Intel Xeon E5-2697R v4 vs AMD Ryzen 5 3500X

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Perhaps you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice after reading the full tests Intel Xeon E5-2697R v4 vs AMD Ryzen 5 3500X and see which is better for games or normal use for streaming, video editing, rendering, programming, machine learning. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like Furmark, PCMark 10, PassMark, Blender, AIDA64, 3DMark, Dolphin Emulator, Gears 5, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, SuperPi, UserBenchmark, WPrime, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Prime95, VeraCrypt, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), RealBench, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Handbrake, MATLAB, 7zip.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

Halo Infinite
Fortnite
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Apex Legends
Cyberpunk 2077
Valorant
Red Dead Redemption 2
DOOM: Eternal
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Watch Dogs Legion
Overwatch
Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare
Death Stranding
Grand Theft Auto V
Borderlands 3
Last Man Standing
Rainbow Six Siege
Fallout 76
Valheim

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 3500X or Intel Xeon E5-2697R v4.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Xeon E5-2697R v4

55%

Ryzen 5 3500X

54%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Xeon E5-2697R v4 is 1% better than Ryzen 5 3500X. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Xeon E5-2697R v4

61%

Ryzen 5 3500X

53%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a low game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Battlefield V, Half-Life: Alyx, Horizon Zero Dawn, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Ghostrunner, DOTA 2A, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Hitman 3, League of Legends (LOL), Forza Horizon 4, Control, NBA 2K20, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Metro Exodus, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	108.6	94.1
Valorant	123.4	106.9
Cyberpunk 2077	69.1	59.9
Apex Legends	116.0	100.5
Call of Duty Warzone	92.6	80.2
Overwatch	100.0	86.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	85.2	73.8
DOOM Eternal	61.7	53.5
Warzone	96.3	83.4
Assassin's Creed	103.7	89.8
Valheim	102.5	88.7

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparisons not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Xeon E5-2697R v4

20%

Ryzen 5 3500X

65%

To make a finishing resolution on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Ryzen 5 3500X is more energy efficient than the Xeon E5-2697R v4 as it consumes less power: 145W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor uses all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode are unused.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Xeon E5-2697R v4	AMD Ryzen 5 3500X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	108	188
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3177	1129
Cinbench 20 Single-core	240	464
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	7475	2652
Cinbench 23 Single-core	641	1126
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	18061	7797

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Xeon E5-2697R v4	AMD Ryzen 5 3500X
Single-Core	1916	2562
Multi-Core	18383	13476

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Xeon E5-2697R v4	AMD Ryzen 5 3500X
Single-Core	910	1272
Multi-Core	20218	5963

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Xeon E5-2697R v4	AMD Ryzen 5 3500X
Announcement date	January 01, 2021	September 24, 2019
Type	Server	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2011-3	AM4
Core name	Broadwell	Matisse
Architecture	x86	Zen 2
Generation	4	3
Turbo Frequency	3.6 MHz	4.1 MHz
Frequency	2.3 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	18	6
Threads	36	6
Bus rate	9.6 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	4130 millions	4200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	145 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4 1600/1866/2133/2400	DDR4
Max. Memory	15 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s
L1 cache		384KB
L2 cache		3MB
L3 cache	45 MB	32MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	Yes	No
Part number		100-000000158 100-100000158CBX 100-100000158MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 3500X is 36% better than Xeon E5-2697R v4 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Xeon E5-2697R v4 has 12 more core than Ryzen 5 3500X. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Xeon E5-2697R v4 is better: 25
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 3500X is better: 13
Although it should be realized that all the number in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Xeon E5-2697R v4 and AMD Ryzen 5 3500X before making a selection which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Xeon E5-2697R v4 specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 3500X specs and review.