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 8945H

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.7% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 8W instead of 150W, a 142W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7/FP7r2/FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA3647 and DDR4.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 780M, while Xeon Gold 5220R needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (30,240 vs 30,372).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 36 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 5220R, which brings 24 cores / 48 threads and 48 PCIe lanes.

Xeon Gold 5220R

2020

Why buy it

✅+0.4% higher PassMark.
✅+123.4% larger total L3 cache (36 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 24 cores / 48 threads, plus 48 PCIe lanes vs 20.
✅140% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 8945H across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $1,780 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 8945H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌1775% higher power demand at 150W vs 8W.
❌Older platform position on LGA3647 with DDR4, while Ryzen 9 8945H moves to FP7/FP7r2/FP8 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 8945H can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 9 8945H

2023

Xeon Gold 5220R

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.7% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 8W instead of 150W, a 142W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7/FP7r2/FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA3647 and DDR4.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 780M, while Xeon Gold 5220R needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+0.4% higher PassMark.
✅+123.4% larger total L3 cache (36 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 24 cores / 48 threads, plus 48 PCIe lanes vs 20.
✅140% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (30,240 vs 30,372).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 36 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 5220R, which brings 24 cores / 48 threads and 48 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 8945H across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $1,780 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 8945H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌1775% higher power demand at 150W vs 8W.
❌Older platform position on LGA3647 with DDR4, while Ryzen 9 8945H moves to FP7/FP7r2/FP8 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 8945H can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 8945H better than Xeon Gold 5220R?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 5220R makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 9 8945H 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 Gold 5220R is the better fit. You are getting 0.4% better PassMark, backed by 24 cores and 48 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 123.4% larger total L3 cache (36 MB vs 16 MB).

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

Ryzen 9 8945H is still the faster CPU overall, but Xeon Gold 5220R makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 9 8945H is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $1,780 MSRP, and it gives you a 11.7% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon Gold 5220R is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.4% better PassMark. Xeon Gold 5220R is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (17.1 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 8945H is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2020) and a healthier platform with FP7/FP7r2/FP8 and DDR5 instead of LGA3647. 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 8945H Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 5220R Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 8945H	Xeon Gold 5220R
1080p
low	269 FPS	196 FPS
medium	243 FPS	158 FPS
high	204 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	236 FPS	157 FPS
medium	193 FPS	123 FPS
high	157 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	139 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	164 FPS	72 FPS
medium	136 FPS	60 FPS
high	105 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	38 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 8945H Open Xeon Gold 5220R

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 8945H	Xeon Gold 5220R
1080p
low	513 FPS	233 FPS
medium	421 FPS	207 FPS
high	363 FPS	174 FPS
ultra	323 FPS	145 FPS
1440p
low	448 FPS	200 FPS
medium	388 FPS	180 FPS
high	334 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	285 FPS	123 FPS
4K
low	295 FPS	125 FPS
medium	267 FPS	114 FPS
high	253 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	217 FPS	86 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 8945H Open Xeon Gold 5220R

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 9 8945H	Xeon Gold 5220R
1080p
low	756 FPS	759 FPS
medium	756 FPS	759 FPS
high	647 FPS	759 FPS
ultra	546 FPS	753 FPS
1440p
low	756 FPS	759 FPS
medium	637 FPS	676 FPS
high	541 FPS	635 FPS
ultra	464 FPS	569 FPS
4K
low	541 FPS	492 FPS
medium	473 FPS	406 FPS
high	419 FPS	357 FPS
ultra	355 FPS	292 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 8945H Open Xeon Gold 5220R

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 9 8945H	Xeon Gold 5220R
1080p
low	756 FPS	759 FPS
medium	756 FPS	759 FPS
high	756 FPS	703 FPS
ultra	754 FPS	613 FPS
1440p
low	756 FPS	716 FPS
medium	756 FPS	628 FPS
high	660 FPS	539 FPS
ultra	573 FPS	466 FPS
4K
low	572 FPS	521 FPS
medium	511 FPS	465 FPS
high	457 FPS	408 FPS
ultra	394 FPS	351 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 8945H Open Xeon Gold 5220R

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 9 8945H and Xeon Gold 5220R

Ryzen 9 8945H

The Ryzen 9 8945H is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 December 2023 (1 year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB. L2 cache: 8 MB. Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP7/FP7r2/FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 8 MB + 16 MB. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 30,240 points. Launch price was $499.

Xeon Gold 5220R

The Xeon Gold 5220R is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 February 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture. It features 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 35.75 MB. L2 cache: 24 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 150 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2667. Passmark benchmark score: 30,372 points. Launch price was $1,555.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 9 8945H packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Xeon Gold 5220R offers 24 cores / 48 threads — the Xeon Gold 5220R has 16 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.2 GHz on the Ryzen 9 8945H versus 4 GHz on the Xeon Gold 5220R — a 26.1% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 8945H (base: 4 GHz vs 2.2 GHz). The Ryzen 9 8945H uses the Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024) architecture (4 nm), while the Xeon Gold 5220R uses Cascade Lake (2019−2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 9 8945H scores 30,240 against the Xeon Gold 5220R's 30,372 — a 0.4% lead for the Xeon Gold 5220R. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,617 vs 1,327, a 65.4% lead for the Ryzen 9 8945H that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 16 MB on the Ryzen 9 8945H vs 35.75 MB on the Xeon Gold 5220R.

Feature	Ryzen 9 8945H	Xeon Gold 5220R
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	24 / 48+200%
Boost Clock	5.2 GHz+30%	4 GHz
Base Clock	4 GHz+82%	2.2 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB	35.75 MB+123%
L2 Cache	8 MB	24 MB+200%
Process	4 nm-71%	14 nm
Architecture	Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024)	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)
PassMark	30,240	30,372
Cinebench R23 Multi	17,500	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,617+97%	1,327
Geekbench 6 Multi	12,662	—

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 9 8945H uses the FP7/FP7r2/FP8 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Gold 5220R uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-5600 on the Ryzen 9 8945H versus DDR4-2667 on the Xeon Gold 5220R — the Ryzen 9 8945H supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon Gold 5220R supports up to 1024 GB of RAM compared to 256 GB — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Ryzen 9 8945H) vs 6 (Xeon Gold 5220R). PCIe lanes: 20 (Ryzen 9 8945H) vs 48 (Xeon Gold 5220R) — the Xeon Gold 5220R offers 28 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: FP7,FP7r2,FP8 (Ryzen 9 8945H) and C620 (Xeon Gold 5220R).

Feature	Ryzen 9 8945H	Xeon Gold 5220R
Socket	FP7/FP7r2/FP8	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5600+25%	DDR4-2667
Max RAM Capacity	256 GB	1024 GB+300%
RAM Channels	2	6+200%
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	20	48+140%

🔧

Advanced Features

Both support AVX-512 instructions, benefiting scientific computing, AI inference, and encryption workloads. Virtualization support: AMD-V (Ryzen 9 8945H) vs Yes (Xeon Gold 5220R). The Ryzen 9 8945H includes integrated graphics (Radeon 780M), while the Xeon Gold 5220R requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 9 8945H targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Ryzen 9 8945H rivals Core i9-13900H.