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 Threadripper 3970X

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +30.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 14.0 vs 24.0 PassMark/$ ($4,491 MSRP vs $2,607 MSRP).
❌36.6% higher power demand at 280W vs 205W.
❌Older platform position on TR4 with DDR4, while Xeon Gold 6438Y+ moves to LGA4677 and DDR5.

Xeon Gold 6438Y+

2023

Why buy it

✅Costs $1,884 less on MSRP ($2,607 MSRP vs $4,491 MSRP).
✅Delivers 71.5% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 24.0 vs 14.0 PassMark/$ ($2,607 MSRP vs $4,491 MSRP).
✅Draws 205W instead of 280W, a 75W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA4677 with DDR5 support instead of TR4 and DDR4.
✅25% more PCIe lanes (80 vs 64) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen Threadripper 3970X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (62,660 vs 62,946).

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

2019

Xeon Gold 6438Y+

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +30.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Why buy it

✅Costs $1,884 less on MSRP ($2,607 MSRP vs $4,491 MSRP).
✅Delivers 71.5% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 24.0 vs 14.0 PassMark/$ ($2,607 MSRP vs $4,491 MSRP).
✅Draws 205W instead of 280W, a 75W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA4677 with DDR5 support instead of TR4 and DDR4.
✅25% more PCIe lanes (80 vs 64) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 14.0 vs 24.0 PassMark/$ ($4,491 MSRP vs $2,607 MSRP).
❌36.6% higher power demand at 280W vs 205W.
❌Older platform position on TR4 with DDR4, while Xeon Gold 6438Y+ moves to LGA4677 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen Threadripper 3970X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (62,660 vs 62,946).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen Threadripper 3970X better than Xeon Gold 6438Y+?

Yes. Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 30.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data and 0.5% better PassMark, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 30.2% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests. It also has a big cache advantage at 128 MB vs 60 MB.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is the better fit. You are getting 0.5% better PassMark, backed by 32 cores and 64 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 113.3% larger total L3 cache (128 MB vs 60 MB).

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

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is still the faster CPU overall, but Xeon Gold 6438Y+ makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is 72.3% more expensive on MSRP at $4,491 MSRP versus $2,607 MSRP, and it gives you a 30.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Xeon Gold 6438Y+ is also 71.5% better value on MSRP (24.0 vs 14.0 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

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

Xeon Gold 6438Y+ is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2019), a healthier platform with LGA4677 and DDR5 instead of TR4, 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 Threadripper 3970X Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 6438Y+ Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Xeon Gold 6438Y+
1080p
low	270 FPS	200 FPS
medium	222 FPS	165 FPS
high	183 FPS	137 FPS
ultra	131 FPS	107 FPS
1440p
low	211 FPS	159 FPS
medium	164 FPS	124 FPS
high	130 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	77 FPS
4K
low	98 FPS	73 FPS
medium	81 FPS	61 FPS
high	63 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	51 FPS	39 FPS

Open Ryzen Threadripper 3970X Open Xeon Gold 6438Y+

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Xeon Gold 6438Y+
1080p
low	806 FPS	263 FPS
medium	681 FPS	233 FPS
high	528 FPS	193 FPS
ultra	457 FPS	161 FPS
1440p
low	652 FPS	225 FPS
medium	565 FPS	203 FPS
high	458 FPS	173 FPS
ultra	373 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	381 FPS	140 FPS
medium	333 FPS	128 FPS
high	296 FPS	117 FPS
ultra	261 FPS	98 FPS

Open Ryzen Threadripper 3970X Open Xeon Gold 6438Y+

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Xeon Gold 6438Y+
1080p
low	1025 FPS	1025 FPS
medium	927 FPS	961 FPS
high	862 FPS	906 FPS
ultra	765 FPS	822 FPS
1440p
low	776 FPS	831 FPS
medium	644 FPS	739 FPS
high	580 FPS	685 FPS
ultra	506 FPS	615 FPS
4K
low	539 FPS	531 FPS
medium	428 FPS	437 FPS
high	381 FPS	378 FPS
ultra	306 FPS	310 FPS

