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 5980HX

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.5% higher average FPS across 45 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 45W instead of 140W, a 95W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (8CU), while Xeon W-2175 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (23,300 vs 23,507).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 19 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-2175, which brings 14 cores / 28 threads.

Xeon W-2175

2017

Why buy it

✅+0.9% higher PassMark.
✅+20.3% larger total L3 cache (19 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 14 cores / 28 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5980HX across 45 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $1,947 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 5980HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌211.1% higher power demand at 140W vs 45W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 5980HX can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 9 5980HX

2021

Xeon W-2175

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.5% higher average FPS across 45 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 45W instead of 140W, a 95W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (8CU), while Xeon W-2175 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+0.9% higher PassMark.
✅+20.3% larger total L3 cache (19 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 14 cores / 28 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (23,300 vs 23,507).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 19 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-2175, which brings 14 cores / 28 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5980HX across 45 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $1,947 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 5980HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌211.1% higher power demand at 140W vs 45W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 5980HX can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 5980HX better than Xeon W-2175?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-2175 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 9 5980HX 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, Xeon W-2175 is the better fit. You are getting 0.9% better PassMark, backed by 14 cores and 28 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 20.3% larger total L3 cache (19 MB vs 16 MB).

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

Ryzen 9 5980HX is still the faster CPU overall, but Xeon W-2175 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 9 5980HX is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $1,947 MSRP, and it gives you a 6.5% average FPS lead across 45 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon W-2175 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.9% better PassMark. Xeon W-2175 is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (12.1 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 9 5980HX is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2017). 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 5980HX Benchmark Check

Xeon W-2175 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 5980HX	Xeon W-2175
1080p
low	260 FPS	167 FPS
medium	239 FPS	147 FPS
high	201 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	97 FPS
1440p
low	231 FPS	139 FPS
medium	192 FPS	118 FPS
high	156 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	136 FPS	79 FPS
4K
low	159 FPS	73 FPS
medium	134 FPS	67 FPS
high	103 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	91 FPS	41 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5980HX Open Xeon W-2175

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 5980HX	Xeon W-2175
1080p
low	428 FPS	430 FPS
medium	356 FPS	380 FPS
high	308 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	273 FPS	298 FPS
1440p
low	357 FPS	378 FPS
medium	312 FPS	339 FPS
high	276 FPS	294 FPS
ultra	236 FPS	257 FPS
4K
low	245 FPS	245 FPS
medium	220 FPS	219 FPS
high	207 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	180 FPS	178 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5980HX Open Xeon W-2175

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 9 5980HX	Xeon W-2175
1080p
low	582 FPS	588 FPS
medium	582 FPS	588 FPS
high	576 FPS	588 FPS
ultra	472 FPS	588 FPS
1440p
low	582 FPS	588 FPS
medium	532 FPS	588 FPS
high	451 FPS	588 FPS
ultra	372 FPS	567 FPS
4K
low	456 FPS	511 FPS
medium	396 FPS	426 FPS
high	347 FPS	383 FPS
ultra	282 FPS	317 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5980HX Open Xeon W-2175

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 9 5980HX	Xeon W-2175
1080p
low	582 FPS	588 FPS
medium	582 FPS	588 FPS
high	582 FPS	588 FPS
ultra	582 FPS	588 FPS
1440p
low	582 FPS	588 FPS
medium	582 FPS	588 FPS
high	554 FPS	588 FPS
ultra	475 FPS	557 FPS
4K
low	511 FPS	588 FPS
medium	460 FPS	554 FPS
high	405 FPS	485 FPS
ultra	348 FPS	410 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5980HX Open Xeon W-2175

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 9 5980HX and Xeon W-2175

Ryzen 9 5980HX

The Ryzen 9 5980HX is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 23,300 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 9 5980HX packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Xeon W-2175 offers 14 cores / 28 threads — the Xeon W-2175 has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5980HX versus 4.3 GHz on the Xeon W-2175 — a 11% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 5980HX (base: 3.3 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Ryzen 9 5980HX uses the Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021) architecture (7 nm), while the Xeon W-2175 uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 9 5980HX scores 23,300 against the Xeon W-2175's 23,507 — a 0.9% lead for the Xeon W-2175. L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 5980HX vs 19.25 MB (total) on the Xeon W-2175.

Feature	Ryzen 9 5980HX	Xeon W-2175
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	14 / 28+75%
Boost Clock	4.8 GHz+12%	4.3 GHz
Base Clock	3.3 GHz+32%	2.5 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)	19.25 MB (total)+20%
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	1 MB (per core)+100%
Process	7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	23,300	23,507

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 9 5980HX uses the FP6 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon W-2175 uses LGA2066 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 9 5980HX	Xeon W-2175
Socket	FP6	LGA2066
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	LPDDR4-4266	—
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Ryzen 9 5980HX) / not specified (Xeon W-2175). The Ryzen 9 5980HX includes integrated graphics (Radeon Graphics (8CU)), while the Xeon W-2175 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 9 5980HX targets Mobile High-End.