A520 (Ryzen 5 5600) and C602,X79 (Xeon E5-1680 v2).

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon E5-1680 v2
Socket	AM4	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200+33%	DDR3-1866
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	256 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	4+100%
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	24	40+67%

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Virtualization support: AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Xeon E5-1680 v2). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600 targets Desktop, Xeon E5-1680 v2 targets Server/Workstation. Direct competitor: Xeon E5-1680 v2 rivals Core i7-4960X.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon E5-1680 v2
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	—	None
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	AMD-V	VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use	Desktop	Server/Workstation

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 5600 launched at $199 MSRP, while the Xeon E5-1680 v2 debuted at $1723. On MSRP ($199 vs $1723), the Ryzen 5 5600 is $1524 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 5600 delivers 108.3 pts/$ vs 7.2 pts/$ for the Xeon E5-1680 v2 — making the Ryzen 5 5600 the 175.1% better value option.