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

✅Costs $3,001 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $3,200 MSRP).
✅Delivers 723.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 13.2 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $3,200 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 185W, a 120W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Stealth), unlike Xeon Gold 6338N.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,550 vs 42,086).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 48 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6338N, which brings 32 cores / 64 threads and 64 PCIe lanes.

Xeon Gold 6338N

2021

Why buy it

✅+95.3% higher PassMark.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (48 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 32 cores / 64 threads, plus 64 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅166.7% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.2 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($3,200 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌184.6% higher power demand at 185W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Ryzen 5 5600

2022

Xeon Gold 6338N

2021

Why buy it

✅Costs $3,001 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $3,200 MSRP).
✅Delivers 723.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 13.2 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $3,200 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 185W, a 120W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Stealth), unlike Xeon Gold 6338N.

Why buy it

✅+95.3% higher PassMark.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (48 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 32 cores / 64 threads, plus 64 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅166.7% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,550 vs 42,086).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 48 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6338N, which brings 32 cores / 64 threads and 64 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.2 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($3,200 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌184.6% higher power demand at 185W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5600 better than Xeon Gold 6338N?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 6338N 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 6338N is the better fit. You are getting 95.3% better PassMark, backed by 32 cores and 64 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (48 MB vs 32 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 $3,001 cheaper on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $3,200 MSRP, and it gives you a 0.2% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon Gold 6338N is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 95.3% better PassMark. It is also 723.4% better value on MSRP (108.3 vs 13.2 PassMark/$), 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). 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 6338N Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 6338N
1080p
low	161 FPS	185 FPS
medium	130 FPS	149 FPS
high	112 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	141 FPS	154 FPS
medium	113 FPS	120 FPS
high	95 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	79 FPS	72 FPS
medium	69 FPS	60 FPS
high	55 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	38 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon Gold 6338N

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 6338N
1080p
low	508 FPS	232 FPS
medium	419 FPS	208 FPS
high	351 FPS	172 FPS
ultra	310 FPS	139 FPS
1440p
low	447 FPS	199 FPS
medium	375 FPS	180 FPS
high	323 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	119 FPS
4K
low	313 FPS	124 FPS
medium	268 FPS	114 FPS
high	243 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	209 FPS	81 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon Gold 6338N

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 6338N
1080p
low	539 FPS	945 FPS
medium	526 FPS	826 FPS
high	483 FPS	781 FPS
ultra	414 FPS	692 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	747 FPS
medium	434 FPS	644 FPS
high	396 FPS	609 FPS
ultra	339 FPS	540 FPS
4K
low	371 FPS	479 FPS
medium	298 FPS	379 FPS
high	255 FPS	337 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	275 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon Gold 6338N

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 6338N
1080p
low	539 FPS	893 FPS
medium	539 FPS	811 FPS
high	539 FPS	697 FPS
ultra	539 FPS	599 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	701 FPS
medium	539 FPS	615 FPS
high	539 FPS	526 FPS
ultra	493 FPS	450 FPS
4K
low	501 FPS	505 FPS
medium	448 FPS	452 FPS
high	398 FPS	396 FPS
ultra	349 FPS	344 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon Gold 6338N

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5600 and Xeon Gold 6338N

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 6338N

The Xeon Gold 6338N is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Ice Lake-SP (2021) architecture. It features 32 cores and 64 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 48 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4189. Thermal design power (TDP): 185 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2667. Passmark benchmark score: 42,086 points. Launch price was $800.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 5600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6338N offers 32 cores / 64 threads — the Xeon Gold 6338N has 26 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600 versus 3.5 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6338N — a 22.8% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600 (base: 3.5 GHz vs 2.2 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5600 uses the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture (7 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6338N uses Ice Lake-SP (2021) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5600 scores 21,550 against the Xeon Gold 6338N's 42,086 — a 64.5% lead for the Xeon Gold 6338N. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 5600 vs 48 MB (total) on the Xeon Gold 6338N.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 6338N
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	32 / 64+433%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+26%	3.5 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+59%	2.2 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)	48 MB (total)+50%
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	42,086+95%
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 6338N uses LGA4189 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 5 5600 versus 2667 on the Xeon Gold 6338N — the Xeon Gold 6338N supports 199.4% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon Gold 6338N supports up to 6144 of RAM compared to 128 GB — 191.8% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Ryzen 5 5600) vs 8 (Xeon Gold 6338N). PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 5 5600) vs 64 (Xeon Gold 6338N) — the Xeon Gold 6338N offers 40 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: B550,X570,B450,X470,A520 (Ryzen 5 5600) and LGA4189 (Xeon Gold 6338N).

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 6338N
Socket	AM4	LGA4189
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	2667+66575%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+2184433%	6144
RAM Channels	2	8+300%
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	24	64+167%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 5 5600 has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Xeon Gold 6338N supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600) vs VT-x, VT-d (Xeon Gold 6338N). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600 targets Desktop. Direct competitor: Xeon Gold 6338N rivals EPYC 7513.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon Gold 6338N
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	—	None
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	AMD-V	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 5600 launched at $199 MSRP, while the Xeon Gold 6338N debuted at $3200. On MSRP ($199 vs $3200), the Ryzen 5 5600 is $3001 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 5600 delivers 108.3 pts/$ vs 13.2 pts/$ for the Xeon Gold 6338N — making the Ryzen 5 5600 the 156.7% better value option.