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 Max PRO 390

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +33.5% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 48 MB).
✅Costs $2,600 less on MSRP ($600 MSRP vs $3,200 MSRP).
✅Delivers 447.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 72.0 vs 13.2 PassMark/$ ($600 MSRP vs $3,200 MSRP).
✅Draws 55W instead of 185W, a 130W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6338N, which brings 32 cores / 64 threads and 64 PCIe lanes.

Xeon Gold 6338N

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 32 cores / 64 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 AI Max PRO 390 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (42,086 vs 43,174).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (48 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.2 vs 72.0 PassMark/$ ($3,200 MSRP vs $600 MSRP).
❌236.4% higher power demand at 185W vs 55W.

Ryzen AI Max PRO 390

2025

Xeon Gold 6338N

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +33.5% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 48 MB).
✅Costs $2,600 less on MSRP ($600 MSRP vs $3,200 MSRP).
✅Delivers 447.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 72.0 vs 13.2 PassMark/$ ($600 MSRP vs $3,200 MSRP).
✅Draws 55W instead of 185W, a 130W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 32 cores / 64 threads, plus 64 PCIe lanes vs 28.
✅128.6% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 28) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6338N, which brings 32 cores / 64 threads and 64 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (42,086 vs 43,174).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (48 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.2 vs 72.0 PassMark/$ ($3,200 MSRP vs $600 MSRP).
❌236.4% higher power demand at 185W vs 55W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 better than Xeon Gold 6338N?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 6338N makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 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 AI Max PRO 390 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 33.5% 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, Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 is the better fit. You are getting 2.6% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 24 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 48 MB).

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

Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 is $2,600 cheaper on MSRP at $600 MSRP versus $3,200 MSRP, and it gives you a 33.5% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 447.1% better value on MSRP (72.0 vs 13.2 PassMark/$), 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 AI Max PRO 390 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2021), a healthier platform with FP11 and DDR5 instead of LGA4189, 33.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 48 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 12 cores / 24 threads instead of 32/64. 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 Max PRO 390 Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 6338N Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen AI Max PRO 390	Xeon Gold 6338N
1080p
low	286 FPS	185 FPS
medium	253 FPS	149 FPS
high	213 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	185 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	266 FPS	154 FPS
medium	211 FPS	120 FPS
high	165 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	147 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	184 FPS	72 FPS
medium	147 FPS	60 FPS
high	108 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	38 FPS

Open Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 Open Xeon Gold 6338N

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen AI Max PRO 390	Xeon Gold 6338N
1080p
low	778 FPS	232 FPS
medium	656 FPS	208 FPS
high	517 FPS	172 FPS
ultra	459 FPS	139 FPS
1440p
low	654 FPS	199 FPS
medium	572 FPS	180 FPS
high	463 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	378 FPS	119 FPS
4K
low	368 FPS	124 FPS
medium	326 FPS	114 FPS
high	300 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	264 FPS	81 FPS

Open Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 Open Xeon Gold 6338N

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen AI Max PRO 390	Xeon Gold 6338N
1080p
low	1021 FPS	945 FPS
medium	783 FPS	826 FPS
high	685 FPS	781 FPS
ultra	580 FPS	692 FPS
1440p
low	818 FPS	747 FPS
medium	635 FPS	644 FPS
high	551 FPS	609 FPS
ultra	469 FPS	540 FPS
4K
low	565 FPS	479 FPS
medium	460 FPS	379 FPS
high	409 FPS	337 FPS
ultra	342 FPS	275 FPS

Open Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 Open Xeon Gold 6338N

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen AI Max PRO 390	Xeon Gold 6338N
1080p
low	1079 FPS	893 FPS
medium	1015 FPS	811 FPS
high	912 FPS	697 FPS
ultra	811 FPS	599 FPS
1440p
low	895 FPS	701 FPS
medium	788 FPS	615 FPS
high	689 FPS	526 FPS
ultra	605 FPS	450 FPS
4K
low	658 FPS	505 FPS
medium	582 FPS	452 FPS
high	514 FPS	396 FPS
ultra	437 FPS	344 FPS

Open Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 Open Xeon Gold 6338N

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 and Xeon Gold 6338N

Ryzen AI Max PRO 390

The Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Strix Halo (2025) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP11. Thermal design power (TDP): 55 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 43,174 points. Launch price was $499.

Xeon Gold 6338N

The Xeon Gold 6338N is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Ice Lake-SP (2021) architecture. It features 32 cores and 64 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 48 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4189. Thermal design power (TDP): 185 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2667. Passmark benchmark score: 42,086 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 packs 12 cores / 24 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6338N offers 32 cores / 64 threads — the Xeon Gold 6338N has 20 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 versus 3.5 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6338N — a 35.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 (base: 3.2 GHz vs 2.2 GHz). The Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 uses the Strix Halo (2025) architecture (4 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6338N uses Ice Lake-SP (2021) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 scores 43,174 against the Xeon Gold 6338N's 42,086 — a 2.6% lead for the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390. L3 cache: 64 MB (total) on the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 vs 48 MB (total) on the Xeon Gold 6338N.

Feature	Ryzen AI Max PRO 390	Xeon Gold 6338N
Cores / Threads	12 / 24	32 / 64+167%
Boost Clock	5 GHz+43%	3.5 GHz
Base Clock	3.2 GHz+45%	2.2 GHz
L3 Cache	64 MB (total)+33%	48 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	1 MB (per core)
Process	4 nm-60%	10 nm
Architecture	Strix Halo (2025)	Ice Lake-SP (2021)
PassMark	43,174+3%	42,086

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 uses the FP11 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Gold 6338N uses LGA4189 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 8000 on the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 versus 2667 on the Xeon Gold 6338N — the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 supports 100% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon Gold 6338N supports up to 6144 of RAM compared to 128 — 191.8% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 4 (Ryzen AI Max PRO 390) vs 8 (Xeon Gold 6338N). PCIe lanes: 28 (Ryzen AI Max PRO 390) vs 64 (Xeon Gold 6338N) — the Xeon Gold 6338N offers 36 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Strix Halo (Ryzen AI Max PRO 390) and LGA4189 (Xeon Gold 6338N).

Feature	Ryzen AI Max PRO 390	Xeon Gold 6338N
Socket	FP11	LGA4189
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	8000+200%	2667
Max RAM Capacity	128	6144+4700%
RAM Channels	4	8+100%
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	28	64+129%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 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 AI Max PRO 390) vs VT-x, VT-d (Xeon Gold 6338N). The Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 includes integrated graphics (AMD Radeon 8050S), while the Xeon Gold 6338N requires a dedicated GPU. Direct competitor: Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 rivals Apple M4 Max; Xeon Gold 6338N rivals EPYC 7513.

Feature	Ryzen AI Max PRO 390	Xeon Gold 6338N
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	AMD Radeon 8050S	None
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	Yes	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, AMD-V	VT-x, VT-d

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 launched at $600 MSRP, while the Xeon Gold 6338N debuted at $3200. On MSRP ($600 vs $3200), the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 is $2600 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 delivers 72.0 pts/$ vs 13.2 pts/$ for the Xeon Gold 6338N — making the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 the 138.2% better value option.