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 AI 5 330

2025

Why buy it

✅Costs $1,740 less on MSRP ($350 MSRP vs $2,090 MSRP).
✅Delivers 490.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 36.6 vs 6.2 PassMark/$ ($350 MSRP vs $2,090 MSRP).
✅Draws 28W instead of 120W, a 92W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA2011-3 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E5-2685 v3 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (12,794 vs 12,944).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 30 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-2685 v3, which brings 12 cores / 12 threads.

Xeon E5-2685 v3

2014

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +12.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+650% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 4 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 12 cores / 12 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 6.2 vs 36.6 PassMark/$ ($2,090 MSRP vs $350 MSRP).
❌328.6% higher power demand at 120W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on LGA2011-3 with DDR4, while Ryzen AI 5 330 moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Ryzen AI 5 330

2025

Xeon E5-2685 v3

2014

Why buy it

✅Costs $1,740 less on MSRP ($350 MSRP vs $2,090 MSRP).
✅Delivers 490.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 36.6 vs 6.2 PassMark/$ ($350 MSRP vs $2,090 MSRP).
✅Draws 28W instead of 120W, a 92W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA2011-3 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +12.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+650% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 4 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 12 cores / 12 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E5-2685 v3 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (12,794 vs 12,944).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 30 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-2685 v3, which brings 12 cores / 12 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 6.2 vs 36.6 PassMark/$ ($2,090 MSRP vs $350 MSRP).
❌328.6% higher power demand at 120W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on LGA2011-3 with DDR4, while Ryzen AI 5 330 moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon E5-2685 v3 better than Ryzen AI 5 330?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E5-2685 v3 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen AI 5 330 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, Xeon E5-2685 v3 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 12.8% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon E5-2685 v3 is the better fit. You are getting 1.2% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 650% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 4 MB).

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

Xeon E5-2685 v3 is the smarter buy by a wide margin for any fresh desktop build. Xeon E5-2685 v3 is 497.1% more expensive on MSRP at $2,090 MSRP versus $350 MSRP, and it gives you a 12.8% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen AI 5 330 only looks good on raw value math because it is a cheap legacy laptop CPU, not because it is a serious desktop gaming option. It simply cannot keep up with modern games, especially when the gap is already 12.8% in the shared gaming data.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Ryzen AI 5 330 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2014) and a healthier platform with FP8 and DDR5 instead of LGA2011-3. 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 AI 5 330 Benchmark Check

Xeon E5-2685 v3 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen AI 5 330	Xeon E5-2685 v3
1080p
low	169 FPS	161 FPS
medium	136 FPS	141 FPS
high	110 FPS	114 FPS
ultra	88 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	142 FPS	135 FPS
medium	113 FPS	115 FPS
high	91 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	74 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	79 FPS	63 FPS
medium	67 FPS	57 FPS
high	53 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	35 FPS

Open Ryzen AI 5 330 Open Xeon E5-2685 v3

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen AI 5 330	Xeon E5-2685 v3
1080p
low	168 FPS	324 FPS
medium	142 FPS	293 FPS
high	128 FPS	249 FPS
ultra	111 FPS	204 FPS
1440p
low	142 FPS	282 FPS
medium	122 FPS	259 FPS
high	114 FPS	221 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	180 FPS
4K
low	101 FPS	184 FPS
medium	90 FPS	168 FPS
high	77 FPS	146 FPS
ultra	65 FPS	115 FPS

Open Ryzen AI 5 330 Open Xeon E5-2685 v3

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen AI 5 330	Xeon E5-2685 v3
1080p
low	320 FPS	324 FPS
medium	320 FPS	324 FPS
high	320 FPS	324 FPS
ultra	320 FPS	324 FPS
1440p
low	320 FPS	324 FPS
medium	320 FPS	324 FPS
high	320 FPS	324 FPS
ultra	320 FPS	324 FPS
4K
low	320 FPS	324 FPS
medium	320 FPS	324 FPS
high	286 FPS	310 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	254 FPS

Open Ryzen AI 5 330 Open Xeon E5-2685 v3

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen AI 5 330	Xeon E5-2685 v3
1080p
low	320 FPS	324 FPS
medium	320 FPS	324 FPS
high	320 FPS	324 FPS
ultra	320 FPS	324 FPS
1440p
low	320 FPS	324 FPS
medium	320 FPS	324 FPS
high	320 FPS	324 FPS
ultra	320 FPS	324 FPS
4K
low	320 FPS	324 FPS
medium	320 FPS	324 FPS
high	320 FPS	324 FPS
ultra	320 FPS	324 FPS

Open Ryzen AI 5 330 Open Xeon E5-2685 v3

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen AI 5 330 and Xeon E5-2685 v3

Ryzen AI 5 330

The Ryzen AI 5 330 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 16 July 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Krackan Point 2 (2025) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR5, LPDDR5X. Passmark benchmark score: 12,794 points. Launch price was $149.

Xeon E5-2685 v3

The Xeon E5-2685 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture. It features 12 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 30 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011-3. Thermal design power (TDP): 120 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133. Passmark benchmark score: 12,944 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen AI 5 330 packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Xeon E5-2685 v3 offers 12 cores / 12 threads — the Xeon E5-2685 v3 has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.5 GHz on the Ryzen AI 5 330 versus 3.3 GHz on the Xeon E5-2685 v3 — a 30.8% clock advantage for the Ryzen AI 5 330 (base: 2 GHz vs 2.6 GHz). The Ryzen AI 5 330 uses the Krackan Point 2 (2025) architecture (4 nm), while the Xeon E5-2685 v3 uses Haswell-EP (2014−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 12,794 against the Xeon E5-2685 v3's 12,944 — a 1.2% lead for the Xeon E5-2685 v3. L3 cache: 4 MB on the Ryzen AI 5 330 vs 30 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-2685 v3.

Feature	Ryzen AI 5 330	Xeon E5-2685 v3
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	12 / 12+200%
Boost Clock	4.5 GHz+36%	3.3 GHz
Base Clock	2 GHz	2.6 GHz+30%
L3 Cache	4 MB	30 MB (total)+650%
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)+300%	256K (per core)
Process	4 nm-82%	22 nm
Architecture	Krackan Point 2 (2025)	Haswell-EP (2014−2015)
PassMark	12,794	12,944+1%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen AI 5 330 uses the FP8 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon E5-2685 v3 uses LGA2011-3 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen AI 5 330	Xeon E5-2685 v3
Socket	FP8	LGA2011-3
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 5.0+25%

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen AI 5 330 launched at $350 MSRP, while the Xeon E5-2685 v3 debuted at $2090. On MSRP ($350 vs $2090), the Ryzen AI 5 330 is $1740 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen AI 5 330 delivers 36.6 pts/$ vs 6.2 pts/$ for the Xeon E5-2685 v3 — making the Ryzen AI 5 330 the 142% better value option.