Open Ryzen Threadripper 3970X Open Xeon Gold 6438Y+

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Xeon Gold 6438Y+
1080p
low	1325 FPS	916 FPS
medium	1015 FPS	832 FPS
high	1073 FPS	717 FPS
ultra	875 FPS	621 FPS
1440p
low	1031 FPS	721 FPS
medium	900 FPS	634 FPS
high	778 FPS	543 FPS
ultra	656 FPS	470 FPS
4K
low	744 FPS	525 FPS
medium	662 FPS	469 FPS
high	579 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	437 FPS	354 FPS

Open Ryzen Threadripper 3970X Open Xeon Gold 6438Y+

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Xeon Gold 6438Y+

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

The Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 25 November 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture. It features 32 cores and 64 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 128 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: TR4. Thermal design power (TDP): 280 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Eight-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 62,946 points. Launch price was $1,999.

Xeon Gold 6438Y+

The Xeon Gold 6438Y+ is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 10 January 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Sapphire Rapids (2023−2024) architecture. It features 32 cores and 64 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 60 MB. L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4677. Thermal design power (TDP): 205 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-4800. Passmark benchmark score: 62,660 points. Launch price was $3,141.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Xeon Gold 6438Y+ share an identical 32-core/64-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.5 GHz on the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X versus 4 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6438Y+ — a 11.8% clock advantage for the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X (base: 3.7 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Ryzen Threadripper 3970X uses the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6438Y+ uses Sapphire Rapids (2023−2024) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X scores 62,946 against the Xeon Gold 6438Y+'s 62,660 — a 0.5% lead for the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X. L3 cache: 128 MB on the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X vs 60 MB on the Xeon Gold 6438Y+.

Feature	Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Xeon Gold 6438Y+
Cores / Threads	32 / 64	32 / 64
Boost Clock	4.5 GHz+13%	4 GHz
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+85%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	128 MB+113%	60 MB
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	2 MB (per core)+300%
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-30%	10 nm
Architecture	Matisse (2019−2020)	Sapphire Rapids (2023−2024)
PassMark	62,946	62,660
Cinebench R23 Multi	44,510	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,664	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	13,739	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen Threadripper 3970X uses the TR4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Gold 6438Y+ uses LGA4677 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X versus 4800 on the Xeon Gold 6438Y+ — the Xeon Gold 6438Y+ supports 199.7% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon Gold 6438Y+ supports up to 4096 of RAM compared to 256 GB — 176.5% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 4 (Ryzen Threadripper 3970X) vs 8 (Xeon Gold 6438Y+). PCIe lanes: 64 (Ryzen Threadripper 3970X) vs 80 (Xeon Gold 6438Y+) — the Xeon Gold 6438Y+ offers 16 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: TRX40 (Ryzen Threadripper 3970X) and C741 (Xeon Gold 6438Y+).

Feature	Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Xeon Gold 6438Y+
Socket	TR4	LGA4677
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 5.0+25%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	4800+119900%
Max RAM Capacity	256 GB+6553500%	4096
RAM Channels	4	8+100%
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	64	80+25%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Xeon Gold 6438Y+ supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: true (Ryzen Threadripper 3970X) vs VT-x, VT-d (Xeon Gold 6438Y+). Direct competitor: Ryzen Threadripper 3970X rivals Core i9-10980XE; Xeon Gold 6438Y+ rivals EPYC 9354.

Feature	Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Xeon Gold 6438Y+
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	None	None
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	true	VT-x, VT-d

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen Threadripper 3970X launched at $4491 MSRP, while the Xeon Gold 6438Y+ debuted at $2607. On MSRP ($4491 vs $2607), the Xeon Gold 6438Y+ is $1884 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X delivers 14.0 pts/$ vs 24.0 pts/$ for the Xeon Gold 6438Y+ — making the Xeon Gold 6438Y+ the 52.7% better value option.