Ryzen 9 5900X vs Xeon Phi 7290

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: +61.4% higher average FPS across 35 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 105W instead of 245W, a 140W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Phi 7290, which brings 72 cores / 288 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $549 MSRP, while Xeon Phi 7290 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon Phi 7290

2016

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 72 cores / 288 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5900X across 35 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (17,839 vs 38,955).
❌133.3% higher power demand at 245W vs 105W.

Ryzen 9 5900X

2020

Xeon Phi 7290

2016

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +61.4% higher average FPS across 35 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 105W instead of 245W, a 140W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 72 cores / 288 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Phi 7290, which brings 72 cores / 288 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $549 MSRP, while Xeon Phi 7290 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5900X across 35 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (17,839 vs 38,955).
❌133.3% higher power demand at 245W vs 105W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 5900X better than Xeon Phi 7290?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Phi 7290 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 gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 9 5900X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 61.4% more average FPS across 35 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 5900X is the better fit. You are getting 118.4% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 24 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 at an unclear MSRP at $549 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 61.4% average FPS lead across 35 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (71.0 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 9 5900X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2016) and more multi-core headroom with 12 cores / 24 threads instead of 72/288. 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 Phi 7290 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon Phi 7290
1080p
low	323 FPS	177 FPS
medium	291 FPS	143 FPS
high	243 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	193 FPS	88 FPS
1440p
low	307 FPS	141 FPS
medium	248 FPS	111 FPS
high	192 FPS	87 FPS
ultra	157 FPS	68 FPS
4K
low	193 FPS	66 FPS
medium	156 FPS	56 FPS
high	115 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	34 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Xeon Phi 7290

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon Phi 7290
1080p
low	772 FPS	136 FPS
medium	647 FPS	120 FPS
high	508 FPS	109 FPS
ultra	450 FPS	86 FPS
1440p
low	619 FPS	120 FPS
medium	536 FPS	108 FPS
high	443 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	364 FPS	77 FPS
4K
low	365 FPS	87 FPS
medium	318 FPS	81 FPS
high	289 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	255 FPS	56 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Xeon Phi 7290

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon Phi 7290
1080p
low	832 FPS	446 FPS
medium	645 FPS	446 FPS
high	558 FPS	446 FPS
ultra	459 FPS	446 FPS
1440p
low	721 FPS	446 FPS
medium	565 FPS	434 FPS
high	488 FPS	374 FPS
ultra	407 FPS	326 FPS
4K
low	511 FPS	394 FPS
medium	421 FPS	306 FPS
high	374 FPS	259 FPS
ultra	308 FPS	209 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Xeon Phi 7290

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon Phi 7290
1080p
low	974 FPS	446 FPS
medium	974 FPS	446 FPS
high	934 FPS	446 FPS
ultra	826 FPS	446 FPS
1440p
low	959 FPS	446 FPS
medium	843 FPS	446 FPS
high	726 FPS	446 FPS
ultra	617 FPS	420 FPS
4K
low	694 FPS	446 FPS
medium	621 FPS	405 FPS
high	541 FPS	361 FPS
ultra	437 FPS	310 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Xeon Phi 7290

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 9 5900X and Xeon Phi 7290

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 Phi 7290

The Xeon Phi 7290 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Knights Landing (2016) architecture. It features 72 cores and 288 threads. Base frequency is 1.5 GHz, with boost up to 1.7 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 245 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 17,839 points. Launch price was $800.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 9 5900X packs 12 cores / 24 threads, while the Xeon Phi 7290 offers 72 cores / 288 threads — the Xeon Phi 7290 has 60 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5900X versus 1.7 GHz on the Xeon Phi 7290 — a 95.4% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 5900X (base: 3.7 GHz vs 1.5 GHz). The Ryzen 9 5900X uses the Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon Phi 7290 uses Knights Landing (2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 9 5900X scores 38,955 against the Xeon Phi 7290's 17,839 — a 74.4% lead for the Ryzen 9 5900X. L3 cache: 64 MB on the Ryzen 9 5900X vs 0 kB (total) on the Xeon Phi 7290.

Feature	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon Phi 7290
Cores / Threads	12 / 24	72 / 288+500%
Boost Clock	4.8 GHz+182%	1.7 GHz
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+147%	1.5 GHz
L3 Cache	64 MB	0 kB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512 kB (per core)
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022)	Knights Landing (2016)
PassMark	38,955+118%	17,839
Cinebench R23 Multi	21,000	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,174	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	11,888	—

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 9 5900X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Phi 7290 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon Phi 7290
Socket	AM4	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	24	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Ryzen 9 5900X) / not specified (Xeon Phi 7290). Primary use case: Ryzen 9 5900X targets Workstation. Direct competitor: Ryzen 9 5900X rivals Core i9-12900K.