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: +6.3% higher average FPS across 38 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+29.3% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 MB).
✅Costs $3,159 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $3,358 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1275.0% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 7.9 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $3,358 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 165W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,550 vs 26,447).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6150, which brings 18 cores / 36 threads.

Xeon Gold 6150

2017

Why buy it

✅+22.7% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 18 cores / 36 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600 across 38 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (25 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 7.9 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($3,358 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌153.8% higher power demand at 165W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Ryzen 5 5600

2022

Xeon Gold 6150

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.3% higher average FPS across 38 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+29.3% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 MB).
✅Costs $3,159 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $3,358 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1275.0% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 7.9 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $3,358 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 165W, a 100W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+22.7% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 18 cores / 36 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,550 vs 26,447).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6150, which brings 18 cores / 36 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600 across 38 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (25 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 7.9 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($3,358 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌153.8% higher power demand at 165W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5600 better than Xeon Gold 6150?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 6150 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 6150 is the better fit. You are getting 22.7% better PassMark, backed by 18 cores and 36 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 $3,159 cheaper on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $3,358 MSRP, and it gives you a 6.3% average FPS lead across 38 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon Gold 6150 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 22.7% better PassMark. It is also 1275.0% better value on MSRP (108.3 vs 7.9 PassMark/$), 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 2017) and 29.3% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 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 6150 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 6150
1080p
low	161 FPS	182 FPS
medium	130 FPS	146 FPS
high	112 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	141 FPS	144 FPS
medium	113 FPS	114 FPS
high	95 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	79 FPS	67 FPS
medium	69 FPS	56 FPS
high	55 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	35 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon Gold 6150

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 6150
1080p
low	508 FPS	400 FPS
medium	419 FPS	346 FPS
high	351 FPS	291 FPS
ultra	310 FPS	244 FPS
1440p
low	447 FPS	346 FPS
medium	375 FPS	307 FPS
high	323 FPS	259 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	216 FPS
4K
low	313 FPS	225 FPS
medium	268 FPS	200 FPS
high	243 FPS	180 FPS
ultra	209 FPS	148 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon Gold 6150

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 6150
1080p
low	539 FPS	661 FPS
medium	526 FPS	661 FPS
high	483 FPS	661 FPS
ultra	414 FPS	655 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	661 FPS
medium	434 FPS	612 FPS
high	396 FPS	580 FPS
ultra	339 FPS	512 FPS
4K
low	371 FPS	462 FPS
medium	298 FPS	361 FPS
high	255 FPS	322 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	261 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon Gold 6150

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 6150
1080p
low	539 FPS	661 FPS
medium	539 FPS	661 FPS
high	539 FPS	661 FPS
ultra	539 FPS	577 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	661 FPS
medium	539 FPS	598 FPS
high	539 FPS	516 FPS
ultra	493 FPS	443 FPS
4K
low	501 FPS	469 FPS
medium	448 FPS	421 FPS
high	398 FPS	377 FPS
ultra	349 FPS	327 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon Gold 6150

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5600 and Xeon Gold 6150

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 6150

The Xeon Gold 6150 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 25 April 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 18 cores and 36 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 24.75 MB. L2 cache: 18 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 165 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 26,447 points. Launch price was $3,358.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 5600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6150 offers 18 cores / 36 threads — the Xeon Gold 6150 has 12 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600 versus 3.7 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6150 — a 17.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600 (base: 3.5 GHz vs 2.7 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5600 uses the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture (7 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6150 uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5600 scores 21,550 against the Xeon Gold 6150's 26,447 — a 20.4% lead for the Xeon Gold 6150. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 5600 vs 24.75 MB on the Xeon Gold 6150.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 6150
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	18 / 36+200%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+19%	3.7 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+30%	2.7 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+29%	24.75 MB
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	18 MB+3500%
Process	7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (2020−2025)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	21,550	26,447+23%
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 6150 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 6150
Socket	AM4	LGA3647
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	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600) / not specified (Xeon Gold 6150). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600 targets Desktop.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 6150
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 6150 debuted at $3358. On MSRP ($199 vs $3358), the Ryzen 5 5600 is $3159 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 5600 delivers 108.3 pts/$ vs 7.9 pts/$ for the Xeon Gold 6150 — making the Ryzen 5 5600 the 172.9% better value option.