Ryzen 5 PRO 220 vs Xeon W-1290

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 PRO 220

2025

Why buy it

✅Draws 6W instead of 80W, a 74W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7/FP7r2 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-1290 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (19,889 vs 20,112).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-1290, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.

Xeon W-1290

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+25% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $498 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 PRO 220 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌1233.3% higher power demand at 80W vs 6W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 PRO 220 moves to FP7/FP7r2 and DDR5.

Ryzen 5 PRO 220

2025

Xeon W-1290

2020

Why buy it

✅Draws 6W instead of 80W, a 74W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7/FP7r2 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+25% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-1290 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (19,889 vs 20,112).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-1290, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $498 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 PRO 220 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌1233.3% higher power demand at 80W vs 6W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 PRO 220 moves to FP7/FP7r2 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon W-1290 better than Ryzen 5 PRO 220?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-1290 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 5 PRO 220 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-1290 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 6.6% 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-1290 is the better fit. You are getting 1.1% better PassMark, backed by 10 cores and 20 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 25% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 16 MB).

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

Xeon W-1290 is the smarter buy today. Xeon W-1290 is at an unclear MSRP at $498 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 6.6% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (40.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 PRO 220 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2020) and a healthier platform with FP7/FP7r2 and DDR5 instead of LGA1200. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

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 PRO 220 Benchmark Check

Xeon W-1290 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 PRO 220	Xeon W-1290
1080p
low	259 FPS	256 FPS
medium	237 FPS	239 FPS
high	199 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	171 FPS	173 FPS
1440p
low	229 FPS	223 FPS
medium	191 FPS	188 FPS
high	155 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	159 FPS	156 FPS
medium	134 FPS	132 FPS
high	104 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	91 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 PRO 220 Open Xeon W-1290

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 PRO 220	Xeon W-1290
1080p
low	386 FPS	503 FPS
medium	320 FPS	503 FPS
high	284 FPS	451 FPS
ultra	248 FPS	411 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	503 FPS
medium	280 FPS	475 FPS
high	255 FPS	405 FPS
ultra	218 FPS	353 FPS
4K
low	243 FPS	317 FPS
medium	214 FPS	282 FPS
high	201 FPS	270 FPS
ultra	169 FPS	235 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 PRO 220 Open Xeon W-1290

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 PRO 220	Xeon W-1290
1080p
low	497 FPS	503 FPS
medium	497 FPS	503 FPS
high	497 FPS	503 FPS
ultra	497 FPS	419 FPS
1440p
low	497 FPS	503 FPS
medium	497 FPS	503 FPS
high	497 FPS	462 FPS
ultra	430 FPS	382 FPS
4K
low	484 FPS	469 FPS
medium	425 FPS	403 FPS
high	362 FPS	360 FPS
ultra	299 FPS	296 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 PRO 220 Open Xeon W-1290

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 PRO 220	Xeon W-1290
1080p
low	497 FPS	503 FPS
medium	497 FPS	503 FPS
high	497 FPS	503 FPS
ultra	497 FPS	503 FPS
1440p
low	497 FPS	503 FPS
medium	497 FPS	503 FPS
high	497 FPS	503 FPS
ultra	497 FPS	503 FPS
4K
low	497 FPS	503 FPS
medium	497 FPS	487 FPS
high	441 FPS	435 FPS
ultra	377 FPS	380 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 PRO 220 Open Xeon W-1290

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 PRO 220 and Xeon W-1290

Ryzen 5 PRO 220

The Ryzen 5 PRO 220 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point-U (Zen 4 + Zen 4c) (2023−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB. L2 cache: 6 MB. Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP7/FP7r2. Thermal design power (TDP): 6 MB + 16 MB. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 19,889 points. Launch price was $299.

Xeon W-1290

The Xeon W-1290 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Comet Lake (2020−2025) architecture. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 20,112 points. Launch price was $800.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 PRO 220 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon W-1290 offers 10 cores / 20 threads — the Xeon W-1290 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Ryzen 5 PRO 220 versus 5.1 GHz on the Xeon W-1290 — a 4% clock advantage for the Xeon W-1290 (base: 3.2 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Ryzen 5 PRO 220 uses the Hawk Point-U (Zen 4 + Zen 4c) (2023−2025) architecture (4 nm), while the Xeon W-1290 uses Comet Lake (2020−2025) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 PRO 220 scores 19,889 against the Xeon W-1290's 20,112 — a 1.1% lead for the Xeon W-1290. L3 cache: 16 MB on the Ryzen 5 PRO 220 vs 20 MB (total) on the Xeon W-1290.

Feature	Ryzen 5 PRO 220	Xeon W-1290
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	10 / 20+67%
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz	5.1 GHz+4%
Base Clock	3.2 GHz	3.2 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB	20 MB (total)+25%
L2 Cache	6 MB+2300%	256K (per core)
Process	4 nm-71%	14 nm
Architecture	Hawk Point-U (Zen 4 + Zen 4c) (2023−2025)	Comet Lake (2020−2025)
PassMark	19,889	20,112+1%

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 PRO 220 uses the FP7/FP7r2 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon W-1290 uses LGA1200 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 PRO 220	Xeon W-1290
Socket	FP7/FP7r2	LGA1200
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0

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Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 PRO 220 launched at $0 MSRP, while the Xeon W-1290 debuted at $498. On MSRP ($0 vs $498), the Ryzen 5 PRO 220 is $498 cheaper.