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 5 5600X

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $1,842 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $2,141 MSRP).
✅Delivers 786.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 73.1 vs 8.2 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $2,141 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 160W, a 95W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-2687W v4, which brings 12 cores / 24 threads and 40 PCIe lanes.

Xeon E5-2687W v4

2016

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 12 cores / 24 threads, plus 40 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅66.7% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (17,640 vs 21,845).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 8.2 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($2,141 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌146.2% higher power demand at 160W vs 65W.

Ryzen 5 5600X

2020

Xeon E5-2687W v4

2016

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $1,842 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $2,141 MSRP).
✅Delivers 786.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 73.1 vs 8.2 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $2,141 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 160W, a 95W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 12 cores / 24 threads, plus 40 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅66.7% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-2687W v4, which brings 12 cores / 24 threads and 40 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (17,640 vs 21,845).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 8.2 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($2,141 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌146.2% higher power demand at 160W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5600X better than Xeon E5-2687W v4?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E5-2687W v4 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 5 5600X 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 5 5600X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 9.9% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 5600X is the better fit. You are getting 23.8% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 5600X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 5600X is $1,842 cheaper on MSRP at $299 MSRP versus $2,141 MSRP, and it gives you a 9.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 786.7% better value on MSRP (73.1 vs 8.2 PassMark/$), 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 5 5600X 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 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 12/24. 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 5 5600X Benchmark Check

Xeon E5-2687W v4 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon E5-2687W v4
1080p
low	203 FPS	163 FPS
medium	174 FPS	141 FPS
high	140 FPS	114 FPS
ultra	107 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	169 FPS	137 FPS
medium	141 FPS	116 FPS
high	113 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	73 FPS
4K
low	85 FPS	63 FPS
medium	76 FPS	57 FPS
high	60 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	47 FPS	35 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Xeon E5-2687W v4

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon E5-2687W v4
1080p
low	464 FPS	326 FPS
medium	387 FPS	295 FPS
high	324 FPS	255 FPS
ultra	291 FPS	210 FPS
1440p
low	397 FPS	282 FPS
medium	334 FPS	258 FPS
high	290 FPS	224 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	183 FPS
4K
low	263 FPS	183 FPS
medium	226 FPS	167 FPS
high	205 FPS	145 FPS
ultra	171 FPS	115 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Xeon E5-2687W v4

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon E5-2687W v4
1080p
low	546 FPS	441 FPS
medium	473 FPS	441 FPS
high	432 FPS	441 FPS
ultra	358 FPS	441 FPS
1440p
low	508 FPS	441 FPS
medium	413 FPS	441 FPS
high	375 FPS	441 FPS
ultra	312 FPS	441 FPS
4K
low	348 FPS	441 FPS
medium	292 FPS	375 FPS
high	255 FPS	341 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	284 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Xeon E5-2687W v4

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon E5-2687W v4
1080p
low	546 FPS	441 FPS
medium	546 FPS	441 FPS
high	546 FPS	441 FPS
ultra	546 FPS	441 FPS
1440p
low	546 FPS	441 FPS
medium	546 FPS	441 FPS
high	546 FPS	441 FPS
ultra	524 FPS	441 FPS
4K
low	529 FPS	441 FPS
medium	484 FPS	441 FPS
high	435 FPS	415 FPS
ultra	379 FPS	348 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Xeon E5-2687W v4

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5600X and Xeon E5-2687W v4

Ryzen 5 5600X

The Ryzen 5 5600X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 November 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 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. Passmark benchmark score: 21,845 points. Launch price was $299.

Xeon E5-2687W v4

The Xeon E5-2687W v4 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 20 June 2016 (9 years ago). It is based on the Broadwell (2015−2019) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 30 MB. L2 cache: 3 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 160 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133, DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 17,640 points. Launch price was $2,141.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 5600X packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon E5-2687W v4 offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the Xeon E5-2687W v4 has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600X versus 3.5 GHz on the Xeon E5-2687W v4 — a 27.2% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600X (base: 3.7 GHz vs 3 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5600X uses the Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon E5-2687W v4 uses Broadwell (2015−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5600X scores 21,845 against the Xeon E5-2687W v4's 17,640 — a 21.3% lead for the Ryzen 5 5600X. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 5 5600X vs 30 MB on the Xeon E5-2687W v4.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon E5-2687W v4
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	12 / 24+100%
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz+31%	3.5 GHz
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+23%	3 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB+7%	30 MB
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	3 MB+500%
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)	Broadwell (2015−2019)
PassMark	21,845+24%	17,640
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,063
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	8,255

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 5600X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon E5-2687W v4 uses LGA2011 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-3200 memory speed. The Xeon E5-2687W v4 supports up to 1536 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 169.2% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Ryzen 5 5600X) vs 4 (Xeon E5-2687W v4). PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 5 5600X) vs 40 (Xeon E5-2687W v4) — the Xeon E5-2687W v4 offers 16 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD 500 series,AMD 400 series,AMD 300 series (Ryzen 5 5600X) and C610,X99 (Xeon E5-2687W v4).

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon E5-2687W v4
Socket	AM4	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR4-2400
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	1536 GB+1100%
RAM Channels	2	4+100%
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	24	40+67%

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600X) vs Yes (Xeon E5-2687W v4). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600X targets Desktop.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon E5-2687W v4
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	AMD-V	Yes
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 5600X launched at $299 MSRP, while the Xeon E5-2687W v4 debuted at $2141. On MSRP ($299 vs $2141), the Ryzen 5 5600X is $1842 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 5600X delivers 73.1 pts/$ vs 8.2 pts/$ for the Xeon E5-2687W v4 — making the Ryzen 5 5600X the 159.5% better value option.