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

✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Costs $295 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $494 MSRP).
✅Delivers 123.8% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 48.4 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $494 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 80W, a 15W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-1390 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (21,550 vs 23,902).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-1390, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads.

Xeon W-1390

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +5.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 48.4 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($494 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-1390

2021

Why buy it

✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Costs $295 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $494 MSRP).
✅Delivers 123.8% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 48.4 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $494 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 80W, a 15W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +5.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-1390 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (21,550 vs 23,902).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-1390, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 48.4 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($494 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 Xeon W-1390 better than Ryzen 5 5600?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-1390 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, Xeon W-1390 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 5.3% 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, Xeon W-1390 is the better fit. You are getting 10.9% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Xeon W-1390 is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 5600 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Xeon W-1390 is 148.2% more expensive on MSRP at $494 MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and it gives you a 5.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 5600 is also 123.8% better value on MSRP (108.3 vs 48.4 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds 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 100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 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 W-1390 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-1390
1080p
low	161 FPS	246 FPS
medium	130 FPS	231 FPS
high	112 FPS	192 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	165 FPS
1440p
low	141 FPS	217 FPS
medium	113 FPS	184 FPS
high	95 FPS	148 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	130 FPS
4K
low	79 FPS	151 FPS
medium	69 FPS	128 FPS
high	55 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	86 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon W-1390

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-1390
1080p
low	508 FPS	406 FPS
medium	419 FPS	343 FPS
high	351 FPS	306 FPS
ultra	310 FPS	274 FPS
1440p
low	447 FPS	363 FPS
medium	375 FPS	315 FPS
high	323 FPS	278 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	239 FPS
4K
low	313 FPS	241 FPS
medium	268 FPS	216 FPS
high	243 FPS	208 FPS
ultra	209 FPS	176 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon W-1390

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-1390
1080p
low	539 FPS	598 FPS
medium	526 FPS	527 FPS
high	483 FPS	453 FPS
ultra	414 FPS	391 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	590 FPS
medium	434 FPS	490 FPS
high	396 FPS	415 FPS
ultra	339 FPS	361 FPS
4K
low	371 FPS	421 FPS
medium	298 FPS	365 FPS
high	255 FPS	325 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	276 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon W-1390

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-1390
1080p
low	539 FPS	598 FPS
medium	539 FPS	598 FPS
high	539 FPS	598 FPS
ultra	539 FPS	598 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	598 FPS
medium	539 FPS	598 FPS
high	539 FPS	598 FPS
ultra	493 FPS	552 FPS
4K
low	501 FPS	558 FPS
medium	448 FPS	506 FPS
high	398 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	349 FPS	393 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon W-1390

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5600 and Xeon W-1390

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-1390

The Xeon W-1390 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 6 May 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Rocket Lake-S (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 23,902 points. Launch price was $494.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 5600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon W-1390 offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Xeon W-1390 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600 versus 5.1 GHz on the Xeon W-1390 — a 14.7% clock advantage for the Xeon W-1390 (base: 3.5 GHz vs 2.8 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5600 uses the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture (7 nm), while the Xeon W-1390 uses Rocket Lake-S (2021) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5600 scores 21,550 against the Xeon W-1390's 23,902 — a 10.3% lead for the Xeon W-1390. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 5600 vs 16 MB (total) on the Xeon W-1390.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-1390
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	5.1 GHz+16%
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+25%	2.8 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+100%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512 kB (per core)
Process	7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (2020−2025)	Rocket Lake-S (2021)
PassMark	21,550	23,902+11%
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-1390 uses LGA1200 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-1390
Socket	AM4	LGA1200
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 W-1390). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600 targets Desktop.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-1390
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-1390 debuted at $494. On MSRP ($199 vs $494), the Ryzen 5 5600 is $295 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 5600 delivers 108.3 pts/$ vs 48.4 pts/$ for the Xeon W-1390 — making the Ryzen 5 5600 the 76.5% better value option.