Ryzen Z1 Extreme vs Xeon Gold 5220

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 Z1 Extreme

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +30.7% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 15W instead of 125W, a 110W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA3647 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 25 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 5220, which brings 18 cores / 36 threads.

Xeon Gold 5220

2019

Why buy it

✅+54.7% larger total L3 cache (25 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 18 cores / 36 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen Z1 Extreme across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (24,480 vs 24,668).
❌733.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 15W.
❌Older platform position on LGA3647 with DDR4, while Ryzen Z1 Extreme moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Ryzen Z1 Extreme

2023

Xeon Gold 5220

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +30.7% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 15W instead of 125W, a 110W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA3647 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅+54.7% larger total L3 cache (25 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 18 cores / 36 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 25 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 5220, which brings 18 cores / 36 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen Z1 Extreme across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (24,480 vs 24,668).
❌733.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 15W.
❌Older platform position on LGA3647 with DDR4, while Ryzen Z1 Extreme moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen Z1 Extreme better than Xeon Gold 5220?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 5220 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen Z1 Extreme 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 Z1 Extreme is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 30.7% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen Z1 Extreme is the better fit. You are getting 0.8% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen Z1 Extreme still looks like the safer overall buy. Ryzen Z1 Extreme is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 30.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data.

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

Ryzen Z1 Extreme is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2019), a healthier platform with FP8 and DDR5 instead of LGA3647, and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 18/36. 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 Z1 Extreme Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 5220 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen Z1 Extreme	Xeon Gold 5220
1080p
low	256 FPS	182 FPS
medium	236 FPS	147 FPS
high	202 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	172 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	225 FPS	144 FPS
medium	188 FPS	114 FPS
high	155 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	135 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	154 FPS	67 FPS
medium	129 FPS	56 FPS
high	100 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	35 FPS

Open Ryzen Z1 Extreme Open Xeon Gold 5220

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen Z1 Extreme	Xeon Gold 5220
1080p
low	472 FPS	211 FPS
medium	396 FPS	186 FPS
high	345 FPS	161 FPS
ultra	308 FPS	136 FPS
1440p
low	413 FPS	182 FPS
medium	365 FPS	165 FPS
high	318 FPS	143 FPS
ultra	272 FPS	120 FPS
4K
low	274 FPS	118 FPS
medium	253 FPS	108 FPS
high	241 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	208 FPS	82 FPS

Open Ryzen Z1 Extreme Open Xeon Gold 5220

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen Z1 Extreme	Xeon Gold 5220
1080p
low	617 FPS	612 FPS
medium	617 FPS	612 FPS
high	617 FPS	612 FPS
ultra	617 FPS	612 FPS
1440p
low	617 FPS	612 FPS
medium	617 FPS	605 FPS
high	533 FPS	573 FPS
ultra	452 FPS	506 FPS
4K
low	518 FPS	455 FPS
medium	448 FPS	357 FPS
high	398 FPS	318 FPS
ultra	336 FPS	259 FPS

Open Ryzen Z1 Extreme Open Xeon Gold 5220

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen Z1 Extreme	Xeon Gold 5220
1080p
low	617 FPS	612 FPS
medium	617 FPS	612 FPS
high	617 FPS	612 FPS
ultra	617 FPS	563 FPS
1440p
low	617 FPS	612 FPS
medium	617 FPS	587 FPS
high	617 FPS	505 FPS
ultra	597 FPS	433 FPS
4K
low	595 FPS	462 FPS
medium	535 FPS	414 FPS
high	480 FPS	369 FPS
ultra	418 FPS	320 FPS

Open Ryzen Z1 Extreme Open Xeon Gold 5220

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen Z1 Extreme and Xeon Gold 5220

Ryzen Z1 Extreme

The Ryzen Z1 Extreme is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Maio 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Phoenix (Zen 4) (2023) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 24,668 points. Launch price was $299.

Xeon Gold 5220

The Xeon Gold 5220 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture. It features 18 cores and 36 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 24.75 MB. L2 cache: 18 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2667. Passmark benchmark score: 24,480 points. Launch price was $1,555.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen Z1 Extreme packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Xeon Gold 5220 offers 18 cores / 36 threads — the Xeon Gold 5220 has 10 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.1 GHz on the Ryzen Z1 Extreme versus 3.9 GHz on the Xeon Gold 5220 — a 26.7% clock advantage for the Ryzen Z1 Extreme (base: 3.3 GHz vs 2.2 GHz). The Ryzen Z1 Extreme uses the Phoenix (Zen 4) (2023) architecture (4 nm), while the Xeon Gold 5220 uses Cascade Lake (2019−2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen Z1 Extreme scores 24,668 against the Xeon Gold 5220's 24,480 — a 0.8% lead for the Ryzen Z1 Extreme. L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen Z1 Extreme vs 24.75 MB on the Xeon Gold 5220.

Feature	Ryzen Z1 Extreme	Xeon Gold 5220
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	18 / 36+125%
Boost Clock	5.1 GHz+31%	3.9 GHz
Base Clock	3.3 GHz+50%	2.2 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)	24.75 MB+55%
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	18 MB+1700%
Process	4 nm-71%	14 nm
Architecture	Phoenix (Zen 4) (2023)	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)
PassMark	24,668	24,480

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen Z1 Extreme uses the FP8 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Gold 5220 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.