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: +6.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+29.3% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 MB).
✅Costs $3,059 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $3,358 MSRP).
✅Delivers 827.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 73.1 vs 7.9 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $3,358 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 165W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,845 vs 26,447).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6150, which brings 18 cores / 36 threads.

Xeon Gold 6150

2017

Why buy it

✅+21.1% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 18 cores / 36 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (25 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 7.9 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($3,358 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌153.8% higher power demand at 165W vs 65W.

Ryzen 5 5600X

2020

Xeon Gold 6150

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+29.3% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 MB).
✅Costs $3,059 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $3,358 MSRP).
✅Delivers 827.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 73.1 vs 7.9 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $3,358 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 165W, a 100W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+21.1% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 18 cores / 36 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,845 vs 26,447).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6150, which brings 18 cores / 36 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (25 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 7.9 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($3,358 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌153.8% higher power demand at 165W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5600X better than Xeon Gold 6150?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 6150 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 streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 6150 is the better fit. You are getting 21.1% better PassMark, backed by 18 cores and 36 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 $3,059 cheaper on MSRP at $299 MSRP versus $3,358 MSRP, and it gives you a 6.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon Gold 6150 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 21.1% better PassMark. It is also 827.7% better value on MSRP (73.1 vs 7.9 PassMark/$), 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 2017) and 29.3% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 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 5 5600X Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 6150 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon Gold 6150
1080p
low	203 FPS	182 FPS
medium	174 FPS	146 FPS
high	140 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	107 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	169 FPS	144 FPS
medium	141 FPS	114 FPS
high	113 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	85 FPS	67 FPS
medium	76 FPS	56 FPS
high	60 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	47 FPS	35 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Xeon Gold 6150

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon Gold 6150
1080p
low	464 FPS	400 FPS
medium	387 FPS	346 FPS
high	324 FPS	291 FPS
ultra	291 FPS	244 FPS
1440p
low	397 FPS	346 FPS
medium	334 FPS	307 FPS
high	290 FPS	259 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	216 FPS
4K
low	263 FPS	225 FPS
medium	226 FPS	200 FPS
high	205 FPS	180 FPS
ultra	171 FPS	148 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Xeon Gold 6150

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon Gold 6150
1080p
low	546 FPS	661 FPS
medium	473 FPS	661 FPS
high	432 FPS	661 FPS
ultra	358 FPS	655 FPS
1440p
low	508 FPS	661 FPS
medium	413 FPS	612 FPS
high	375 FPS	580 FPS
ultra	312 FPS	512 FPS
4K
low	348 FPS	462 FPS
medium	292 FPS	361 FPS
high	255 FPS	322 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	261 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Xeon Gold 6150

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon Gold 6150
1080p
low	546 FPS	661 FPS
medium	546 FPS	661 FPS
high	546 FPS	661 FPS
ultra	546 FPS	577 FPS
1440p
low	546 FPS	661 FPS
medium	546 FPS	598 FPS
high	546 FPS	516 FPS
ultra	524 FPS	443 FPS
4K
low	529 FPS	469 FPS
medium	484 FPS	421 FPS
high	435 FPS	377 FPS
ultra	379 FPS	327 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Xeon Gold 6150

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5600X and Xeon Gold 6150

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 Gold 6150

The Xeon Gold 6150 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 25 April 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 18 cores and 36 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 24.75 MB. L2 cache: 18 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 165 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 26,447 points. Launch price was $3,358.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 5600X packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6150 offers 18 cores / 36 threads — the Xeon Gold 6150 has 12 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600X versus 3.7 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6150 — a 21.7% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600X (base: 3.7 GHz vs 2.7 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5600X uses the Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6150 uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5600X scores 21,845 against the Xeon Gold 6150's 26,447 — a 19.1% lead for the Xeon Gold 6150. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 5 5600X vs 24.75 MB on the Xeon Gold 6150.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon Gold 6150
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	18 / 36+200%
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz+24%	3.7 GHz
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+37%	2.7 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB+29%	24.75 MB
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	18 MB+3500%
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	21,845	26,447+21%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 5600X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Gold 6150 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon Gold 6150
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	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600X) / not specified (Xeon Gold 6150). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600X targets Desktop.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon Gold 6150
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 Gold 6150 debuted at $3358. On MSRP ($299 vs $3358), the Ryzen 5 5600X is $3059 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 5600X delivers 73.1 pts/$ vs 7.9 pts/$ for the Xeon Gold 6150 — making the Ryzen 5 5600X the 161.1% better value option.