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

✅+66.2% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 19 MB).
✅Costs $1,648 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $1,947 MSRP).
✅Delivers 505.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 73.1 vs 12.1 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $1,947 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-2175 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (21,845 vs 23,507).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-2175, which brings 14 cores / 28 threads.

Xeon W-2175

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.7% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 14 cores / 28 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (19 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 12.1 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($1,947 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌115.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 65W.

Ryzen 5 5600X

2020

Xeon W-2175

2017

Why buy it

✅+66.2% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 19 MB).
✅Costs $1,648 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $1,947 MSRP).
✅Delivers 505.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 73.1 vs 12.1 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $1,947 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.7% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 14 cores / 28 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-2175 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (21,845 vs 23,507).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-2175, which brings 14 cores / 28 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (19 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 12.1 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($1,947 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌115.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon W-2175 better than Ryzen 5 5600X?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-2175 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, Xeon W-2175 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 20.7% 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, Xeon W-2175 is the better fit. You are getting 7.6% better PassMark, backed by 14 cores and 28 threads.

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

Xeon W-2175 is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 5600X makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Xeon W-2175 is 551.2% more expensive on MSRP at $1,947 MSRP versus $299 MSRP, and it gives you a 20.7% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 5600X is also 505.1% better value on MSRP (73.1 vs 12.1 PassMark/$), 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 2017) and 66.2% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 19 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 W-2175 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon W-2175
1080p
low	203 FPS	167 FPS
medium	174 FPS	147 FPS
high	140 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	107 FPS	97 FPS
1440p
low	169 FPS	139 FPS
medium	141 FPS	118 FPS
high	113 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	79 FPS
4K
low	85 FPS	73 FPS
medium	76 FPS	67 FPS
high	60 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	47 FPS	41 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Xeon W-2175

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon W-2175
1080p
low	464 FPS	430 FPS
medium	387 FPS	380 FPS
high	324 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	291 FPS	298 FPS
1440p
low	397 FPS	378 FPS
medium	334 FPS	339 FPS
high	290 FPS	294 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	257 FPS
4K
low	263 FPS	245 FPS
medium	226 FPS	219 FPS
high	205 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	171 FPS	178 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Xeon W-2175

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon W-2175
1080p
low	546 FPS	588 FPS
medium	473 FPS	588 FPS
high	432 FPS	588 FPS
ultra	358 FPS	588 FPS
1440p
low	508 FPS	588 FPS
medium	413 FPS	588 FPS
high	375 FPS	588 FPS
ultra	312 FPS	567 FPS
4K
low	348 FPS	511 FPS
medium	292 FPS	426 FPS
high	255 FPS	383 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	317 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Xeon W-2175

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon W-2175
1080p
low	546 FPS	588 FPS
medium	546 FPS	588 FPS
high	546 FPS	588 FPS
ultra	546 FPS	588 FPS
1440p
low	546 FPS	588 FPS
medium	546 FPS	588 FPS
high	546 FPS	588 FPS
ultra	524 FPS	557 FPS
4K
low	529 FPS	588 FPS
medium	484 FPS	554 FPS
high	435 FPS	485 FPS
ultra	379 FPS	410 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600X Open Xeon W-2175

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5600X and Xeon W-2175

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 W-2175

The Xeon W-2175 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 15 October 2017 (8 years ago). 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: DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133, DDR4-2400, DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 23,507 points. Launch price was $1,947.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 5600X packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon W-2175 offers 14 cores / 28 threads — the Xeon W-2175 has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600X versus 4.3 GHz on the Xeon W-2175 — a 6.7% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600X (base: 3.7 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5600X uses the Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon W-2175 uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5600X scores 21,845 against the Xeon W-2175's 23,507 — a 7.3% lead for the Xeon W-2175. L3 cache: 32 MB on the Ryzen 5 5600X vs 19.25 MB (total) on the Xeon W-2175.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon W-2175
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	14 / 28+133%
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz+7%	4.3 GHz
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+48%	2.5 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB+66%	19.25 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+100%
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	21,845	23,507+8%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 5600X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon W-2175 uses LGA2066 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon W-2175
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	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600X) / not specified (Xeon W-2175). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600X targets Desktop.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600X	Xeon W-2175
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 W-2175 debuted at $1947. On MSRP ($299 vs $1947), the Ryzen 5 5600X is $1648 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 5600X delivers 73.1 pts/$ vs 12.1 pts/$ for the Xeon W-2175 — making the Ryzen 5 5600X the 143.3% better value option.