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: +6.4% higher average FPS across 44 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+77.8% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 18 MB).
✅Costs $889 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $1,088 MSRP).
✅Delivers 329.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 25.2 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $1,088 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 150W, a 85W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,550 vs 27,448).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 5317, which brings 12 cores / 24 threads.

Xeon Gold 5317

2021

Why buy it

✅+27.4% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 12 cores / 24 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600 across 44 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (18 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 25.2 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($1,088 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌130.8% higher power demand at 150W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Ryzen 5 5600

2022

Xeon Gold 5317

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.4% higher average FPS across 44 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+77.8% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 18 MB).
✅Costs $889 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $1,088 MSRP).
✅Delivers 329.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 25.2 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $1,088 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 150W, a 85W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+27.4% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 12 cores / 24 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,550 vs 27,448).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 5317, which brings 12 cores / 24 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600 across 44 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (18 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 25.2 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($1,088 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌130.8% higher power demand at 150W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5600 better than Xeon Gold 5317?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 5317 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 streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 5317 is the better fit. You are getting 27.4% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 24 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 5600 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 5600 is $889 cheaper on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $1,088 MSRP, and it gives you a 6.4% average FPS lead across 44 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon Gold 5317 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 27.4% better PassMark. It is also 329.3% better value on MSRP (108.3 vs 25.2 PassMark/$), 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 2021) and 77.8% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 18 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 5600 Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 5317 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 5317
1080p
low	161 FPS	174 FPS
medium	130 FPS	139 FPS
high	112 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	91 FPS
1440p
low	141 FPS	145 FPS
medium	113 FPS	113 FPS
high	95 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	79 FPS	67 FPS
medium	69 FPS	56 FPS
high	55 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	35 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon Gold 5317

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 5317
1080p
low	508 FPS	374 FPS
medium	419 FPS	324 FPS
high	351 FPS	269 FPS
ultra	310 FPS	219 FPS
1440p
low	447 FPS	321 FPS
medium	375 FPS	288 FPS
high	323 FPS	243 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	195 FPS
4K
low	313 FPS	205 FPS
medium	268 FPS	186 FPS
high	243 FPS	158 FPS
ultra	209 FPS	127 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon Gold 5317

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 5317
1080p
low	539 FPS	686 FPS
medium	526 FPS	686 FPS
high	483 FPS	686 FPS
ultra	414 FPS	686 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	686 FPS
medium	434 FPS	641 FPS
high	396 FPS	607 FPS
ultra	339 FPS	536 FPS
4K
low	371 FPS	481 FPS
medium	298 FPS	376 FPS
high	255 FPS	335 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	272 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon Gold 5317

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 5317
1080p
low	539 FPS	686 FPS
medium	539 FPS	686 FPS
high	539 FPS	671 FPS
ultra	539 FPS	580 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	686 FPS
medium	539 FPS	601 FPS
high	539 FPS	519 FPS
ultra	493 FPS	446 FPS
4K
low	501 FPS	472 FPS
medium	448 FPS	423 FPS
high	398 FPS	379 FPS
ultra	349 FPS	330 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon Gold 5317

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5600 and Xeon Gold 5317

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 Gold 5317

The Xeon Gold 5317 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Ice Lake-SP (2021) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 18 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4189. Thermal design power (TDP): 150 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 27,448 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 5600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon Gold 5317 offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the Xeon Gold 5317 has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600 versus 3.6 GHz on the Xeon Gold 5317 — a 20% 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 Gold 5317 uses Ice Lake-SP (2021) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5600 scores 21,550 against the Xeon Gold 5317's 27,448 — a 24.1% lead for the Xeon Gold 5317. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 5600 vs 18 MB (total) on the Xeon Gold 5317.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 5317
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	12 / 24+100%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+22%	3.6 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+17%	3 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+78%	18 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+100%
Process	7 nm-30%	10 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (2020−2025)	Ice Lake-SP (2021)
PassMark	21,550	27,448+27%
Cinebench R23 Multi	11,077	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,052	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	8,600	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 5600 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Gold 5317 uses LGA4189 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 5317
Socket	AM4	LGA4189
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	24	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600) / not specified (Xeon Gold 5317). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600 targets Desktop.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 5317
Integrated GPU	No	—
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	AMD-V	—
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 5600 launched at $199 MSRP, while the Xeon Gold 5317 debuted at $1088. On MSRP ($199 vs $1088), the Ryzen 5 5600 is $889 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 5600 delivers 108.3 pts/$ vs 25.2 pts/$ for the Xeon Gold 5317 — making the Ryzen 5 5600 the 124.4% better value option.