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: +18.2% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $2,283 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $2,612 MSRP).
✅Delivers 412.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 68.2 vs 13.3 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $2,612 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 165W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (22,430 vs 34,751).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 39 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6238R, which brings 28 cores / 56 threads and 48 PCIe lanes.

Xeon Gold 6238R

2020

Why buy it

✅+54.9% higher PassMark.
✅+20.3% larger total L3 cache (39 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 28 cores / 56 threads, plus 48 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅100% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.3 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($2,612 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌153.8% higher power demand at 165W vs 65W.

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Xeon Gold 6238R

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +18.2% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $2,283 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $2,612 MSRP).
✅Delivers 412.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 68.2 vs 13.3 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $2,612 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 165W, a 100W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+54.9% higher PassMark.
✅+20.3% larger total L3 cache (39 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 28 cores / 56 threads, plus 48 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅100% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (22,430 vs 34,751).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 39 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6238R, which brings 28 cores / 56 threads and 48 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.3 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($2,612 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌153.8% higher power demand at 165W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 3700X better than Xeon Gold 6238R?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 6238R 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 streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 6238R is the better fit. You are getting 54.9% better PassMark, backed by 28 cores and 56 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 20.3% larger total L3 cache (39 MB vs 32 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 $2,283 cheaper on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $2,612 MSRP, and it gives you a 18.2% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon Gold 6238R is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 54.9% better PassMark. It is also 412.4% better value on MSRP (68.2 vs 13.3 PassMark/$), 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 6238R is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2019), 20.3% larger total L3 cache (39 MB vs 32 MB), more multi-core headroom with 28 cores / 56 threads instead of 8/16, and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. 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 7 3700X Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 6238R Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Gold 6238R
1080p
low	200 FPS	196 FPS
medium	163 FPS	158 FPS
high	137 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	156 FPS	157 FPS
medium	121 FPS	123 FPS
high	100 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	84 FPS	72 FPS
medium	71 FPS	60 FPS
high	56 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	38 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Xeon Gold 6238R

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Gold 6238R
1080p
low	561 FPS	233 FPS
medium	525 FPS	207 FPS
high	428 FPS	174 FPS
ultra	383 FPS	145 FPS
1440p
low	545 FPS	200 FPS
medium	471 FPS	180 FPS
high	394 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	337 FPS	123 FPS
4K
low	350 FPS	125 FPS
medium	304 FPS	114 FPS
high	274 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	86 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Xeon Gold 6238R

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Gold 6238R
1080p
low	561 FPS	869 FPS
medium	561 FPS	869 FPS
high	561 FPS	833 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	753 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	761 FPS
medium	561 FPS	676 FPS
high	538 FPS	635 FPS
ultra	470 FPS	569 FPS
4K
low	499 FPS	492 FPS
medium	394 FPS	406 FPS
high	343 FPS	357 FPS
ultra	275 FPS	292 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Xeon Gold 6238R

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Gold 6238R
1080p
low	561 FPS	869 FPS
medium	561 FPS	816 FPS
high	561 FPS	703 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	613 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	716 FPS
medium	561 FPS	628 FPS
high	561 FPS	539 FPS
ultra	555 FPS	466 FPS
4K
low	561 FPS	521 FPS
medium	501 FPS	465 FPS
high	447 FPS	408 FPS
ultra	396 FPS	351 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Xeon Gold 6238R

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 3700X and Xeon Gold 6238R

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 6238R

The Xeon Gold 6238R is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 February 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture. It features 28 cores and 56 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 38.5 MB. L2 cache: 28 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 165 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 34,751 points. Launch price was $2,612.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 7 3700X packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6238R offers 28 cores / 56 threads — the Xeon Gold 6238R has 20 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3700X versus 4 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6238R — a 9.5% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 3700X (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.2 GHz). The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6238R uses Cascade Lake (2019−2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 3700X scores 22,430 against the Xeon Gold 6238R's 34,751 — a 43.1% lead for the Xeon Gold 6238R. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 3700X vs 38.5 MB on the Xeon Gold 6238R.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Gold 6238R
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	28 / 56+250%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+10%	4 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+64%	2.2 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB	38.5 MB+20%
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	28 MB+5500%
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)
PassMark	22,430	34,751+55%
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	21,433

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Gold 6238R uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-3200 memory speed. The Ryzen 7 3700X supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 1 TB — 196.9% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Ryzen 7 3700X) vs 6 (Xeon Gold 6238R). PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 7 3700X) vs 48 (Xeon Gold 6238R) — the Xeon Gold 6238R 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,C622,C624,C627,C628 (Xeon Gold 6238R).

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Gold 6238R
Socket	AM4	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR4-2933
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	1 TB+700%
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, EPT (Xeon Gold 6238R). Primary use case: Xeon Gold 6238R targets Server. Direct competitor: Xeon Gold 6238R rivals Xeon Gold 6248R.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Gold 6238R
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	—	No
AVX-512	—	Yes
Virtualization	—	VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use	—	Server

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 7 3700X launched at $329 MSRP, while the Xeon Gold 6238R debuted at $2612. On MSRP ($329 vs $2612), the Ryzen 7 3700X is $2283 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 7 3700X delivers 68.2 pts/$ vs 13.3 pts/$ for the Xeon Gold 6238R — making the Ryzen 7 3700X the 134.7% better value option.