Ryzen 9 5900X vs Xeon W-2170B

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: +43.9% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+232.5% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 19 MB).
✅Draws 105W instead of 140W, a 35W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-2170B, which brings 14 cores / 28 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $549 MSRP, while Xeon W-2170B mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon W-2170B

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 14 cores / 28 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5900X across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (24,448 vs 38,955).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (19 MB vs 64 MB).
❌33.3% higher power demand at 140W vs 105W.

Ryzen 9 5900X

2020

Xeon W-2170B

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +43.9% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+232.5% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 19 MB).
✅Draws 105W instead of 140W, a 35W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 14 cores / 28 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-2170B, which brings 14 cores / 28 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $549 MSRP, while Xeon W-2170B mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5900X across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (24,448 vs 38,955).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (19 MB vs 64 MB).
❌33.3% higher power demand at 140W vs 105W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 5900X better than Xeon W-2170B?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-2170B 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 43.9% more average FPS across 2 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 59.3% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 24 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 232.5% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 19 MB).

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 $549 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 43.9% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (71.0 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 2017), 232.5% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 19 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 12 cores / 24 threads instead of 14/28. 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 W-2170B Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon W-2170B
1080p
low	323 FPS	167 FPS
medium	291 FPS	147 FPS
high	243 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	193 FPS	97 FPS
1440p
low	307 FPS	139 FPS
medium	248 FPS	118 FPS
high	192 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	157 FPS	79 FPS
4K
low	193 FPS	73 FPS
medium	156 FPS	67 FPS
high	115 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	41 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Xeon W-2170B

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon W-2170B
1080p
low	772 FPS	430 FPS
medium	647 FPS	380 FPS
high	508 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	450 FPS	298 FPS
1440p
low	619 FPS	378 FPS
medium	536 FPS	339 FPS
high	443 FPS	294 FPS
ultra	364 FPS	257 FPS
4K
low	365 FPS	245 FPS
medium	318 FPS	219 FPS
high	289 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	255 FPS	178 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Xeon W-2170B

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon W-2170B
1080p
low	832 FPS	611 FPS
medium	645 FPS	611 FPS
high	558 FPS	611 FPS
ultra	459 FPS	611 FPS
1440p
low	721 FPS	611 FPS
medium	565 FPS	611 FPS
high	488 FPS	611 FPS
ultra	407 FPS	567 FPS
4K
low	511 FPS	511 FPS
medium	421 FPS	426 FPS
high	374 FPS	383 FPS
ultra	308 FPS	317 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Xeon W-2170B

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon W-2170B
1080p
low	974 FPS	611 FPS
medium	974 FPS	611 FPS
high	934 FPS	611 FPS
ultra	826 FPS	611 FPS
1440p
low	959 FPS	611 FPS
medium	843 FPS	611 FPS
high	726 FPS	611 FPS
ultra	617 FPS	557 FPS
4K
low	694 FPS	611 FPS
medium	621 FPS	554 FPS
high	541 FPS	485 FPS
ultra	437 FPS	410 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Xeon W-2170B

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 9 5900X and Xeon W-2170B

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 W-2170B

The Xeon W-2170B is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 14 cores and 28 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.3 GHz. L3 cache: 19.25 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2066. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 24,448 points. Launch price was $800.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 9 5900X packs 12 cores / 24 threads, while the Xeon W-2170B offers 14 cores / 28 threads — the Xeon W-2170B has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5900X versus 4.3 GHz on the Xeon W-2170B — a 11% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 5900X (base: 3.7 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Ryzen 9 5900X uses the Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon W-2170B uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 9 5900X scores 38,955 against the Xeon W-2170B's 24,448 — a 45.8% lead for the Ryzen 9 5900X. L3 cache: 64 MB on the Ryzen 9 5900X vs 19.25 MB (total) on the Xeon W-2170B.

Feature	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon W-2170B
Cores / Threads	12 / 24	14 / 28+17%
Boost Clock	4.8 GHz+12%	4.3 GHz
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+48%	2.5 GHz
L3 Cache	64 MB+232%	19.25 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+100%
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	38,955+59%	24,448
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 W-2170B uses LGA2066 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon W-2170B
Socket	AM4	LGA2066
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 W-2170B). Primary use case: Ryzen 9 5900X targets Workstation. Direct competitor: Ryzen 9 5900X rivals Core i9-12900K.