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: +25.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (13,739 vs 25,000).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 14.0 vs 49.4 PassMark/$ ($4,491 MSRP vs $1,295 MSRP).
❌33.3% higher power demand at 280W vs 210W.
❌Older platform position on TR4 with DDR4, while Xeon 6520P moves to LGA4710 and DDR5.

Xeon 6520P

2025

Why buy it

✅+82% higher Geekbench multi-core.
✅Costs $3,196 less on MSRP ($1,295 MSRP vs $4,491 MSRP).
✅Delivers 252.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 49.4 vs 14.0 PassMark/$ ($1,295 MSRP vs $4,491 MSRP).
✅Draws 210W instead of 280W, a 70W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA4710 with DDR5 support instead of TR4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen Threadripper 3970X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

2019

Xeon 6520P

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +25.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Why buy it

✅+82% higher Geekbench multi-core.
✅Costs $3,196 less on MSRP ($1,295 MSRP vs $4,491 MSRP).
✅Delivers 252.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 49.4 vs 14.0 PassMark/$ ($1,295 MSRP vs $4,491 MSRP).
✅Draws 210W instead of 280W, a 70W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA4710 with DDR5 support instead of TR4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (13,739 vs 25,000).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 14.0 vs 49.4 PassMark/$ ($4,491 MSRP vs $1,295 MSRP).
❌33.3% higher power demand at 280W vs 210W.
❌Older platform position on TR4 with DDR4, while Xeon 6520P moves to LGA4710 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen Threadripper 3970X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon 6520P better than Ryzen Threadripper 3970X?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is ahead with a 25.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Xeon 6520P pulls ahead with 82% better Geekbench multi-core.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon 6520P is the better fit. You are getting 82% better Geekbench multi-core, backed by 24 cores and 48 threads.

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

Xeon 6520P is the smarter buy today. Xeon 6520P is $3,196 cheaper on MSRP at $1,295 MSRP versus $4,491 MSRP, and it gives you 82% better Geekbench multi-core. The trade-off is that Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 25.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 252.7% better value on MSRP (49.4 vs 14.0 PassMark/$), 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 6520P is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2019), a healthier platform with LGA4710 and DDR5 instead of TR4, more multi-core headroom with 24 cores / 48 threads instead of 32/64, 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 6520P Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Xeon 6520P
1080p
low	270 FPS	188 FPS
medium	222 FPS	165 FPS
high	183 FPS	131 FPS
ultra	131 FPS	106 FPS
1440p
low	211 FPS	155 FPS
medium	164 FPS	131 FPS
high	130 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	82 FPS
4K
low	98 FPS	70 FPS
medium	81 FPS	63 FPS
high	63 FPS	49 FPS
ultra	51 FPS	40 FPS

Open Ryzen Threadripper 3970X Open Xeon 6520P

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Xeon 6520P
1080p
low	806 FPS	520 FPS
medium	681 FPS	460 FPS
high	528 FPS	375 FPS
ultra	457 FPS	309 FPS
1440p
low	652 FPS	425 FPS
medium	565 FPS	383 FPS
high	458 FPS	321 FPS
ultra	373 FPS	256 FPS
4K
low	381 FPS	262 FPS
medium	333 FPS	239 FPS
high	296 FPS	212 FPS
ultra	261 FPS	176 FPS

Open Ryzen Threadripper 3970X Open Xeon 6520P

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Xeon 6520P
1080p
low	1025 FPS	910 FPS
medium	927 FPS	838 FPS
high	862 FPS	791 FPS
ultra	765 FPS	698 FPS
1440p
low	776 FPS	782 FPS
medium	644 FPS	716 FPS
high	580 FPS	673 FPS
ultra	506 FPS	601 FPS
4K
low	539 FPS	528 FPS
medium	428 FPS	444 FPS
high	381 FPS	396 FPS
ultra	306 FPS	330 FPS

Open Ryzen Threadripper 3970X Open Xeon 6520P

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Xeon 6520P
1080p
low	1325 FPS	983 FPS
medium	1015 FPS	887 FPS
high	1073 FPS	767 FPS
ultra	875 FPS	666 FPS
1440p
low	1031 FPS	803 FPS
medium	900 FPS	700 FPS
high	778 FPS	603 FPS
ultra	656 FPS	519 FPS
4K
low	744 FPS	579 FPS
medium	662 FPS	521 FPS
high	579 FPS	462 FPS
ultra	437 FPS	398 FPS

Open Ryzen Threadripper 3970X Open Xeon 6520P

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Xeon 6520P

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 6520P

The Xeon 6520P 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 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 144 MB (total). L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on Intel 3 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4710. Thermal design power (TDP): 210 Watt. Memory support: DDR5(6400MT/s). Passmark benchmark score: 64,010 points. Launch price was $1,295.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen Threadripper 3970X packs 32 cores / 64 threads, while the Xeon 6520P offers 24 cores / 48 threads — the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.5 GHz on the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X versus 4 GHz on the Xeon 6520P — a 11.8% clock advantage for the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X (base: 3.7 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Ryzen Threadripper 3970X uses the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Xeon 6520P uses Granite Rapids (2024−2025) (Intel 3 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X scores 62,946 against the Xeon 6520P's 64,010 — a 1.7% lead for the Xeon 6520P. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,664 vs 1,900, a 13.2% lead for the Xeon 6520P that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 13,739 vs 25,000 (58.1% advantage for the Xeon 6520P). L3 cache: 128 MB on the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X vs 144 MB (total) on the Xeon 6520P.

Feature	Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Xeon 6520P
Cores / Threads	32 / 64+33%	24 / 48
Boost Clock	4.5 GHz+13%	4 GHz
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+54%	2.4 GHz
L3 Cache	128 MB	144 MB (total)+13%
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	2 MB (per core)+300%
Process	7 nm, 12 nm	Intel 3 nm-57%
Architecture	Matisse (2019−2020)	Granite Rapids (2024−2025)
PassMark	62,946	64,010+2%
Cinebench R23 Multi	44,510	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,664	1,900+14%
Geekbench 6 Multi	13,739	25,000+82%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen Threadripper 3970X uses the TR4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon 6520P uses LGA4710 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X versus DDR5-6400 on the Xeon 6520P — the Xeon 6520P supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Ryzen Threadripper 3970X supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 4 TB — 193.8% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 4 (Ryzen Threadripper 3970X) vs 8 (Xeon 6520P). PCIe lanes: 64 (Ryzen Threadripper 3970X) vs 88 (Xeon 6520P) — the Xeon 6520P offers 24 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: TRX40 (Ryzen Threadripper 3970X) and FCLGA4710 (Xeon 6520P).

Feature	Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Xeon 6520P
Socket	TR4	LGA4710
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 5.0+25%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR5-6400+25%
Max RAM Capacity	256 GB	4 TB+1500%
RAM Channels	4	8+100%
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	64	88+38%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Xeon 6520P supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: true (Ryzen Threadripper 3970X) vs VT-x, VT-d (Xeon 6520P). Primary use case: Xeon 6520P targets Server. Direct competitor: Ryzen Threadripper 3970X rivals Core i9-10980XE; Xeon 6520P rivals EPYC 9254.

Feature	Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Xeon 6520P
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	None	None
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	true	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	—	Server

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen Threadripper 3970X launched at $4491 MSRP, while the Xeon 6520P debuted at $1295. On MSRP ($4491 vs $1295), the Xeon 6520P is $3196 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X delivers 14.0 pts/$ vs 49.4 pts/$ for the Xeon 6520P — making the Xeon 6520P the 111.6% better value option.