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 9850HX

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.3% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+52.4% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 42 MB).
✅Draws 55W instead of 235W, a 180W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FL1 with DDR5 support instead of LGA4189 and DDR4.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon 610M, while Xeon Gold 6348 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (51,665 vs 51,843).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6348, which brings 28 cores / 56 threads and 64 PCIe lanes.

Xeon Gold 6348

2021

Why buy it

✅+0.3% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 28 cores / 56 threads, plus 64 PCIe lanes vs 28.
✅128.6% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 28) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 9850HX across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (42 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $3,583 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 9850HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌327.3% higher power demand at 235W vs 55W.
❌Older platform position on LGA4189 with DDR4, while Ryzen 9 9850HX moves to FL1 and DDR5.

Ryzen 9 9850HX

2025

Xeon Gold 6348

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.3% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+52.4% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 42 MB).
✅Draws 55W instead of 235W, a 180W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FL1 with DDR5 support instead of LGA4189 and DDR4.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon 610M, while Xeon Gold 6348 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+0.3% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 28 cores / 56 threads, plus 64 PCIe lanes vs 28.
✅128.6% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 28) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (51,665 vs 51,843).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6348, which brings 28 cores / 56 threads and 64 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 9850HX across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (42 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $3,583 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 9850HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌327.3% higher power demand at 235W vs 55W.
❌Older platform position on LGA4189 with DDR4, while Ryzen 9 9850HX moves to FL1 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 9850HX better than Xeon Gold 6348?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 6348 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 9 9850HX 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 6348 is the better fit. You are getting 0.3% better PassMark, backed by 28 cores and 56 threads.

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

Ryzen 9 9850HX is still the faster CPU overall, but Xeon Gold 6348 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 9 9850HX is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $3,583 MSRP, and it gives you a 10.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon Gold 6348 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.3% better PassMark. Xeon Gold 6348 is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (14.5 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 9850HX is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2021), a healthier platform with FL1 and DDR5 instead of LGA4189, and 52.4% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 42 MB). 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 9850HX Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 6348 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 9850HX	Xeon Gold 6348
1080p
low	268 FPS	185 FPS
medium	244 FPS	149 FPS
high	208 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	180 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	253 FPS	154 FPS
medium	207 FPS	120 FPS
high	163 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	146 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	175 FPS	72 FPS
medium	144 FPS	60 FPS
high	107 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	38 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 9850HX Open Xeon Gold 6348

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 9850HX	Xeon Gold 6348
1080p
low	669 FPS	416 FPS
medium	576 FPS	364 FPS
high	433 FPS	296 FPS
ultra	375 FPS	237 FPS
1440p
low	564 FPS	356 FPS
medium	503 FPS	317 FPS
high	391 FPS	264 FPS
ultra	312 FPS	203 FPS
4K
low	318 FPS	221 FPS
medium	288 FPS	200 FPS
high	255 FPS	169 FPS
ultra	219 FPS	136 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 9850HX Open Xeon Gold 6348

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 9 9850HX	Xeon Gold 6348
1080p
low	849 FPS	986 FPS
medium	678 FPS	859 FPS
high	600 FPS	812 FPS
ultra	514 FPS	720 FPS
1440p
low	678 FPS	787 FPS
medium	542 FPS	676 FPS
high	469 FPS	639 FPS
ultra	397 FPS	567 FPS
4K
low	484 FPS	504 FPS
medium	400 FPS	397 FPS
high	360 FPS	353 FPS
ultra	302 FPS	288 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 9850HX Open Xeon Gold 6348

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 9 9850HX	Xeon Gold 6348
1080p
low	1072 FPS	954 FPS
medium	966 FPS	863 FPS
high	843 FPS	745 FPS
ultra	760 FPS	635 FPS
1440p
low	842 FPS	745 FPS
medium	747 FPS	652 FPS
high	652 FPS	559 FPS
ultra	566 FPS	476 FPS
4K
low	619 FPS	537 FPS
medium	553 FPS	479 FPS
high	487 FPS	420 FPS
ultra	421 FPS	363 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 9850HX Open Xeon Gold 6348

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 9 9850HX and Xeon Gold 6348

Ryzen 9 9850HX

The Ryzen 9 9850HX is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Fire Range-HX (Zen 5) (2025) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FL1. Thermal design power (TDP): 55 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 51,665 points. Launch price was $499.

Xeon Gold 6348

The Xeon Gold 6348 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Ice Lake-SP (2021) architecture. It features 28 cores and 56 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 42 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4189. Thermal design power (TDP): 235 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 51,843 points. Launch price was $800.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 9 9850HX packs 12 cores / 24 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6348 offers 28 cores / 56 threads — the Xeon Gold 6348 has 16 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.2 GHz on the Ryzen 9 9850HX versus 3.5 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6348 — a 39.1% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 9850HX (base: 3 GHz vs 2.6 GHz). The Ryzen 9 9850HX uses the Fire Range-HX (Zen 5) (2025) architecture (4 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6348 uses Ice Lake-SP (2021) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 9 9850HX scores 51,665 against the Xeon Gold 6348's 51,843 — a 0.3% lead for the Xeon Gold 6348. L3 cache: 64 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 9850HX vs 42 MB (total) on the Xeon Gold 6348.

Feature	Ryzen 9 9850HX	Xeon Gold 6348
Cores / Threads	12 / 24	28 / 56+133%
Boost Clock	5.2 GHz+49%	3.5 GHz
Base Clock	3 GHz+15%	2.6 GHz
L3 Cache	64 MB (total)+52%	42 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	1 MB (per core)
Process	4 nm-60%	10 nm
Architecture	Fire Range-HX (Zen 5) (2025)	Ice Lake-SP (2021)
PassMark	51,665	51,843

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 9 9850HX uses the FL1 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Xeon Gold 6348 uses LGA4189 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 5600 on the Ryzen 9 9850HX versus 3200 on the Xeon Gold 6348 — the Ryzen 9 9850HX supports 54.5% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon Gold 6348 supports up to 4096 of RAM compared to 192 — 182.1% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Ryzen 9 9850HX) vs 8 (Xeon Gold 6348). PCIe lanes: 28 (Ryzen 9 9850HX) vs 64 (Xeon Gold 6348) — the Xeon Gold 6348 offers 36 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: FL1 (Ryzen 9 9850HX) and C621A (Xeon Gold 6348).

Feature	Ryzen 9 9850HX	Xeon Gold 6348
Socket	FL1	LGA4189
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	5600+75%	3200
Max RAM Capacity	192	4096+2033%
RAM Channels	2	8+300%
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	28	64+129%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 9 9850HX has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Both support AVX-512 instructions, benefiting scientific computing, AI inference, and encryption workloads. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, AMD-V (Ryzen 9 9850HX) vs VT-x, VT-d (Xeon Gold 6348). The Ryzen 9 9850HX includes integrated graphics (AMD Radeon 610M), while the Xeon Gold 6348 requires a dedicated GPU. Direct competitor: Ryzen 9 9850HX rivals Core Ultra 7 255HX; Xeon Gold 6348 rivals EPYC 7543.