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: +10.3% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 65W instead of 135W, a 70W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 40 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-4667 v3, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 73.1 vs 120.3 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $128 MSRP).

Xeon E5-4667 v3

2015

Why buy it

✅+25% larger total L3 cache (40 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads.
✅Costs $171 less on MSRP ($128 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 64.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 120.3 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($128 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (15,397 vs 21,845).
❌107.7% higher power demand at 135W vs 65W.

Ryzen 5 5600X

2020

Xeon E5-4667 v3

2015

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.3% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 65W instead of 135W, a 70W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅+25% larger total L3 cache (40 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads.
✅Costs $171 less on MSRP ($128 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 64.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 120.3 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($128 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 40 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-4667 v3, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 73.1 vs 120.3 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $128 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (15,397 vs 21,845).
❌107.7% higher power demand at 135W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5600X better than Xeon E5-4667 v3?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E5-4667 v3 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 10.3% more average FPS across 50 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 41.9% 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 still the faster CPU overall, but Xeon E5-4667 v3 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 5 5600X is 133.6% more expensive on MSRP at $299 MSRP versus $128 MSRP, and it gives you a 10.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Xeon E5-4667 v3 is also 64.6% better value on MSRP (120.3 vs 73.1 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds 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 2015) and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 16/32. 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 E5-4667 v3 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon E5-4667 v3
1080p
low	203 FPS	175 FPS
medium	174 FPS	151 FPS
high	140 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	107 FPS	96 FPS
1440p
low	169 FPS	147 FPS
medium	141 FPS	123 FPS
high	113 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	85 FPS	68 FPS
medium	76 FPS	61 FPS
high	60 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	47 FPS	38 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Xeon E5-4667 v3

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon E5-4667 v3
1080p
low	464 FPS	212 FPS
medium	387 FPS	193 FPS
high	324 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	291 FPS	132 FPS
1440p
low	397 FPS	183 FPS
medium	334 FPS	166 FPS
high	290 FPS	143 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	112 FPS
4K
low	263 FPS	115 FPS
medium	226 FPS	106 FPS
high	205 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	171 FPS	74 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Xeon E5-4667 v3

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon E5-4667 v3
1080p
low	546 FPS	385 FPS
medium	473 FPS	385 FPS
high	432 FPS	385 FPS
ultra	358 FPS	385 FPS
1440p
low	508 FPS	385 FPS
medium	413 FPS	385 FPS
high	375 FPS	385 FPS
ultra	312 FPS	385 FPS
4K
low	348 FPS	385 FPS
medium	292 FPS	359 FPS
high	255 FPS	324 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	270 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Xeon E5-4667 v3

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon E5-4667 v3
1080p
low	546 FPS	385 FPS
medium	546 FPS	385 FPS
high	546 FPS	385 FPS
ultra	546 FPS	385 FPS
1440p
low	546 FPS	385 FPS
medium	546 FPS	385 FPS
high	546 FPS	385 FPS
ultra	524 FPS	385 FPS
4K
low	529 FPS	385 FPS
medium	484 FPS	385 FPS
high	435 FPS	385 FPS
ultra	379 FPS	358 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Xeon E5-4667 v3

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5600X and Xeon E5-4667 v3

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 E5-4667 v3

The Xeon E5-4667 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 2.9 GHz. L3 cache: 40 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 135 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 15,397 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 5600X packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon E5-4667 v3 offers 16 cores / 32 threads — the Xeon E5-4667 v3 has 10 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600X versus 2.9 GHz on the Xeon E5-4667 v3 — a 45.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600X (base: 3.7 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5600X uses the Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon E5-4667 v3 uses Haswell-EP (2014−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5600X scores 21,845 against the Xeon E5-4667 v3's 15,397 — a 34.6% lead for the Ryzen 5 5600X. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 5 5600X vs 40 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-4667 v3.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon E5-4667 v3
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	16 / 32+167%
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz+59%	2.9 GHz
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+85%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB	40 MB (total)+25%
L2 Cache	512K (per core)+100%	256K (per core)
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-68%	22 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)	Haswell-EP (2014−2015)
PassMark	21,845+42%	15,397

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 5600X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon E5-4667 v3 uses LGA2011 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon E5-4667 v3
Socket	AM4	LGA2011
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	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600X) / not specified (Xeon E5-4667 v3). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600X targets Desktop.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon E5-4667 v3
Integrated GPU	No	—
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	AMD-V	—
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 5600X launched at $299 MSRP, while the Xeon E5-4667 v3 debuted at $128. On MSRP ($299 vs $128), the Xeon E5-4667 v3 is $171 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 5600X delivers 73.1 pts/$ vs 120.3 pts/$ for the Xeon E5-4667 v3 — making the Xeon E5-4667 v3 the 48.9% better value option.