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: +23.6% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 65W instead of 150W, a 85W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (22,430 vs 28,989).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Platinum 8160, which brings 24 cores / 48 threads and 48 PCIe lanes.
❌Launch MSRP is still $329 MSRP, while Xeon Platinum 8160 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon Platinum 8160

2017

Why buy it

✅+29.2% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 24 cores / 48 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.
❌130.8% higher power demand at 150W vs 65W.

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Xeon Platinum 8160

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +23.6% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 65W instead of 150W, a 85W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+29.2% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 24 cores / 48 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 28,989).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Platinum 8160, which brings 24 cores / 48 threads and 48 PCIe lanes.
❌Launch MSRP is still $329 MSRP, while Xeon Platinum 8160 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌130.8% higher power demand at 150W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 3700X better than Xeon Platinum 8160?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Platinum 8160 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 Platinum 8160 is the better fit. You are getting 29.2% better PassMark, backed by 24 cores and 48 threads.

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

Ryzen 7 3700X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 3700X is at an unclear MSRP at $329 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 23.6% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon Platinum 8160 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 29.2% better PassMark. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (68.2 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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?

Ryzen 7 3700X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2019 vs 2017). 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 Platinum 8160 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Platinum 8160
1080p
low	200 FPS	195 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 Platinum 8160

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Platinum 8160
1080p
low	561 FPS	212 FPS
medium	525 FPS	188 FPS
high	428 FPS	161 FPS
ultra	383 FPS	137 FPS
1440p
low	545 FPS	184 FPS
medium	471 FPS	167 FPS
high	394 FPS	143 FPS
ultra	337 FPS	120 FPS
4K
low	350 FPS	120 FPS
medium	304 FPS	109 FPS
high	274 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	82 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Xeon Platinum 8160

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Platinum 8160
1080p
low	561 FPS	725 FPS
medium	561 FPS	725 FPS
high	561 FPS	725 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	652 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	710 FPS
medium	561 FPS	610 FPS
high	538 FPS	576 FPS
ultra	470 FPS	508 FPS
4K
low	499 FPS	458 FPS
medium	394 FPS	360 FPS
high	343 FPS	320 FPS
ultra	275 FPS	260 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Xeon Platinum 8160

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Platinum 8160
1080p
low	561 FPS	725 FPS
medium	561 FPS	725 FPS
high	561 FPS	670 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	583 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	679 FPS
medium	561 FPS	593 FPS
high	561 FPS	515 FPS
ultra	555 FPS	442 FPS
4K
low	561 FPS	477 FPS
medium	501 FPS	427 FPS
high	447 FPS	381 FPS
ultra	396 FPS	330 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 3700X Open Xeon Platinum 8160

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 3700X and Xeon Platinum 8160

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 Platinum 8160

The Xeon Platinum 8160 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 25 April 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 33 MB. L2 cache: 24 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 150 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 28,989 points. Launch price was $4,702.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 7 3700X packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Xeon Platinum 8160 offers 24 cores / 48 threads — the Xeon Platinum 8160 has 16 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3700X versus 3.7 GHz on the Xeon Platinum 8160 — a 17.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 3700X (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon Platinum 8160 uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 3700X scores 22,430 against the Xeon Platinum 8160's 28,989 — a 25.5% lead for the Xeon Platinum 8160. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 3700X vs 33 MB on the Xeon Platinum 8160.

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Platinum 8160
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	24 / 48+200%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+19%	3.7 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+71%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB	33 MB+3%
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	24 MB+4700%
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	22,430	28,989+29%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 7 3700X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Platinum 8160 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 Platinum 8160 — the Xeon Platinum 8160 supports 199.4% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon Platinum 8160 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 Platinum 8160). PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 7 3700X) vs 48 (Xeon Platinum 8160) — the Xeon Platinum 8160 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 Platinum 8160).

Feature	Ryzen 7 3700X	Xeon Platinum 8160
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%