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 7 3700X

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +30.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+45.5% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 22 MB).
✅Costs $944 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $1,273 MSRP).
✅Delivers 302.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 68.2 vs 17.0 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $1,273 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 125W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 5218, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 48 PCIe lanes.
❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Xeon Gold 5218

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 48 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅100% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅AVX-512 support for select workstation, AI, and scientific workloads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (21,586 vs 22,430).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (22 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 17.0 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($1,273 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 65W.

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Xeon Gold 5218

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +30.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+45.5% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 22 MB).
✅Costs $944 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $1,273 MSRP).
✅Delivers 302.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 68.2 vs 17.0 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $1,273 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 125W, a 60W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 48 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅100% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅AVX-512 support for select workstation, AI, and scientific workloads.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 5218, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 48 PCIe lanes.
❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (21,586 vs 22,430).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (22 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 17.0 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($1,273 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 3700X better than Xeon Gold 5218?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 5218 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 7 3700X 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, Ryzen 7 3700X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 30.0% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 3700X is the better fit. You are getting 3.9% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 45.5% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 22 MB).

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

Ryzen 7 3700X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 3700X is $944 cheaper on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $1,273 MSRP, and it gives you a 30.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 302.1% better value on MSRP (68.2 vs 17.0 PassMark/$), 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?

Xeon Gold 5218 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. 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 7 3700X Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 5218 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Gold 5218
1080p
low	200 FPS	182 FPS
medium	163 FPS	147 FPS
high	137 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	156 FPS	144 FPS
medium	121 FPS	114 FPS
high	100 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	84 FPS	67 FPS
medium	71 FPS	56 FPS
high	56 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	35 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Xeon Gold 5218

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Gold 5218
1080p
low	561 FPS	395 FPS
medium	525 FPS	342 FPS
high	428 FPS	284 FPS
ultra	383 FPS	238 FPS
1440p
low	545 FPS	342 FPS
medium	471 FPS	303 FPS
high	394 FPS	252 FPS
ultra	337 FPS	210 FPS
4K
low	350 FPS	221 FPS
medium	304 FPS	197 FPS
high	274 FPS	174 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	143 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Xeon Gold 5218

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Gold 5218
1080p
low	561 FPS	540 FPS
medium	561 FPS	540 FPS
high	561 FPS	540 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	540 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	540 FPS
medium	561 FPS	540 FPS
high	538 FPS	540 FPS
ultra	470 FPS	506 FPS
4K
low	499 FPS	455 FPS
medium	394 FPS	357 FPS
high	343 FPS	318 FPS
ultra	275 FPS	259 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Xeon Gold 5218

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Gold 5218
1080p
low	561 FPS	540 FPS
medium	561 FPS	540 FPS
high	561 FPS	540 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	540 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	540 FPS
medium	561 FPS	540 FPS
high	561 FPS	509 FPS
ultra	555 FPS	436 FPS
4K
low	561 FPS	462 FPS
medium	501 FPS	416 FPS
high	447 FPS	372 FPS
ultra	396 FPS	323 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Xeon Gold 5218

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 3700X and Xeon Gold 5218

Ryzen 7 3700X

The Ryzen 7 3700X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 July 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 22,430 points. Launch price was $329.

Xeon Gold 5218

The Xeon Gold 5218 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 22 MB. L2 cache: 16 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2667. Passmark benchmark score: 21,586 points. Launch price was $1,273.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 7 3700X packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Xeon Gold 5218 offers 16 cores / 32 threads — the Xeon Gold 5218 has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3700X versus 3.9 GHz on the Xeon Gold 5218 — a 12% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 3700X (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.3 GHz). The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon Gold 5218 uses Cascade Lake (2019−2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 3700X scores 22,430 against the Xeon Gold 5218's 21,586 — a 3.8% lead for the Ryzen 7 3700X. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 3700X vs 22 MB on the Xeon Gold 5218.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Gold 5218
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	16 / 32+100%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+13%	3.9 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+57%	2.3 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB+45%	22 MB
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	16 MB+3100%
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)
PassMark	22,430+4%	21,586

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Gold 5218 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 7 3700X versus 2666 on the Xeon Gold 5218 — the Xeon Gold 5218 supports 199.4% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon Gold 5218 supports up to 768 of RAM compared to 128 GB — 142.9% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Ryzen 7 3700X) vs 6 (Xeon Gold 5218). PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 7 3700X) vs 48 (Xeon Gold 5218) — the Xeon Gold 5218 offers 24 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD 500 series,AMD 400 series,AMD 300 series (Ryzen 7 3700X) and C621 (Xeon Gold 5218).

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Gold 5218
Socket	AM4	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	2666+66550%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+17476167%	768
RAM Channels	2	6+200%
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	24	48+100%

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Ryzen 7 3700X) / VT-x, VT-d (Xeon Gold 5218).

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Gold 5218
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	—	None
Unlocked	—	No
AVX-512	—	Yes
Virtualization	—	VT-x, VT-d

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 7 3700X launched at $329 MSRP, while the Xeon Gold 5218 debuted at $1273. On MSRP ($329 vs $1273), the Ryzen 7 3700X is $944 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 7 3700X delivers 68.2 pts/$ vs 17.0 pts/$ for the Xeon Gold 5218 — making the Ryzen 7 3700X the 120.3% better value option.