Core i5-9600K vs Xeon E-2126G

Core i5-9600K

6 Cores6 Thrd95 WWMax: 4.6 GHz2018

Xeon E-2126G

6 Cores6 Thrd80 WWMax: 4.5 GHz2018

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i5-9600K

6 / 6

10,645

+2.0%

10,437

0.0%

About PassMark

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Core i5-9600K

#300

Core i7-10700F

MSRP: $310|Avg: $250

108%

#301

Core i7-10700T

MSRP: $355|Avg: $200

108%

#302

Core i7-6900K

MSRP: $1089|Avg: $1089

23%

#302

Celeron G5920

MSRP: $52|Avg: $40

108%

#303

Core i3-10105T

MSRP: $122|Avg: $122

107%

#303

Core i7-5960X

MSRP: $999|Avg: $83

22%

#304

Core i7-6950X

MSRP: $1723|Avg: $180

17%

#304

Celeron G5900

MSRP: $50|Avg: $42

107%

#305

Core 5 120

MSRP: $340|Avg: $340

106%

#306

Core i7-12700T

MSRP: $339|Avg: $337

105%

#307

Core 3 100HL

MSRP: $306|Avg: $280

105%

#308

Core i9-11900F

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $358.87

103%

#309

Core i9-9900T

MSRP: $423|Avg: $215

103%

#310

Core i5-9500T

MSRP: $192|Avg: $132

103%

#311

Ryzen 7 PRO 5750GE

MSRP: $349|Avg: $349

101%

#312

Core i9-10940X

MSRP: $784|Avg: $460

101%

#313

Core i9-10920X

MSRP: $689|Avg: $430

101%

#314

Core i7-10700

MSRP: $365|Avg: $268

100%

#315

Core i5-9600K

MSRP: $263|Avg: $178

100%

#316

Ryzen Threadripper 7960X

MSRP: $1499|Avg: $1400

100%

#317

Ryzen 7 PRO 4750GE

MSRP: $309|Avg: $309

100%

#318

Core i3-10305T

MSRP: $143|Avg: $143

100%

#319

Ryzen Embedded V1202B

MSRP: $100|Avg: $60

98%

#320

Core i3-10100

MSRP: $122|Avg: $146

98%

#321

Ryzen 5 PRO 5650GE

MSRP: $311|Avg: $311

98%

#322

Celeron G6900

MSRP: $52|Avg: $77

97%

#323

Core i9-11900K

MSRP: $539|Avg: $435

96%

#324

Core i7-12700TE

MSRP: $378|Avg: $350

94%

#325

Core i9-12900E

MSRP: $500|Avg: $500

94%

#326

Celeron G4900T

MSRP: $42|Avg: $40

94%

#327

Ryzen Threadripper 2920X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $452

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E-2126G

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

53840%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

10166%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

9032%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

6977%

#537

Xeon Platinum 8180

MSRP: $10009|Avg: $2363

99%

#538

Xeon Platinum 8280M

MSRP: $10009|Avg: $6223

97%

#539

Xeon Platinum 8280

MSRP: $10009|Avg: $2940

95%

#540

Xeon E7-8891 v3

MSRP: $6841|Avg: $418

82%

#1001

Xeon E-2126G

MSRP: $2702|Avg: $230

100%

#1004

Xeon D-1531

MSRP: $2057|Avg: $250

97%

#1005

Xeon 5130

MSRP: $316|Avg: $10

96%

#1007

Xeon E5-4640 v3

MSRP: $2859|Avg: $300

94%

#1008

Xeon E5440

MSRP: $690|Avg: $37

89%

#1009

Xeon E5-2643

MSRP: $1552|Avg: $50

87%

#1010

Xeon E5-2637

MSRP: $885|Avg: $40

87%

#1011

Xeon W3570

MSRP: $999|Avg: $15

85%

#1013

Xeon E5-4620

MSRP: $2141|Avg: $400

80%

#1014

Xeon E5-2680

MSRP: $3226|Avg: $40

75%

#1016

Xeon E5-4640

MSRP: $2725|Avg: N/A

67%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Use Case Distinction: This is a comparison between a Professional Workstation processor ($230) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E-2126G is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core i5-9600K	Xeon E-2126G
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	✅ More affordable ($178)	⚠️ Higher cost ($230)
Longevity	✨ Modern (Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) / 14 nm)	✨ Modern (Coffee Lake-S WS (2018−2019) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i5-9600K ($178), however, is optimized for mixed workloads and gaming. For most users, it offers superior single-thread performance and responsiveness at a fraction of the cost ($52 less, 23% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core i5-9600K	Xeon E-2126G
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+32%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($178)	⚠️ Higher cost ($230)

Performance Check

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.

Core i5-9600K Benchmark Check

Xeon E-2126G Benchmark Check

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-9600K and Xeon E-2126G

Core i5-9600K

The Core i5-9600K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. It features 6 cores and 6 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 9 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 10,645 points. Launch price was $262.

Xeon E-2126G

The Xeon E-2126G is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 12 July 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-S WS (2018−2019) architecture. It features 6 cores and 6 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 10,437 points. Launch price was $255.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i5-9600K and Xeon E-2126G share an identical 6-core/6-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Core i5-9600K versus 4.5 GHz on the Xeon E-2126G — a 2.2% clock advantage for the Core i5-9600K (base: 3.7 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Core i5-9600K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon E-2126G uses Coffee Lake-S WS (2018−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-9600K scores 10,645 against the Xeon E-2126G's 10,437 — a 2% lead for the Core i5-9600K. L3 cache: 9 MB (total) on the Core i5-9600K vs 12 MB (total) on the Xeon E-2126G.

Feature	Core i5-9600K	Xeon E-2126G
Cores / Threads	6 / 6	6 / 6
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz+2%	4.5 GHz
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+12%	3.3 GHz
L3 Cache	9 MB (total)	12 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Coffee Lake-S WS (2018−2019)
PassMark	10,645+2%	10,437

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the LGA1151 socket with PCIe 3.0.

Feature	Core i5-9600K	Xeon E-2126G
Socket	LGA1151	LGA1151
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	2666	—
Max RAM Capacity	128	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	❌	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: true (Core i5-9600K) / not specified (Xeon E-2126G). The Core i5-9600K includes integrated graphics (Intel UHD Graphics 630), while the Xeon E-2126G requires a dedicated GPU.

Feature	Core i5-9600K	Xeon E-2126G
Integrated GPU	Yes	—
IGPU Model	Intel UHD Graphics 630	—
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	true	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-9600K launched at $263 MSRP, while the Xeon E-2126G debuted at $2702. At current prices ($178 vs $230), the Core i5-9600K is $52 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-9600K delivers 59.8 pts/$ vs 45.4 pts/$ for the Xeon E-2126G — making the Core i5-9600K the 27.4% better value option.