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 7950X3D

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +35.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 120W instead of 155W, a 35W reduction.
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of LGA2011 and older memory support.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics, while Xeon E7-4890 v2 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E7-4890 v2, which brings 15 cores / 30 threads and 32 PCIe lanes.
❌Launch MSRP is still $699 MSRP, while Xeon E7-4890 v2 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon E7-4890 v2

2014

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 15 cores / 30 threads, plus 32 PCIe lanes vs 28.
✅14.3% more PCIe lanes (32 vs 28) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7950X3D across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (6,500 vs 38,581).
❌29.2% higher power demand at 155W vs 120W.
❌Older platform position on LGA2011, while Ryzen 9 7950X3D moves to AM5 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 7950X3D can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 9 7950X3D

2023

Xeon E7-4890 v2

2014

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +35.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 120W instead of 155W, a 35W reduction.
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of LGA2011 and older memory support.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics, while Xeon E7-4890 v2 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 15 cores / 30 threads, plus 32 PCIe lanes vs 28.
✅14.3% more PCIe lanes (32 vs 28) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E7-4890 v2, which brings 15 cores / 30 threads and 32 PCIe lanes.
❌Launch MSRP is still $699 MSRP, while Xeon E7-4890 v2 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7950X3D across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (6,500 vs 38,581).
❌29.2% higher power demand at 155W vs 120W.
❌Older platform position on LGA2011, while Ryzen 9 7950X3D moves to AM5 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 7950X3D can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 7950X3D better than Xeon E7-4890 v2?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E7-4890 v2 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 9 7950X3D 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 7950X3D is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 35.8% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests. It also has a big cache advantage at 128 MB vs 38 MB.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 7950X3D is the better fit. You are getting 493.6% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 16 cores and 32 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 241.3% larger total L3 cache (128 MB vs 38 MB).

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

Ryzen 9 7950X3D is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 9 7950X3D is at an unclear MSRP at $699 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 35.8% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (89.2 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 9 7950X3D is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2014), a healthier platform with AM5 and DDR5 instead of LGA2011, 3D V-Cache and a much larger 128 MB L3 cache instead of 38 MB, more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 32 threads instead of 15/30, and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. 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 9 7950X3D Benchmark Check

Xeon E7-4890 v2 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 7950X3D	Xeon E7-4890 v2
1080p
low	291 FPS	186 FPS
medium	265 FPS	148 FPS
high	219 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	186 FPS	92 FPS
1440p
low	275 FPS	153 FPS
medium	227 FPS	119 FPS
high	177 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	156 FPS	73 FPS
4K
low	190 FPS	72 FPS
medium	156 FPS	59 FPS
high	120 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	107 FPS	38 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 7950X3D Open Xeon E7-4890 v2

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 7950X3D	Xeon E7-4890 v2
1080p
low	734 FPS	368 FPS
medium	627 FPS	324 FPS
high	465 FPS	270 FPS
ultra	393 FPS	216 FPS
1440p
low	602 FPS	318 FPS
medium	536 FPS	282 FPS
high	413 FPS	238 FPS
ultra	326 FPS	184 FPS
4K
low	338 FPS	199 FPS
medium	305 FPS	178 FPS
high	268 FPS	152 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	121 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 7950X3D Open Xeon E7-4890 v2

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 9 7950X3D	Xeon E7-4890 v2
1080p
low	1025 FPS	774 FPS
medium	1122 FPS	774 FPS
high	1062 FPS	763 FPS
ultra	875 FPS	679 FPS
1440p
low	936 FPS	744 FPS
medium	845 FPS	638 FPS
high	775 FPS	605 FPS
ultra	656 FPS	537 FPS
4K
low	574 FPS	479 FPS
medium	498 FPS	376 FPS
high	447 FPS	335 FPS
ultra	378 FPS	274 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 7950X3D Open Xeon E7-4890 v2

