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 9 5900X

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +25.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 48 MB).
✅Costs $2,441 less on MSRP ($549 MSRP vs $2,990 MSRP).
✅Delivers 427.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 71.0 vs 13.5 PassMark/$ ($549 MSRP vs $2,990 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 205W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (38,955 vs 40,225).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6338, which brings 32 cores / 64 threads and 64 PCIe lanes.
❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Xeon Gold 6338

2021

Why buy it

✅+3.3% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 32 cores / 64 threads, plus 64 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅166.7% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5900X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (48 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.5 vs 71.0 PassMark/$ ($2,990 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
❌95.2% higher power demand at 205W vs 105W.

Ryzen 9 5900X

2020

Xeon Gold 6338

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +25.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 48 MB).
✅Costs $2,441 less on MSRP ($549 MSRP vs $2,990 MSRP).
✅Delivers 427.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 71.0 vs 13.5 PassMark/$ ($549 MSRP vs $2,990 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 205W, a 100W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+3.3% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 32 cores / 64 threads, plus 64 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅166.7% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (38,955 vs 40,225).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6338, which brings 32 cores / 64 threads and 64 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 9 5900X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (48 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.5 vs 71.0 PassMark/$ ($2,990 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
❌95.2% higher power demand at 205W vs 105W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 5900X better than Xeon Gold 6338?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 6338 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 9 5900X 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 6338 is the better fit. You are getting 3.3% better PassMark, backed by 32 cores and 64 threads.

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

Ryzen 9 5900X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 9 5900X is $2,441 cheaper on MSRP at $549 MSRP versus $2,990 MSRP, and it gives you a 25.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon Gold 6338 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 3.3% better PassMark. It is also 427.4% better value on MSRP (71.0 vs 13.5 PassMark/$), 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 6338 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2020), more multi-core headroom with 32 cores / 64 threads instead of 12/24, 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 9 5900X Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 6338 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon Gold 6338
1080p
low	323 FPS	186 FPS
medium	291 FPS	149 FPS
high	243 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	193 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	307 FPS	152 FPS
medium	248 FPS	118 FPS
high	192 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	157 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	193 FPS	71 FPS
medium	156 FPS	59 FPS
high	115 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	37 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Xeon Gold 6338

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon Gold 6338
1080p
low	772 FPS	233 FPS
medium	647 FPS	208 FPS
high	508 FPS	173 FPS
ultra	450 FPS	139 FPS
1440p
low	619 FPS	199 FPS
medium	536 FPS	181 FPS
high	443 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	364 FPS	119 FPS
4K
low	365 FPS	124 FPS
medium	318 FPS	115 FPS
high	289 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	255 FPS	82 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Xeon Gold 6338

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon Gold 6338
1080p
low	832 FPS	969 FPS
medium	645 FPS	848 FPS
high	558 FPS	802 FPS
ultra	459 FPS	712 FPS
1440p
low	721 FPS	775 FPS
medium	565 FPS	669 FPS
high	488 FPS	632 FPS
ultra	407 FPS	561 FPS
4K
low	511 FPS	498 FPS
medium	421 FPS	393 FPS
high	374 FPS	350 FPS
ultra	308 FPS	285 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Xeon Gold 6338

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon Gold 6338
1080p
low	974 FPS	884 FPS
medium	974 FPS	800 FPS
high	934 FPS	687 FPS
ultra	826 FPS	587 FPS
1440p
low	959 FPS	691 FPS
medium	843 FPS	606 FPS
high	726 FPS	518 FPS
ultra	617 FPS	440 FPS
4K
low	694 FPS	499 FPS
medium	621 FPS	446 FPS
high	541 FPS	390 FPS
ultra	437 FPS	336 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Xeon Gold 6338

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 9 5900X and Xeon Gold 6338

Ryzen 9 5900X

The Ryzen 9 5900X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 November 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 38,955 points. Launch price was $549.

Xeon Gold 6338

The Xeon Gold 6338 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It features 32 cores and 64 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 48 MB. Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4189. Thermal design power (TDP): 205 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 40,225 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 9 5900X packs 12 cores / 24 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6338 offers 32 cores / 64 threads — the Xeon Gold 6338 has 20 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5900X versus 3.2 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6338 — a 40% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 5900X (base: 3.7 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Ryzen 9 5900X is built on the Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022) architecture. In PassMark, the Ryzen 9 5900X scores 38,955 against the Xeon Gold 6338's 40,225 — a 3.2% lead for the Xeon Gold 6338. L3 cache: 64 MB on the Ryzen 9 5900X vs 48 MB on the Xeon Gold 6338.

Feature	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon Gold 6338
Cores / Threads	12 / 24	32 / 64+167%
Boost Clock	4.8 GHz+50%	3.2 GHz
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+85%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	64 MB+33%	48 MB
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	—
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-30%	10 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022)	—
PassMark	38,955	40,225+3%
Cinebench R23 Multi	21,000	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,174	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	11,888	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 9 5900X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Gold 6338 uses LGA4189 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 9 5900X versus 3200 on the Xeon Gold 6338 — the Xeon Gold 6338 supports 199.5% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon Gold 6338 supports up to 6144 of RAM compared to 128 GB — 191.8% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Ryzen 9 5900X) vs 8 (Xeon Gold 6338). PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 9 5900X) vs 64 (Xeon Gold 6338) — the Xeon Gold 6338 offers 40 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: A320,B350,X370,B450,X470,B550,X570 (Ryzen 9 5900X) and C621A (Xeon Gold 6338).

Feature	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon Gold 6338
Socket	AM4	LGA4189
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	3200+79900%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+2184433%	6144
RAM Channels	2	8+300%
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	24	64+167%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 9 5900X has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Xeon Gold 6338 supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: AMD-V (Ryzen 9 5900X) vs VT-x, VT-d (Xeon Gold 6338). Primary use case: Ryzen 9 5900X targets Workstation. Direct competitor: Ryzen 9 5900X rivals Core i9-12900K; Xeon Gold 6338 rivals EPYC 7543.

Feature	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon Gold 6338
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	—	None
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	AMD-V	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	Workstation	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 9 5900X launched at $549 MSRP, while the Xeon Gold 6338 debuted at $2990. On MSRP ($549 vs $2990), the Ryzen 9 5900X is $2441 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 9 5900X delivers 71.0 pts/$ vs 13.5 pts/$ for the Xeon Gold 6338 — making the Ryzen 9 5900X the 136.2% better value option.