Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 vs Xeon E5-1680 v3

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

✅+0.4% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $1,524 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $1,723 MSRP).
✅Delivers 769.5% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 67.0 vs 7.7 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $1,723 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E5-1680 v3 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-1680 v3, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads and 40 PCIe lanes.

Xeon E5-1680 v3

2014

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.3% 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, plus 40 PCIe lanes vs 0.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (13,273 vs 13,330).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 7.7 vs 67.0 PassMark/$ ($1,723 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌115.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 65W.

Ryzen 5 PRO 2600

2018

Xeon E5-1680 v3

2014

Why buy it

✅+0.4% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $1,524 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $1,723 MSRP).
✅Delivers 769.5% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 67.0 vs 7.7 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $1,723 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.3% 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, plus 40 PCIe lanes vs 0.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E5-1680 v3 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-1680 v3, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads and 40 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (13,273 vs 13,330).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 7.7 vs 67.0 PassMark/$ ($1,723 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌115.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 better than Xeon E5-1680 v3?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E5-1680 v3 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 streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 is the better fit. You are getting 0.4% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 is $1,524 cheaper on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $1,723 MSRP, and it gives you 0.4% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Xeon E5-1680 v3 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 9.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 769.5% better value on MSRP (67.0 vs 7.7 PassMark/$), 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 2600 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2018 vs 2014) and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 8/16. 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 PRO 2600 Benchmark Check

Xeon E5-1680 v3 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 PRO 2600	Xeon E5-1680 v3
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 E5-1680 v3

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 PRO 2600	Xeon E5-1680 v3
1080p
low	255 FPS	332 FPS
medium	221 FPS	332 FPS
high	197 FPS	295 FPS
ultra	157 FPS	252 FPS
1440p
low	229 FPS	332 FPS
medium	201 FPS	303 FPS
high	179 FPS	259 FPS
ultra	146 FPS	218 FPS
4K
low	180 FPS	215 FPS
medium	161 FPS	195 FPS
high	142 FPS	177 FPS
ultra	107 FPS	145 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 Open Xeon E5-1680 v3

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 PRO 2600	Xeon E5-1680 v3
1080p
low	333 FPS	332 FPS
medium	333 FPS	332 FPS
high	333 FPS	332 FPS
ultra	333 FPS	332 FPS
1440p
low	333 FPS	332 FPS
medium	333 FPS	332 FPS
high	333 FPS	332 FPS
ultra	302 FPS	332 FPS
4K
low	333 FPS	332 FPS
medium	270 FPS	332 FPS
high	238 FPS	332 FPS
ultra	189 FPS	286 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 Open Xeon E5-1680 v3

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 PRO 2600	Xeon E5-1680 v3
1080p
low	333 FPS	332 FPS
medium	333 FPS	332 FPS
high	333 FPS	332 FPS
ultra	333 FPS	332 FPS
1440p
low	333 FPS	332 FPS
medium	333 FPS	332 FPS
high	333 FPS	332 FPS
ultra	333 FPS	332 FPS
4K
low	333 FPS	332 FPS
medium	333 FPS	332 FPS
high	333 FPS	332 FPS
ultra	320 FPS	332 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 Open Xeon E5-1680 v3

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 and Xeon E5-1680 v3

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 E5-1680 v3

The Xeon E5-1680 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) 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 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1333, DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133. Passmark benchmark score: 13,273 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon E5-1680 v3 offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Xeon E5-1680 v3 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.9 GHz on the Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 versus 3.8 GHz on the Xeon E5-1680 v3 — 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 E5-1680 v3 uses Haswell-EP (2014−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 scores 13,330 against the Xeon E5-1680 v3's 13,273 — a 0.4% lead for the Ryzen 5 PRO 2600. L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 vs 20 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-1680 v3.

Feature	Ryzen 5 PRO 2600	Xeon E5-1680 v3
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-45%	22 nm
Architecture	Zen+ (2018−2019)	Haswell-EP (2014−2015)
PassMark	13,330	13,273
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,141
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	8,782

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon E5-1680 v3 uses LGA2011 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 PRO 2600	Xeon E5-1680 v3
Socket	AM4	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-2133
Max RAM Capacity	—	768 GB
RAM Channels	—	4
ECC Support	—	Yes
PCIe Lanes	—	40

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Ryzen 5 PRO 2600) / Yes (Xeon E5-1680 v3).

Feature	Ryzen 5 PRO 2600	Xeon E5-1680 v3
Integrated GPU	—	No
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	Yes

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 launched at $199 MSRP, while the Xeon E5-1680 v3 debuted at $1723. On MSRP ($199 vs $1723), the Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 is $1524 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 delivers 67.0 pts/$ vs 7.7 pts/$ for the Xeon E5-1680 v3 — making the Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 the 158.7% better value option.