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: +7.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+66.2% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 39 MB).
✅Costs $2,450 less on MSRP ($549 MSRP vs $2,999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 361.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 71.0 vs 15.4 PassMark/$ ($549 MSRP vs $2,999 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 255W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (21,000 vs 31,350).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-3175X, which brings 28 cores / 56 threads and 48 PCIe lanes.
❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Xeon W-3175X

2018

Why buy it

✅+49.3% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅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 9 5900X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (39 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 15.4 vs 71.0 PassMark/$ ($2,999 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
❌142.9% higher power demand at 255W vs 105W.

Ryzen 9 5900X

2020

Xeon W-3175X

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+66.2% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 39 MB).
✅Costs $2,450 less on MSRP ($549 MSRP vs $2,999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 361.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 71.0 vs 15.4 PassMark/$ ($549 MSRP vs $2,999 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 255W, a 150W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+49.3% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅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 Cinebench R23 multi-core (21,000 vs 31,350).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-3175X, which brings 28 cores / 56 threads and 48 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 (39 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 15.4 vs 71.0 PassMark/$ ($2,999 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
❌142.9% higher power demand at 255W vs 105W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 5900X better than Xeon W-3175X?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-3175X 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 W-3175X is the better fit. You are getting 49.3% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 28 cores and 56 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 $2,450 cheaper on MSRP at $549 MSRP versus $2,999 MSRP, and it gives you a 7.8% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon W-3175X is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 49.3% better Cinebench R23 multi-core. It is also 361.4% better value on MSRP (71.0 vs 15.4 PassMark/$), 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 2018) and 66.2% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 39 MB). 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 9 5900X Benchmark Check

Xeon W-3175X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon W-3175X
1080p
low	323 FPS	195 FPS
medium	291 FPS	157 FPS
high	243 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	193 FPS	99 FPS
1440p
low	307 FPS	160 FPS
medium	248 FPS	125 FPS
high	192 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	157 FPS	77 FPS
4K
low	193 FPS	73 FPS
medium	156 FPS	60 FPS
high	115 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	39 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Xeon W-3175X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon W-3175X
1080p
low	772 FPS	443 FPS
medium	647 FPS	387 FPS
high	508 FPS	316 FPS
ultra	450 FPS	260 FPS
1440p
low	619 FPS	382 FPS
medium	536 FPS	336 FPS
high	443 FPS	278 FPS
ultra	364 FPS	221 FPS
4K
low	365 FPS	238 FPS
medium	318 FPS	211 FPS
high	289 FPS	187 FPS
ultra	255 FPS	154 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Xeon W-3175X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon W-3175X
1080p
low	832 FPS	1018 FPS
medium	645 FPS	908 FPS
high	558 FPS	877 FPS
ultra	459 FPS	790 FPS
1440p
low	721 FPS	734 FPS
medium	565 FPS	634 FPS
high	488 FPS	602 FPS
ultra	407 FPS	538 FPS
4K
low	511 FPS	469 FPS
medium	421 FPS	369 FPS
high	374 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	308 FPS	270 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Xeon W-3175X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon W-3175X
1080p
low	974 FPS	938 FPS
medium	974 FPS	850 FPS
high	934 FPS	735 FPS
ultra	826 FPS	639 FPS
1440p
low	959 FPS	743 FPS
medium	843 FPS	650 FPS
high	726 FPS	559 FPS
ultra	617 FPS	479 FPS
4K
low	694 FPS	536 FPS
medium	621 FPS	476 FPS
high	541 FPS	419 FPS
ultra	437 FPS	363 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Xeon W-3175X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 9 5900X and Xeon W-3175X

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-3175X

The Xeon W-3175X is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 December 2018 (6 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 28 cores and 56 threads. Base frequency is 3.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 38.5 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 255 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 46,125 points. Launch price was $2,999.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 9 5900X packs 12 cores / 24 threads, while the Xeon W-3175X offers 28 cores / 56 threads — the Xeon W-3175X has 16 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5900X versus 3.8 GHz on the Xeon W-3175X — a 23.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 5900X (base: 3.7 GHz vs 3.1 GHz). The Ryzen 9 5900X uses the Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon W-3175X uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 9 5900X scores 38,955 against the Xeon W-3175X's 46,125 — a 16.9% lead for the Xeon W-3175X. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 21,000 vs 31,350 (39.5% advantage for the Xeon W-3175X). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,174 vs 1,467, a 38.8% lead for the Ryzen 9 5900X that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 11,888 vs 17,358 (37.4% advantage for the Xeon W-3175X). L3 cache: 64 MB on the Ryzen 9 5900X vs 38.5 MB (total) on the Xeon W-3175X.

Feature	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon W-3175X
Cores / Threads	12 / 24	28 / 56+133%
Boost Clock	4.8 GHz+26%	3.8 GHz
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+19%	3.1 GHz
L3 Cache	64 MB+66%	38.5 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	46,125+18%
Cinebench R23 Multi	21,000	31,350+49%
Geekbench 6 Single	2,174+48%	1,467
Geekbench 6 Multi	11,888	17,358+46%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 9 5900X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon W-3175X uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-3200 memory speed. The Xeon W-3175X supports up to 512 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Ryzen 9 5900X) vs 6 (Xeon W-3175X). PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 9 5900X) vs 48 (Xeon W-3175X) — the Xeon W-3175X offers 24 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: A320,B350,X370,B450,X470,B550,X570 (Ryzen 9 5900X) and Intel C621 (Xeon W-3175X).

Feature	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon W-3175X
Socket	AM4	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR4-2666
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	512 GB+300%
RAM Channels	2	6+200%
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	24	48+100%

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Only the Xeon W-3175X supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: AMD-V (Ryzen 9 5900X) vs VT-x, VT-d (Xeon W-3175X). Primary use case: Ryzen 9 5900X targets Workstation. Direct competitor: Ryzen 9 5900X rivals Core i9-12900K.

Feature	Ryzen 9 5900X	Xeon W-3175X
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
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 W-3175X debuted at $2999. On MSRP ($549 vs $2999), the Ryzen 9 5900X is $2450 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 9 5900X delivers 71.0 pts/$ vs 15.4 pts/$ for the Xeon W-3175X — making the Ryzen 9 5900X the 128.7% better value option.