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 7900

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +19.7% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $766 less on MSRP ($429 MSRP vs $1,195 MSRP).
✅Delivers 174.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 40.8 PassMark/$ ($429 MSRP vs $1,195 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 190W, a 125W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (Raphael), while Xeon 6517P needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (48,168 vs 48,810).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon 6517P, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 88 PCIe lanes.

Xeon 6517P

2025

Why buy it

✅+1.3% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 88 PCIe lanes vs 28.
✅214.3% more PCIe lanes (88 vs 28) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7900 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 40.8 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($1,195 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
❌192.3% higher power demand at 190W vs 65W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 7900 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 9 7900.

Ryzen 9 7900

2023

Xeon 6517P

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +19.7% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $766 less on MSRP ($429 MSRP vs $1,195 MSRP).
✅Delivers 174.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 40.8 PassMark/$ ($429 MSRP vs $1,195 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 190W, a 125W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (Raphael), while Xeon 6517P needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+1.3% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 88 PCIe lanes vs 28.
✅214.3% more PCIe lanes (88 vs 28) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (48,168 vs 48,810).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon 6517P, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 88 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7900 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 40.8 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($1,195 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
❌192.3% higher power demand at 190W vs 65W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 7900 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 9 7900.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 7900 better than Xeon 6517P?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon 6517P makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 9 7900 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 6517P is the better fit. You are getting 1.3% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 32 threads.

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

Ryzen 9 7900 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 9 7900 is $766 cheaper on MSRP at $429 MSRP versus $1,195 MSRP, and it gives you a 19.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon 6517P is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 1.3% better PassMark. It is also 174.9% better value on MSRP (112.3 vs 40.8 PassMark/$), 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?

Xeon 6517P is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2023) and more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 32 threads instead of 12/24. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

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 7900 Benchmark Check

Xeon 6517P Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 7900	Xeon 6517P
1080p
low	288 FPS	192 FPS
medium	259 FPS	153 FPS
high	218 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	190 FPS	97 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	157 FPS
medium	218 FPS	122 FPS
high	170 FPS	95 FPS
ultra	152 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	187 FPS	72 FPS
medium	151 FPS	60 FPS
high	113 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	38 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 7900 Open Xeon 6517P

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 7900	Xeon 6517P
1080p
low	706 FPS	559 FPS
medium	599 FPS	488 FPS
high	450 FPS	396 FPS
ultra	389 FPS	353 FPS
1440p
low	593 FPS	483 FPS
medium	522 FPS	426 FPS
high	406 FPS	357 FPS
ultra	322 FPS	299 FPS
4K
low	335 FPS	302 FPS
medium	298 FPS	270 FPS
high	264 FPS	244 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	220 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 7900 Open Xeon 6517P

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 9 7900	Xeon 6517P
1080p
low	876 FPS	1025 FPS
medium	699 FPS	986 FPS
high	608 FPS	910 FPS
ultra	518 FPS	824 FPS
1440p
low	702 FPS	859 FPS
medium	562 FPS	755 FPS
high	481 FPS	697 FPS
ultra	408 FPS	626 FPS
4K
low	499 FPS	541 FPS
medium	414 FPS	442 FPS
high	372 FPS	389 FPS
ultra	312 FPS	319 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 7900 Open Xeon 6517P

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 9 7900	Xeon 6517P
1080p
low	1125 FPS	1022 FPS
medium	987 FPS	916 FPS
high	860 FPS	782 FPS
ultra	765 FPS	672 FPS
1440p
low	892 FPS	788 FPS
medium	774 FPS	689 FPS
high	677 FPS	586 FPS
ultra	580 FPS	504 FPS
4K
low	644 FPS	563 FPS
medium	570 FPS	501 FPS
high	503 FPS	441 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	377 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 7900 Open Xeon 6517P

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 9 7900 and Xeon 6517P

Ryzen 9 7900

The Ryzen 9 7900 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 14 January 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 5.4 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 5 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5200. Passmark benchmark score: 48,168 points. Launch price was $429.

Xeon 6517P

The Xeon 6517P is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 February 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Granite Rapids (2024−2025) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 72 MB (total). L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on Intel 3 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4710. Thermal design power (TDP): 190 Watt. Memory support: DDR5(6400MT/s). Passmark benchmark score: 48,810 points. Launch price was $1,195.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 9 7900 packs 12 cores / 24 threads, while the Xeon 6517P offers 16 cores / 32 threads — the Xeon 6517P has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.4 GHz on the Ryzen 9 7900 versus 4.2 GHz on the Xeon 6517P — a 25% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 7900 (base: 3.7 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Ryzen 9 7900 uses the Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) architecture (5 nm), while the Xeon 6517P uses Granite Rapids (2024−2025) (Intel 3 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 9 7900 scores 48,168 against the Xeon 6517P's 48,810 — a 1.3% lead for the Xeon 6517P. L3 cache: 64 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 7900 vs 72 MB (total) on the Xeon 6517P.

Feature	Ryzen 9 7900	Xeon 6517P
Cores / Threads	12 / 24	16 / 32+33%
Boost Clock	5.4 GHz+29%	4.2 GHz
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+16%	3.2 GHz
L3 Cache	64 MB (total)	72 MB (total)+13%
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	2 MB (per core)+100%
Process	5 nm	Intel 3 nm-40%
Architecture	Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023)	Granite Rapids (2024−2025)
PassMark	48,168	48,810+1%
Cinebench R23 Multi	24,600	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,800	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	18,000	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 9 7900 uses the AM5 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Xeon 6517P uses LGA4710 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-5200 on the Ryzen 9 7900 versus 6400 on the Xeon 6517P — the Xeon 6517P supports 199.7% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon 6517P supports up to 4096 of RAM compared to 128 GB — 187.9% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Ryzen 9 7900) vs 8 (Xeon 6517P). PCIe lanes: 28 (Ryzen 9 7900) vs 88 (Xeon 6517P) — the Xeon 6517P offers 60 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD X670E,AMD X670,AMD B650E,AMD B650,AMD A620 (Ryzen 9 7900) and Granite Rapids-SP (Xeon 6517P).

Feature	Ryzen 9 7900	Xeon 6517P
Socket	AM5	LGA4710
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0	PCIe 5.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5200	6400+127900%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+3276700%	4096
RAM Channels	2	8+300%
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	28	88+214%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 9 7900 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: true (Ryzen 9 7900) vs VT-x, VT-d (Xeon 6517P). The Ryzen 9 7900 includes integrated graphics (Radeon Graphics (Raphael)), while the Xeon 6517P requires a dedicated GPU. Direct competitor: Ryzen 9 7900 rivals Core i9-13900; Xeon 6517P rivals EPYC 9554.

Feature	Ryzen 9 7900	Xeon 6517P
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	Radeon Graphics (Raphael)	None
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	Yes	Yes
Virtualization	true	VT-x, VT-d

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 9 7900 launched at $429 MSRP, while the Xeon 6517P debuted at $1195. On MSRP ($429 vs $1195), the Ryzen 9 7900 is $766 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 9 7900 delivers 112.3 pts/$ vs 40.8 pts/$ for the Xeon 6517P — making the Ryzen 9 7900 the 93.3% better value option.