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

✅+7.1% higher PassMark.
✅+60% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 20 MB).
✅Costs $299 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $498 MSRP).
✅Delivers 168.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 40.4 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $498 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 80W, a 15W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-1290 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-1290, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.

Xeon W-1290

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.1% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (20,112 vs 21,550).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (20 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 40.4 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($498 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌23.1% higher power demand at 80W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Ryzen 5 5600

2022

Xeon W-1290

2020

Why buy it

✅+7.1% higher PassMark.
✅+60% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 20 MB).
✅Costs $299 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $498 MSRP).
✅Delivers 168.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 40.4 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $498 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 80W, a 15W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.1% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-1290 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-1290, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (20,112 vs 21,550).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (20 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 40.4 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($498 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌23.1% higher power demand at 80W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5600 better than Xeon W-1290?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-1290 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, Ryzen 5 5600 is the better fit. You are getting 7.1% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 60% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 20 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 $299 cheaper on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $498 MSRP, and it gives you 7.1% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Xeon W-1290 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 11.1% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 168.1% better value on MSRP (108.3 vs 40.4 PassMark/$), 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 2020), 60% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 20 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 10/20. 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 W-1290 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-1290
1080p
low	161 FPS	256 FPS
medium	130 FPS	239 FPS
high	112 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	173 FPS
1440p
low	141 FPS	223 FPS
medium	113 FPS	188 FPS
high	95 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	79 FPS	156 FPS
medium	69 FPS	132 FPS
high	55 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	91 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon W-1290

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-1290
1080p
low	508 FPS	503 FPS
medium	419 FPS	503 FPS
high	351 FPS	451 FPS
ultra	310 FPS	411 FPS
1440p
low	447 FPS	503 FPS
medium	375 FPS	475 FPS
high	323 FPS	405 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	353 FPS
4K
low	313 FPS	318 FPS
medium	268 FPS	282 FPS
high	243 FPS	270 FPS
ultra	209 FPS	235 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon W-1290

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-1290
1080p
low	539 FPS	503 FPS
medium	526 FPS	503 FPS
high	483 FPS	503 FPS
ultra	414 FPS	419 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	503 FPS
medium	434 FPS	503 FPS
high	396 FPS	462 FPS
ultra	339 FPS	382 FPS
4K
low	371 FPS	469 FPS
medium	298 FPS	403 FPS
high	255 FPS	360 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	296 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon W-1290

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-1290
1080p
low	539 FPS	503 FPS
medium	539 FPS	503 FPS
high	539 FPS	503 FPS
ultra	539 FPS	503 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	503 FPS
medium	539 FPS	503 FPS
high	539 FPS	503 FPS
ultra	493 FPS	503 FPS
4K
low	501 FPS	503 FPS
medium	448 FPS	487 FPS
high	398 FPS	435 FPS
ultra	349 FPS	380 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon W-1290

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5600 and Xeon W-1290

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 W-1290

The Xeon W-1290 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 20,112 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 5600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon W-1290 offers 10 cores / 20 threads — the Xeon W-1290 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600 versus 5.1 GHz on the Xeon W-1290 — a 14.7% clock advantage for the Xeon W-1290 (base: 3.5 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5600 uses the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture (7 nm), while the Xeon W-1290 uses Comet Lake (2020−2025) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5600 scores 21,550 against the Xeon W-1290's 20,112 — a 6.9% lead for the Ryzen 5 5600. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 5600 vs 20 MB (total) on the Xeon W-1290.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-1290
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	10 / 20+67%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	5.1 GHz+16%
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+9%	3.2 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+60%	20 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)+100%	256K (per core)
Process	7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (2020−2025)	Comet Lake (2020−2025)
PassMark	21,550+7%	20,112
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 W-1290 uses LGA1200 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-1290
Socket	AM4	LGA1200
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 W-1290). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600 targets Desktop.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-1290
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 W-1290 debuted at $498. On MSRP ($199 vs $498), the Ryzen 5 5600 is $299 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 5600 delivers 108.3 pts/$ vs 40.4 pts/$ for the Xeon W-1290 — making the Ryzen 5 5600 the 91.3% better value option.