Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 vs Xeon E5-1660 v4

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 2600

2018

Why buy it

✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E5-1660 v4 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,330 vs 13,341).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-1660 v4, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Xeon E5-1660 v4 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon E5-1660 v4

2016

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.7% 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: 8 cores / 16 threads.

Trade-offs

❌115.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 65W.

Ryzen 5 PRO 2600

2018

Xeon E5-1660 v4

2016

Why buy it

✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.7% 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: 8 cores / 16 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E5-1660 v4 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (13,330 vs 13,341).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-1660 v4, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $199 MSRP, while Xeon E5-1660 v4 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌115.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon E5-1660 v4 better than Ryzen 5 PRO 2600?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E5-1660 v4 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 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 E5-1660 v4 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 9.7% 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 E5-1660 v4 is the better fit. You are getting 0.1% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 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 E5-1660 v4 is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Xeon E5-1660 v4 is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and it gives you a 9.7% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (67.0 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 PRO 2600 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2018 vs 2016). 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 PRO 2600 Benchmark Check

Xeon E5-1660 v4 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 PRO 2600	Xeon E5-1660 v4
1080p
low	186 FPS	166 FPS
medium	159 FPS	144 FPS
high	131 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	97 FPS
1440p
low	152 FPS	139 FPS
medium	125 FPS	118 FPS
high	100 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	64 FPS
medium	59 FPS	57 FPS
high	47 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	36 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 Open Xeon E5-1660 v4

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 PRO 2600	Xeon E5-1660 v4
1080p
low	255 FPS	334 FPS
medium	221 FPS	334 FPS
high	197 FPS	295 FPS
ultra	157 FPS	252 FPS
1440p
low	229 FPS	334 FPS
medium	201 FPS	303 FPS
high	179 FPS	259 FPS
ultra	146 FPS	218 FPS
4K
low	180 FPS	216 FPS
medium	161 FPS	195 FPS
high	142 FPS	177 FPS
ultra	107 FPS	145 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 Open Xeon E5-1660 v4

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 PRO 2600	Xeon E5-1660 v4
1080p
low	333 FPS	334 FPS
medium	333 FPS	334 FPS
high	333 FPS	334 FPS
ultra	333 FPS	334 FPS
1440p
low	333 FPS	334 FPS
medium	333 FPS	334 FPS
high	333 FPS	334 FPS
ultra	302 FPS	334 FPS
4K
low	333 FPS	334 FPS
medium	270 FPS	334 FPS
high	238 FPS	334 FPS
ultra	189 FPS	285 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 Open Xeon E5-1660 v4

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 PRO 2600	Xeon E5-1660 v4
1080p
low	333 FPS	334 FPS
medium	333 FPS	334 FPS
high	333 FPS	334 FPS
ultra	333 FPS	334 FPS
1440p
low	333 FPS	334 FPS
medium	333 FPS	334 FPS
high	333 FPS	334 FPS
ultra	333 FPS	334 FPS
4K
low	333 FPS	334 FPS
medium	333 FPS	334 FPS
high	333 FPS	334 FPS
ultra	320 FPS	334 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 Open Xeon E5-1660 v4

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 and Xeon E5-1660 v4

Ryzen 5 PRO 2600

The Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 19 September 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Zen+ (2018−2019) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 13,330 points. Launch price was $149.

Xeon E5-1660 v4

The Xeon E5-1660 v4 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 20 June 2016 (9 years ago). It is based on the Broadwell-EP (2016) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133, DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 13,341 points. Launch price was $1,113.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon E5-1660 v4 offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Xeon E5-1660 v4 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.9 GHz on the Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 versus 3.8 GHz on the Xeon E5-1660 v4 — a 2.6% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 (base: 3.4 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 uses the Zen+ (2018−2019) architecture (12 nm), while the Xeon E5-1660 v4 uses Broadwell-EP (2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 scores 13,330 against the Xeon E5-1660 v4's 13,341 — a 0.1% lead for the Xeon E5-1660 v4. L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 vs 20 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-1660 v4.

Feature	Ryzen 5 PRO 2600	Xeon E5-1660 v4
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	3.9 GHz+3%	3.8 GHz
Base Clock	3.4 GHz+6%	3.2 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)	20 MB (total)+25%
L2 Cache	512K (per core)+100%	256K (per core)
Process	12 nm-14%	14 nm
Architecture	Zen+ (2018−2019)	Broadwell-EP (2016)
PassMark	13,330	13,341

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon E5-1660 v4 uses LGA2011 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.