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 9 7950X3D	Xeon E7-4890 v2
1080p
low	1082 FPS	774 FPS
medium	973 FPS	774 FPS
high	854 FPS	765 FPS
ultra	766 FPS	648 FPS
1440p
low	853 FPS	774 FPS
medium	751 FPS	686 FPS
high	659 FPS	586 FPS
ultra	569 FPS	493 FPS
4K
low	623 FPS	581 FPS
medium	555 FPS	506 FPS
high	493 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	426 FPS	377 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 7950X3D Open Xeon E7-4890 v2

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Xeon E7-4890 v2

Ryzen 9 7950X3D

The Ryzen 9 7950X3D is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 4 January 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 4.2 GHz, with boost up to 5.7 GHz. L3 cache: 128 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 5 nm, 6 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 120 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5200. Passmark benchmark score: 62,323 points. Launch price was $699.

Xeon E7-4890 v2

The Xeon E7-4890 v2 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It features 15 cores and 30 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 37.5 MB. Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 155 Watt. Memory support: DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600. Passmark benchmark score: 30,946 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 9 7950X3D packs 16 cores / 32 threads, while the Xeon E7-4890 v2 offers 15 cores / 30 threads — the Ryzen 9 7950X3D has 1 more core. Boost clocks reach 5.7 GHz on the Ryzen 9 7950X3D versus 3.4 GHz on the Xeon E7-4890 v2 — a 50.5% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 7950X3D (base: 4.2 GHz vs 2.8 GHz). The Ryzen 9 7950X3D is built on the Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) architecture. In PassMark, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D scores 62,323 against the Xeon E7-4890 v2's 30,946 — a 67.3% lead for the Ryzen 9 7950X3D. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 38,581 vs 6,500 (142.3% advantage for the Ryzen 9 7950X3D). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,926 vs 730, a 120.1% lead for the Ryzen 9 7950X3D that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 19,643 vs 5,500 (112.5% advantage for the Ryzen 9 7950X3D). L3 cache: 128 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 7950X3D vs 37.5 MB on the Xeon E7-4890 v2.

Feature	Ryzen 9 7950X3D	Xeon E7-4890 v2
Cores / Threads	16 / 32+7%	15 / 30
Boost Clock	5.7 GHz+68%	3.4 GHz
Base Clock	4.2 GHz+50%	2.8 GHz
L3 Cache	128 MB (total)+241%	37.5 MB
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	—
Process	5 nm, 6 nm-77%	22 nm
Architecture	Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023)	—
PassMark	62,323+101%	30,946
Cinebench R23 Multi	38,581+494%	6,500
Geekbench 6 Single	2,926+301%	730
Geekbench 6 Multi	19,643+257%	5,500

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 9 7950X3D uses the AM5 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Xeon E7-4890 v2 uses LGA2011 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-5200 on the Ryzen 9 7950X3D versus DDR3-1600 on the Xeon E7-4890 v2 — the Ryzen 9 7950X3D supports 50% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon E7-4890 v2 supports up to 1536 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 169.2% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Ryzen 9 7950X3D) vs 4 (Xeon E7-4890 v2). PCIe lanes: 28 (Ryzen 9 7950X3D) vs 32 (Xeon E7-4890 v2) — the Xeon E7-4890 v2 offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD X670E,AMD X670,AMD B650E,AMD B650 (Ryzen 9 7950X3D) and C602 (Xeon E7-4890 v2).

Feature	Ryzen 9 7950X3D	Xeon E7-4890 v2
Socket	AM5	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5200+67%	DDR3-1600
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	1536 GB+1100%
RAM Channels	2	4+100%
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	28	32+14%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 9 7950X3D has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Ryzen 9 7950X3D supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: true (Ryzen 9 7950X3D) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Xeon E7-4890 v2). The Ryzen 9 7950X3D includes integrated graphics (Radeon Graphics), while the Xeon E7-4890 v2 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Xeon E7-4890 v2 targets Enterprise Server (Legacy). Direct competitor: Ryzen 9 7950X3D rivals Core i9-13900K; Xeon E7-4890 v2 rivals Xeon E5-2697 v2.