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.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Why buy it

✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon 6357P needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon 6357P across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 30,401).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 24 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon 6357P, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads and 20 PCIe lanes.
❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Xeon 6357P mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon 6357P

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +41.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (24 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads, plus 20 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅Draws 80W instead of 95W, a 15W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Xeon 6357P

2025

Why buy it

✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon 6357P needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +41.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (24 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads, plus 20 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅Draws 80W instead of 95W, a 15W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon 6357P across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 30,401).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 24 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon 6357P, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads and 20 PCIe lanes.
❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Xeon 6357P mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon 6357P better than Core i7-9700K?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon 6357P makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i7-9700K 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, Xeon 6357P is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 41.3% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon 6357P is the better fit. You are getting 111.2% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (24 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Xeon 6357P is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Xeon 6357P is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you a 41.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i7-9700K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (37.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a very cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on LGA1151.

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

Xeon 6357P is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2018), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of LGA1151, 100% larger total L3 cache (24 MB vs 12 MB), more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 8/8, 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.

Core i7-9700K Benchmark Check

Xeon 6357P Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon 6357P
1080p
low	308 FPS	257 FPS
medium	278 FPS	246 FPS
high	231 FPS	205 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	176 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	222 FPS
medium	221 FPS	190 FPS
high	178 FPS	152 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	133 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	153 FPS
medium	140 FPS	130 FPS
high	108 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	88 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon 6357P

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon 6357P
1080p
low	360 FPS	620 FPS
medium	321 FPS	523 FPS
high	291 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	408 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	532 FPS
medium	282 FPS	467 FPS
high	258 FPS	398 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	346 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	311 FPS
medium	221 FPS	278 FPS
high	208 FPS	265 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	233 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon 6357P

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon 6357P
1080p
low	360 FPS	646 FPS
medium	360 FPS	529 FPS
high	360 FPS	466 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	404 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	588 FPS
medium	360 FPS	489 FPS
high	360 FPS	425 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	369 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	424 FPS
medium	360 FPS	369 FPS
high	360 FPS	335 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	285 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon 6357P

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon 6357P
1080p
low	360 FPS	760 FPS
medium	360 FPS	760 FPS
high	360 FPS	726 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	652 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	760 FPS
medium	360 FPS	704 FPS
high	360 FPS	609 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	536 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	537 FPS
medium	360 FPS	490 FPS
high	360 FPS	439 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	383 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon 6357P

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Xeon 6357P

Core i7-9700K

The Core i7-9700K 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 8 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 14,397 points. Launch price was $374.

Xeon 6357P

The Xeon 6357P is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 February 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 24 MB (total). L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-4800. Passmark benchmark score: 30,401 points. Launch price was $556.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, matching the Xeon 6357P's 8 cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 5.1 GHz on the Xeon 6357P — a 4% clock advantage for the Xeon 6357P (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon 6357P uses Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025) (Intel 7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Xeon 6357P's 30,401 — a 71.4% lead for the Xeon 6357P. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 24 MB (total) on the Xeon 6357P.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon 6357P
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz	5.1 GHz+4%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+20%	3 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	24 MB (total)+100%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	2 MB (per core)+700%
Process	14 nm	Intel 7 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Raptor Lake-R (2023−2025)
PassMark	14,397	30,401+111%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	18,000
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,784
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	12,769

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon 6357P uses LGA1700 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i7-9700K versus DDR5-4800 on the Xeon 6357P — the Xeon 6357P supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-9700K) vs 20 (Xeon 6357P) — the Xeon 6357P offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Intel 300 series (Core i7-9700K) and Server chipsets (Xeon 6357P).

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon 6357P
Socket	LGA1151	LGA1700
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR5-4800+25%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	16	20+25%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i7-9700K has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Xeon 6357P supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Xeon 6357P). The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Xeon 6357P requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop, Xeon 6357P targets Edge Server / Workstation. Direct competitor: Xeon 6357P rivals Core i7-14700.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon 6357P
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 630	—
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use	Desktop	Edge Server / Workstation