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 9 5900

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +36.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+113.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 30 MB).
✅Draws 65W instead of 129W, a 64W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon D-2799, which brings 20 cores / 40 threads and 32 PCIe lanes.
❌Launch MSRP is still $549 MSRP, while Xeon D-2799 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Xeon D-2799

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 20 cores / 40 threads, plus 32 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅33.3% more PCIe lanes (32 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅AVX-512 support for select workstation, AI, and scientific workloads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5900 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (33,792 vs 33,912).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (30 MB vs 64 MB).
❌98.5% higher power demand at 129W vs 65W.

Ryzen 9 5900

2021

Xeon D-2799

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +36.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+113.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 30 MB).
✅Draws 65W instead of 129W, a 64W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 20 cores / 40 threads, plus 32 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅33.3% more PCIe lanes (32 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅AVX-512 support for select workstation, AI, and scientific workloads.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon D-2799, which brings 20 cores / 40 threads and 32 PCIe lanes.
❌Launch MSRP is still $549 MSRP, while Xeon D-2799 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5900 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (33,792 vs 33,912).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (30 MB vs 64 MB).
❌98.5% higher power demand at 129W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 5900 better than Xeon D-2799?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon D-2799 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 9 5900 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, Ryzen 9 5900 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 36.0% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 5900 is the better fit. You are getting 0.4% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 24 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 113.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 30 MB).

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

Ryzen 9 5900 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 9 5900 is at an unclear MSRP at $549 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 36.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (61.8 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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?

Xeon D-2799 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2021) and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. 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 9 5900 Benchmark Check

Xeon D-2799 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900	Xeon D-2799
1080p
low	164 FPS	184 FPS
medium	135 FPS	154 FPS
high	117 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	98 FPS	97 FPS
1440p
low	150 FPS	147 FPS
medium	120 FPS	118 FPS
high	99 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	73 FPS
4K
low	84 FPS	70 FPS
medium	72 FPS	59 FPS
high	58 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	47 FPS	36 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900 Open Xeon D-2799

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900	Xeon D-2799
1080p
low	734 FPS	364 FPS
medium	625 FPS	316 FPS
high	495 FPS	262 FPS
ultra	437 FPS	213 FPS
1440p
low	608 FPS	313 FPS
medium	529 FPS	281 FPS
high	440 FPS	238 FPS
ultra	361 FPS	190 FPS
4K
low	358 FPS	202 FPS
medium	314 FPS	183 FPS
high	286 FPS	155 FPS
ultra	253 FPS	124 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900 Open Xeon D-2799

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900	Xeon D-2799
1080p
low	805 FPS	721 FPS
medium	627 FPS	581 FPS
high	543 FPS	504 FPS
ultra	449 FPS	441 FPS
1440p
low	690 FPS	587 FPS
medium	543 FPS	478 FPS
high	469 FPS	415 FPS
ultra	393 FPS	362 FPS
4K
low	490 FPS	429 FPS
medium	404 FPS	333 FPS
high	359 FPS	285 FPS
ultra	296 FPS	229 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900 Open Xeon D-2799

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900	Xeon D-2799
1080p
low	848 FPS	845 FPS
medium	848 FPS	785 FPS
high	836 FPS	680 FPS
ultra	744 FPS	585 FPS
1440p
low	848 FPS	682 FPS
medium	760 FPS	596 FPS
high	665 FPS	513 FPS
ultra	570 FPS	442 FPS
4K
low	626 FPS	466 FPS
medium	559 FPS	418 FPS
high	494 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	426 FPS	326 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900 Open Xeon D-2799

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 9 5900 and Xeon D-2799

Ryzen 9 5900

The Ryzen 9 5900 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 4.7 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 33,912 points. Launch price was $499.

Xeon D-2799

The Xeon D-2799 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 February 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Ice Lake-D (2022−2023) architecture. It features 20 cores and 40 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 30 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA2579. Thermal design power (TDP): 129 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 33,792 points. Launch price was $1,972.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 9 5900 packs 12 cores / 24 threads, while the Xeon D-2799 offers 20 cores / 40 threads — the Xeon D-2799 has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.7 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5900 versus 3.4 GHz on the Xeon D-2799 — a 32.1% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 5900 (base: 3 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Ryzen 9 5900 uses the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon D-2799 uses Ice Lake-D (2022−2023) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 9 5900 scores 33,912 against the Xeon D-2799's 33,792 — a 0.4% lead for the Ryzen 9 5900. L3 cache: 64 MB on the Ryzen 9 5900 vs 30 MB (total) on the Xeon D-2799.

Feature	Ryzen 9 5900	Xeon D-2799
Cores / Threads	12 / 24	20 / 40+67%
Boost Clock	4.7 GHz+38%	3.4 GHz
Base Clock	3 GHz+25%	2.4 GHz
L3 Cache	64 MB+113%	30 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)+150%
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-30%	10 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (2020−2025)	Ice Lake-D (2022−2023)
PassMark	33,912	33,792
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	20,000
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,959
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,895

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 9 5900 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon D-2799 uses FCBGA2579 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-3200 memory speed. The Xeon D-2799 supports up to 1024 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 155.6% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Ryzen 9 5900) vs 4 (Xeon D-2799). PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 9 5900) vs 32 (Xeon D-2799) — the Xeon D-2799 offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Ryzen 9 5900	Xeon D-2799
Socket	AM4	FCBGA2579
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	1024 GB+700%
RAM Channels	2	4+100%
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	24	32+33%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 9 5900 has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Xeon D-2799 supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: AMD-V (Ryzen 9 5900) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Xeon D-2799). Primary use case: Ryzen 9 5900 targets OEM Gaming, Xeon D-2799 targets Edge Server / Networking. Direct competitor: Xeon D-2799 rivals EPYC 7302.